Atlanta
By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer | Published March 8, 2024
ATLANTA—In 1873, the city of Atlanta gifted a parcel of land in its city cemetery to the Hibernian Benevolent Society as a final resting place for its poorer members.
In a leopard print coat, Robin Nunan watched a recent rededication ceremony, knowing her great, great-grandfather played a part in establishing the historic site 150 years earlier.
Her relative, Thomas Nunan, was the secretary for the civic organization for many years, stepping down in 1895. Her genealogy research uncovered her relative, a Union soldier attached to a cavalry unit from Ohio who settled here after the war. For a time, he had a vegetable stand and later worked with the railroad.
“I love history because I feel it’s a way to connect with people from the past,” said Nunan, an artist and teacher in Athens. “It’s a way to draw this line or a string that connects me to him. I was very excited to be able to belong to something that he was a part of. It’s like a continuity.”
Father John Kieran, chaplain of the Hibernian Benevolent Society, sprinkles holy water near the statue in honor of St. Patrick at Oakland Cemetery. Photo by Johnathon Kelso
With a large statue of St. Patrick, the society celebrated and rededicated a new landmark at its parcel. It is one of the most prominent statues that remembers Irish influence in Atlanta.
The Irish were one of the early immigrant groups to settle in Atlanta, drawn in part by construction of the railroad. The Hibernian Benevolent Society remains, with some 100 members. It is credited as the oldest civic association in Atlanta, founded in 1858.
“I feel very proud that an Irish man, Father O’Reilly, made such an impact,” Donal Fleming said. A 30-year resident…
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