The Charlotte Irish Connection: The Irish heart of the Queen City
“Everything that the Irish community does in Charlotte, why is it all a secret?” asked Peter Byrne, former president of the Charlotte Irish Connection.
His question captures a quiet truth about the city’s Irish presence. The Charlotte Irish Connection, a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting Irish culture, connection and celebration, is working to change that.
“It is there to keep people informed about the Irish community in Charlotte,” Byrne said.
The Irish in Charlotte
The current Irish presence in Mecklenburg County is rooted in the broader history of European migration to the Carolinas.
Scots-Irish settlers arrived in large numbers in the region throughout the mid-18th century. The early settlers brought Presbyterian traditions that aided in building a sense of community in early Charlotte. This Irish influence has persisted through the modern era, as represented by the Charlotte Irish Connection.
Originally founded in 1986 as the Irish Society of Charlotte by five Irish immigrants including Diarmuid O’Sullivan and John Young, the group began as a small social network for Irish immigrants. Young serves as the honorary consul for Ireland in North Carolina.
“There were very few native-born Irish people,” O’Sullivan recalled. “This was a day in the time before internet, so you rang home at Christmas or upon hearing the news of a death in the family; those are the only times you’d telephone back home to Ireland.”
O’Sullivan described the group’s early vision as one rooted in connection.
“We decided, hey — let’s start an organization. It was really social. We were non-political, so we really desperately wanted people from both sides of the political and religious divide in Ireland to be involved — and we did,” he said.
For many, the Society was a lifeline. “Even though I speak the language, write the language, it is still a very big adjustment to move here from Ireland,” O’Sullivan said. “We were there to help people assimilate and just ease into living here.”
The Society was renamed the Charlotte Irish Connection in the late 2010s after a membership analysis. Today, it fosters community among Irish immigrants and Irish Americans, spreading awareness of the Irish influence in Charlotte and spotlighting local Irish-owned businesses and clubs.
“What you’re going to wind up with is not so much knowing about CIC,” Byrne explained, “but really an overview of the total Irish community in the city and how it has grown in the last 40 years.”
Culture and tradition
The broad scope of the Irish community is exemplified in Kevin Devin and James Connolly’s Gaelic Athletic Association, a local GAA Gaelic football and hurling team.
Founded in 2000 by Devin, the club began as a way to bring a piece of Irish culture to Charlotte. Seventeen years later, its women’s team made history by competing at the highest level of North American Gaelic football, facing Irish all-stars in one of Ireland’s national sports.
Devin is also co-owner of several Irish pubs, including The Workman’s Friend, Tyber Creek Pub and Connolly’s on Fifth. These pubs act as informal gathering spots for the Irish community and have become fixtures of Charlotte nightlife.
Byrne described the Charlotte Irish Connection as an “event-driven organization,” taking part in a wide range of activities throughout the year, from a fall picnic to a Christmas party.
The first of these gatherings was the Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Party on Sept. 17, 1986. The highlight of the year, of course, is the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The Charlotte Irish Connection hosts a launch event and presents the Grand Marshal’s sash for Charlotte’s annual Irish celebration.
The parade is organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a group historically known as “very Irish and very Catholic,” who also help run the famed Fifth Avenue parade in New York City.
Byrne emphasized the importance of these gatherings: “A lot of people say, why should I go to an Irish session when I can go on YouTube and see the real thing? It’s connection, of course — it’s connecting with other Irish people.”
An Irish legacy
As a strong Irish identity continues to blossom alongside Charlotte’s growth, so does its influence.
“It was the pennies of the poor Irish that built St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York,” Byrne said, reflecting on the legacy of Irish immigrants in America. “That’s why you should study Irish history and find out how much we were pissed off, and when you realize what was done to us and where we are now, you realize how special we are.”
The Charlotte Irish Connection ensures that the history, traditions and pride of Irish people continue to thrive, making sure that their influence is not lost. Byrne said he is always happy to support an Irish cause, and “get the word out about what a great people we are.”
For many, the organization offers a sense of home, one that balances nostalgia with celebration.
As Byrne put it when reminiscing about Ireland, “You leave soon enough and you get pissed off at the weather.”
Upcoming CIC events
- The High Kings – March 2, 2026, 7:30PM – Knight Theater
- Live music the second Sunday of every month at The Workman’s Friend, 1531 Central Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205
Queens University News Service stories are prepared by students in the James L. Knight School of Communication with supervision and editing from faculty and staff. The James L. Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte provides the news service in support of local community news.
