When William Penn set out more than three centuries ago to create Philadelphia, he couldn't have imagined how much his "Green Country Towne" would be shaped by the Emerald Isle.
Ties to Ireland are seen in the city's St. Patrick's Day observances, dating back to 1771, and in ceremonies at the Irish Memorial at Penn's Landing depicting An Gorta Mor, the great Irish famine of the mid-1800s.
They are remembered in the statues and Celtic graveside crosses honoring Irish military heroes and political leaders; in the traditional music, food and drink at local Irish pubs and restaurants; and in massive public works such as the Commodore Barry and Platt Memorial Bridges, named after Irish-born heroes of the American Revolution and Civil War.
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