Irish Heritage in Hubbardston Michigan
Hubbardston, Michigan is one of the most authentically Irish communities in the Midwest, settled by immigrants from Counties Wexford and Monaghan who built a Catholic parish, dance troupe, and annual St. Patrick's Day celebration.
Hubbardston's Irish heritage dates to 1849, when John Cowman arrived from County Wexford as the first Irish Catholic settler. Chain migration from Counties Wexford and Monaghan brought dozens of families over the following decades, creating a deeply Irish community that endures to this day. The village's identity is rooted in Irish Catholic faith, Irish dance, and the annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade. Surnames like Cowman, Roach, McKenna, Welch, Hogan, and Cahalan remain on headstones, road signs, and living family lines.
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.
People
Places & Businesses
Shiels Tavern
Michigan's oldest continuously licensed bar under the same name. Building dates to 1878, continuous liquor license since 1933.
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
The spiritual heart of Hubbardston since 1857. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its Gothic Revival architecture.