Chapter IV:

Early Irish Settlers

Many of the early settlers came to the Holy Hill area in 1842 from Counties Kerry, Cork and Waterford in Ireland. They named the area in which they clustered Erin Township in honor of their beloved homeland. Their first Eucharistic Liturgy was celebrated at the log home of Barney McConville. The celebrant, Fr. Martin Kundig. walked from Prairieville (now Waukesha) by way of Merton and Monches. In 1854 the German population began buying the small impoverished farms of the Irish. Though many of the Irish left the area because of hard times, their memorial is in the names given during the 1960's to the picturesque country roads in the immediate area around Holy Hill. These names - Donegal, Waterford, Shamrock Lane, and Emerald Drive - reflect the romance of the area's Irish heritage.