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WHERE WE COME FROM<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / CONTRIBUTED<br />
Ed and Marcella (Mertz) O’Connor, on the left, married<br />
in February 1925. Ed is a descendant of Patrick and<br />
Catherine Feeney, who were among the Irish immigrants<br />
to settle in rural Eastern Iowa after fleeing famine and<br />
seeking more opportunity in the mid-1800s.<br />
the article said.<br />
While German settlers accounted<br />
for the largest immigrant group<br />
in Eastern Iowa, the Irish were<br />
well-represented among other immigrants<br />
forming rural communities.<br />
Records from St. Ann’s Roman<br />
Catholic Church near Long Grove<br />
show that among its parishioners in<br />
the late 1800s were also people of<br />
Belgian descent.<br />
O’Connor’s mother was Belgian,<br />
he said.<br />
“There is a large Flemish concentration<br />
here and in the surrounding<br />
areas,” he said. Such surnames as<br />
Vandewalle, Ven Horst, and DeWulf<br />
are just a few examples locally.<br />
True to his Irish roots, O’Connor<br />
often celebrates St. Patrick’s Day<br />
by having birthday cake along with<br />
corned beef and cabbage, but he’s<br />
also done some more nontraditional<br />
– albeit festive – activities in years<br />
past.<br />
“I’ve been known to dye livestock<br />
green and go on tour,” he said,<br />
adding that it was done in a way<br />
that was safe for the animals. “It all<br />
started with a goat. Hogan’s goat.”<br />
According to Irish legend, a fellow<br />
named Hogan owned a goat that<br />
made a habit of wandering off and<br />
becoming lost in the woods or hills.<br />
In some versions of the story, the<br />
goat was stolen.<br />
“I took Hogan’s goat on tour<br />
to numerous establishments,” he<br />
recalled with a chuckle.<br />
“I had two kids the next year. I<br />
dyed them green and went on tour,”<br />
he said. He also recalled Paddy Pig.<br />
“Yes, I’ve also dyed pigs green<br />
and gone out and about,” he said. “I<br />
came home and turned the pig back<br />
into the farrowing house. When I<br />
came back to check, all the little<br />
pigs were cuddled around the green<br />
pig, hearing about the wild time in<br />
town.” n<br />
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56 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | SPRING 2024 eifarmer.com
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