Did you know Irish soldiers fought against the US in the Mexican-American War?
“The San Patricio Battalion were primarily Irish Catholics who deserted from the US Army during the Mexican American War, or the War of US Intervention, to fight with the Mexicans. They were not entirely Irish nor entirely deserters as many US historians report.”
Guadalajara-based historian and author Prof. Michael Hogan will share his fascinating research with the Rotary Club of Eugene Metropolitan this Tuesday, March 14th at 6 pm Pacific. All are welcome!
“The Irish Soldiers of Mexico sold out fourteen editions in English and three editions in Spanish from 1997 to 2010. It has been the basis of an MGM feature film and two documentaries; it has also been used in many history classes both in the United States and abroad.”
History buffs and avid readers will both enjoy this important but lesser-known part of the United States’ shared history with Mexico.
“Anti-Catholic sentiment in the States gave men like John Riley little reason to continue to pay allegiance to the stars and stripes,” Francine Uenuma wrote in The Smithsonian. “Many were Irish immigrants who had come to the United States to escape economic hardship, but found themselves fighting in the Mexican-American War against their adopted country. Though they were on the losing side of the war, their actions are still celebrated in Mexico today, where they are viewed as heroes.”
Comment below for the Zoom link to join us online or support local business and have dinner with us in Downtown Eugene at one of our longtime favorites – The Davis Restaurant.
Michael Hogan is the author of twenty-seven books, including two collections of short stories, eight books of poetry, selected essays on teaching in Latin America, two novels, the critically acclaimed Abraham Lincoln and Mexico. He holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Studies from the University of Guadalajara and the Institute of Advanced Studies.[3]
Dr. Hogan was the recipient of a PEN Award, two Pushcart Prizes, an National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, the Benjamin Franklin Award and the gold medal of the Mexican Geographical Society. His work has appeared in many journals such as The Paris Review, The Harvard Review, Z-Magazine, Political Affairs and the Monthly Review.
3 Responses
This is an absolutely fascinating piece of history. Kudos to the Downtown Eugene club for bringing such an interesting speaker to their club meeting!
This is the Metro Rotary Club, not the Downtown Club.
We both meet downtown on Tuesdays but Metro meets in the evening at The Davis if anyone would like to join us for dinner! Our friends are always welcome 🙂 6 pm Pacific for great food and drinks.
Thanks for the clarification, PP Kim – hope all of our friends at Delta are doing well!