IRISH SOCIETIES TO PICNIC TODAY
The Butte Miner, Butte, 1920-08-01, p.12
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headlineHeadline
articleThe article as printed
name as printed"James J. Murphy, J. J. Mc-"
Summary
Sub-head: "500 Natives of 'Auld Sod' and Their Children to Hold Annual Outing at Washoe Park, Anaconda." Annual picnic of the United Irish Societies of Butte at Washoe Park, Anaconda, with an excursion train on the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific. Athletic events programme (100/50-yard dashes, broad jump, step and jump) with valuable prizes; dancing throughout the day. Prize curiosities: a crown of California wild olive leaves for the women's 50-yard dash winner; a prize for the woman with the largest family on the grounds. **Women's arrangements committee:** Catherine Harrington, Mary McLaughlin, Catherine Gilmore, Nellie Connelly, Mrs. Mamie Melia, Lavina Collins, Mrs. Nora Rowan, Mrs. Margaret Kiley, Mrs. M. O'Meara, Mrs. R. Pierce. **Other committee members** (named as "well-known active workers in all the Irish welfare work"): Judge J. J. Lynch, chairman of the committee; James E. Murray, Patrick J. Boyle, W. J. Sewell, Charles J. Gallagher, **James J. Murphy**, J. J. McCarthy, Hugh Daly, John C. Murphy. ARCHIVE SIGNIFICANCE. JJM still on the planning committee for the United Irish Societies' annual picnic in August 1920 — five months after he and Softley opened the Murphy-Softley store on West Park (March 1920), and six months after the Irish-bond- drive coverage. The continuity of the JJ Lynch / JJ Murphy axis through Butte's Irish-American calendar is unbroken from 1911 (Gaelic League picnic) through 1920 (this clipping) through 1921 (state assembly). Also: James E. Murray (committee member) is the future US Senator Murray of Montana, an Irish-American Democrat from Butte. Locating JJM alongside Murray here is useful for the Butte-Irish-political-network chapter.
In its time
Narrative
More than 500 natives of the "Green Isle" and their sons and daughters are to travel to Anaconda for the annual picnic of the United Irish Societies of Butte at Washoe Park, with a special train and excursion rates on the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific. The day's program includes dancing and athletic events — dashes for men, women, boys and girls, broad jump and step and jump — with a crown of wild olive leaves brought from California for the winner of the women's 50-yard dash and an undisclosed prize for the woman with the largest family on the grounds. Judge J. J. Lynch chairs the committee, which includes James E. Murray, Patrick J. Boyle, W. J. Sewell, Charles J. Gallagher, James J. Murphy, J. J. McCarthy, Hugh Daly and John C. Murphy, with Miss Catherine Harrington, Mrs. Margaret Kiley, Mrs. Mamie Melia and others among the women in charge of arrangements.
- “To the woman winner of the 50-yard dash a prize of poetical significance will be given in the awarding of a crown of wild olive leaves, brought to Butte from California”
- “Yet a mystery, but promised to be equally interesting, is the prize to be awarded the woman with the largest family on the grounds”
AI-generated (claude-opus-5). Verify against the transcription before quoting.
People
- James Joseph "James J." Murphy (b. 1883 Ardgroom; d. 1938 LA)(as printed: James J. Murphy)role: committee member · family confidence: 75 strong
Family confidence aligned with identity confidence 80 on 4 Oct 2026; the reason is in identity_basis.
- Judge J. J. Lynch (Silver Bow / Butte AOH)(as printed: Judge J. J. Lynch)role: committee chairman · family confidence: 0 not family
Not family: recurring Butte AOH figure. Printed-name match to his person record; moved from mentioned in the 2026-10-03 rescan.
- W. J. Sewell / Walter J. Sewell (Butte AOH)(as printed: W. J. Sewell)role: committee member · family confidence: 0 not family
Not family: recurring Butte AOH figure. Printed-name match to his person record; moved from mentioned in the 2026-10-03 rescan.
- Charles H. Gallagher (b. c.1875 Ballina, Co. Mayo, Ireland; d. 28 Aug 1964 Butte, age 89; founder of Wiz-Way Stores; AOH state president)(as printed: Charles J. Gallagher)role: committee member · family confidence: 0 not family
Not family: recurring Butte AOH figure. Printed-name match to his person record; moved from mentioned in the 2026-10-03 rescan. Printed with a different middle initial, which the archive treats as spelling drift for Charles H. Gallagher. Earlier note: Same as C. H. Gallagher / Charles H. Gallagher recurring through the cluster — initial J vs H likely typesetting drift.
- Hugh Daly (manager of Gregson Springs; Irish societies, 1911-1920)(as printed: Hugh Daly)role: committee member · family confidence: 0 not family
- John C. Murphy (Butte Gaelic League president; AOH Division 1 recording secretary, 1913)(as printed: John C. Murphy)role: committee member · family confidence: 0 not family
- James E. Murray (Butte attorney; Montana chairman for the Irish republic bond drive, 1920)(as printed: James E. Murray)role: committee member · family confidence: 0 not family
- P. J. Boyle (Patrick J. Boyle), Butte Irish societies, 1911-1922(as printed: Patrick J. Boyle)role: committee member · family confidence: 0 not family
- Mrs. Margaret Kiley (Kiely), Ladies' Auxiliary AOH; state treasurer 1916-1921(as printed: Mrs. Margaret Kiley)role: womens committee · family confidence: 0 not family
- Catherine Harrington (Miss Kate Harrington; Ladies' Auxiliary AOH state secretary, 1916-1921)(as printed: Catherine Harrington)role: womens committee · family confidence: 0 not family
- Mrs. Mamie Melia (Ladies' Auxiliary AOH, Butte, 1910-1920)(as printed: Mrs. Mamie Melia)role: womens committee · family confidence: 0 not family
Also mentioned
- J. J. McCarthy · committee_member
- Mary McLaughlin · womens_committee
- Catherine Gilmore · womens_committee
- Nellie Connelly · womens_committee
- Lavina Collins · womens_committee
- Mrs. Nora Rowan · womens_committee
- Mrs. M. O'Meara · womens_committee
- Mrs. R. Pierce · womens_committee
Places
- Butte, Montana (primary)
- Anaconda, Montana (primary)
- Washoe Park, Anaconda (primary)
Themes
Story threads
Tags
Source type
news_item, public_meeting_report, society_column
Related sources
- 1911-08-28 — The Butte Daily Post, p.10 — GAELIC LEAGUERS AT MERRY PICNIC
- 1920-03-18 — The Anaconda Standard, p.1 — GREATEST OF ALL ST. PATRICK'S DAY CELEBRATIONS AIDS CAUSE OF INDEPENDENCE FOR IRELAND
- 1921-08-10 — The Butte Miner, p.7 — Ancient Order Hibernians and Auxiliary Order Meet in Annual State Assembly
Transcription
Dotted underlines mark key terms on first mention — hover or tab to one for a reference note. The wording is the source’s own.
Open questions
- place_washoe_park_anaconda — add to /vocab/places.yaml.
- James E. Murray — promote to a person record? He becomes a major figure in 20th-c. Montana politics; if the book traces Butte Irish political organisation forward, he's load-bearing.
- Charles J. Gallagher vs Charles H. Gallagher — confirm typesetting drift, do not split.