The Edges of the Oranges
The Irish Arrive in South Orange
Tracing the local Irish legacy on the eve of St. Patrick's Day.
South Orange claims an Irish-descended population of nearly 12 percent, but that figure seems to multiply as St. Patrick’s Day approaches. The town is associated with Irish music and pubs; indeed, when the Star-Ledger’s Munchmobile went looking for Irish food two Saint Patrick's Days ago, they found it at Cryan’s. South Orange can boast of a long Irish history that begins with King William III. Offered the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1689, William III was descended from the House of Orange. Though his rule was turbulent, the Orange stripe, his heraldic color, of the Irish flag still commemorates his years on the throne. And when Scotch and Irish immigrants came to the New World, they named the area in which we live the …
