Erin Lanahan March is the time of year when Irish-Americans pick out their best green attire and tell you stories over pints about how their great-great-grandparents came from a tiny town in rural Ireland so many years ago. There’s one New Jersey town that is so full of Irish heritage, it’s known as the Irish Riviera. The history of Spring Lake shows it was popular among the Irish population making a home in America back in the late 1800s into the 1900s. The ancestry runs deep, with over 40% of residents reporting Irish heritage in recent years. Read on to learn about why Spring Lake in New Jersey is known as the “Irish Riviera.”
Background
In the late 1800s, many Philadelphians and New York City residents traveled to Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore for fresh air and time by the beach. Not much has changed, including the fact that early real estate investors saw the shore communities as ripe for investment. Several ‘grand hotels’ sprang up, including the Allaire Hotel, Monmouth House, and others. These early hotels were at the front edge of a wave of development, as more housing was needed for the workers at these properties, and more modest homes were built for those who wanted the Spring Lake experience without the price tag.
A prominent Spring Lake resident at the time, Martin Maloney, had a significant impact on the town’s footprint and cultural makeup. The two most important things to Mr. Maloney were his family and his faith. He purchased a cottage in Spring Lake in 1892, and from there, went on to build several residential properties throughout the town. Mr. Maloney was a wealthy and successful businessman who had emigrated to the US from Ireland as a child. He did many things in his career, but was perhaps best known for patenting a gas lamp that was used to provide lighting at the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876. This work led to other cities throughout the US contracting with Mr. Maloney for his streetlamps.
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Mr. Maloney’s wealth and influence meant that prominent Irish, and Catholics, were frequently visiting Spring Lake to meet with him, taking their impressions of the community back to their hometowns. Mr. Maloney is also responsible for one of the town’s most iconic landmarks, which he had built as a tribute to his deceased daughter. On St. Patrick’s Day in 1901, workers laid the cornerstone of St. Catharine Roman Catholic Church in Spring Lake. The church was built in Renaissance architecture to resemble St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and includes frescoes that depict life in medieval and modern Ireland.
As far as the term “Irish Riviera” goes, it is reported that it was coined in the 1970s as part of a marketing effort by the operators of the Allaire hotel, according to the Spring Lake Historical Society. Many believe that this is in reference to how many Spring Lake residents claim Irish heritage: in the 2000 Census, approximately 44% of residents had Irish ancestry.
Indeed, Spring Lake had become a resort town with, to coin a phrase, “it’s Irish showing.” Dorothy Lau, an Irish-American resident, with a long-time interest in the history of Spring Lake, believes it was “the hotels in the 1920’s that first coined it as the “Irish Riviera” to promote it to wealthy Irish clients and it stuck.” According to A Spring Lake History by Robert White, Spring Lake determined early on that it would have a boardwalk without “fanfare amusements” and appeal as a more family resort.
Other Irish Rivieras
There are several other coastal towns in the United States known as Irish Rivieras because of their strong Irish-American population. In Massachusetts, there’s a major hub of Irish-American towns along the South Shore. It includes Scituate (often called the most Irish town in America), Marshfield, Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, Braintree, Avon, and Milton. In New York, Breezy Point in Queens is known for its Irish-American culture. Michigan City, Indiana, and New Buffalo, Michigan, are two towns both on Lake Michigan with a strong Irish-American presence.
Spring Lake Today
Irish culture is still alive and well in Spring Lake, present in bars, restaurants, and shops throughout the town.
St. Stephen’s Green Publick House | 2035 NJ-71
This beloved restaurant has a cozy Irish pub atmosphere and live music. The menu has plenty of traditional Irish dishes, like Guinness beef stew, fish and chips, bangers and mash, and more. The name is a nod to the park with the same name in Dublin.
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The Irish Centre | 1120 3rd Avenue
This cute shop sells Irish clothing and jewelry. The boutique reportedly sells the largest collection of Belleek China outside of Ireland, and carries Waterford Crystal, traditional Aran knitwear, and other Celtic jewelry.
Spring Lake Irish Festival
On June 13th, the community will hold the annual Spring Lake Irish Festival, celebrating all things Irish. There will be live music, food trucks, performances, and tons of local vendors.
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