Irish Heritage
How immigrants from Counties Wexford, Monaghan, Tipperary, and Wicklow built one of Michigan's most authentically Irish communities.
Beginning in 1849, Irish immigrants — many fleeing the devastation of the Great Famine — made their way to the forests of Ionia County, Michigan. They found in Hubbardston a place where they could rebuild: clearing land, establishing farms, founding St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, and creating a community so thoroughly Irish that their heritage persists nearly two centuries later.
Today, Hubbardston celebrates this legacy with the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade, a beloved annual tradition that draws visitors from across the region.
Irish County Origins
County Wexford
Southeast Ireland
The largest contingent of Hubbardston's Irish settlers
County Monaghan
Ulster
Families from the border region of Northern Ireland
County Tipperary
Munster
Agricultural families from Ireland's heartland
County Wicklow
Leinster
"The Garden of Ireland" — settlers from near Dublin
Articles
Families from County Wexford, Monaghan & Beyond
The founding Irish families of Hubbardston — Cowman, Welch, McKenna, Roche, Hogan, and others — and the counties they left behind.
Hubbardston Irish Dance Troupe
Founded in 1998, the Hubbardston Irish Dance Troupe has grown to roughly 95 dancers and performed at Walt Disney World — keeping Irish culture alive for a new generation.
Irish Family Genealogy Resources
Where to research your Hubbardston Irish family roots — archives, databases, cemeteries, and online resources.
Irish Immigration to Hubbardston
How Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Famine found a new home in the Michigan wilderness and built one of the state's most enduring Irish communities.
The County Monaghan Connection
The McKenna family and other settlers from County Monaghan, Ireland brought Ulster traditions to Hubbardston, Michigan — their gravestone evidence tells the story.
The County Wexford Connection
How families from County Wexford, Ireland — especially the Roach, Roche, and Cowman families — shaped the founding and character of Hubbardston, Michigan.
The Irish Catholic Faith in Hubbardston
How Catholicism became the foundation of community life in Hubbardston, Michigan — from a converted sheep-shed to a National Register church, faith has been the thread that holds this Irish village together.
The World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade
Hubbardston's signature event — a beloved, tongue-in-cheek celebration that perfectly captures the village's Irish pride and small-town humor.