For this St. Patrick’s Day, we uncover the little-known history of the Irish in Astoria.

According to the research paper Irish Settlers in Queens County, City of New York by Michael J. O’Brien, the first recorded Irish person to arrive in Queens was Sarah Ryan in 1638. She traveled to America with her husband, Sylvester Baldwin, and their children from England, though Baldwin tragically passed away during the voyage. In 1671, the Lynch family arrived from Ireland and settled in Jamaica, Queens. Later, in 1695, Thomas Lynch of Jamaica married Margaret Riker of the Riker Island family.

While early Queens was predominantly settled by British, Dutch, and German communities, the Irish population grew steadily over time. The first recorded Irish residents of Astoria arrived around 1730—the McDonough family, consisting of John and his brothers James and Augustine, who emigrated from County Kildare, Ireland. Around the same period, Reverend Francis Doughty acquired more than 100 acres of land in what would become Long Island City, facing the East River.

By the mid-18th century, the Irish presence in the region became more notable. On January 23, 1764, a police officer named Timothy McCarthy of Newtown (the former name for Astoria and Long Island City) was killed while attempting an arrest. That same year, James McCarroll became the first recorded Irish schoolteacher in the area. His school, located on the outskirts of Astoria, was mentioned in the New York Mercury on July 18, 1774, which stated, “The grammar school at Newtown is still continued by a young gentleman who comes well recommended.”

During the Revolutionary War in 1776, Irishman Darby Doyle fought against the British. Other prominent Irish settlers included Thomas Kelly and Peter Fitzsimmons, who owned a tavern at Hallet’s Cove in 1778. Fitzsimmons also operated a ferry, transporting early Astorians across the East River to Manhattan. However, The Annals of Newtown by James Riker notes that Fitzsimmons was known for keeping “bad company” and that his tavern was “the resort of the soldiery and refugees” of the war.

More than a century later, one of the most notorious Irishmen in Astoria’s history, Patrick Jerome Gleason, made his mark. Originally from Tipperary, Ireland, Gleason immigrated to Queens in 1862. After running saloons in Williamsburg and Flushing, he was elected alderman of Long Island City in 1881 and later became its mayor. During his tenure, he established a trolley line to Calvary Cemetery, built an electric power station, and introduced the first electric streetcar line in Long Island City. He also invested in a waterworks system. However, his mayoral position was eliminated in 1896 when the five boroughs of New York City consolidated into a single municipality.

At the height of his influence, a section of Woodside was named Gleasonville in his honor. Woodside itself had been established by an Irish-born newspaper reporter, John Andrew Kelly, and later became known as Irishtown. Despite his accomplishments, Gleason’s streetcar company, the Long Island City and Newtown line, went bankrupt and was auctioned off to William Steinway’s railway syndicate. In one of his most famous acts, Gleason personally chopped down a fence installed by the Long Island Rail Road, earning him the nickname “Battle-Axe.” He would go down in history as the last mayor of Long Island City.

From the early settlers of the 17th century to influential figures like Patrick Gleason, the Irish have played a vital role in shaping Astoria and Queens. This St. Patrick’s Day, we honor their contributions and the lasting legacy they left behind.