Comment by Gerry Regan on April 30, 2013 at 4:35pm

Bit, tell us a bit about this video. Seem fascinating! 

Comment by Bit Devine on April 30, 2013 at 5:04pm

The San Patricios were Irish soldiers who originally fought for the United States Army in Texas during the Mexican-American war.. Unable to stomach the anti-catholic sentiment of their superiors and unwilling to carry out an order to execute Mexican priests and nuns and burn the churches as they went, several hundred men, led by Jon Riley, a Clifden native, deserted and joined forces with the Mexican Army. For Mexicans of that generation, and generations to come, the San Patricios were heroes who came to the aid of fellow Catholics in need. Santa Ana said that if he had 200 more like teh San Patricios, Texas may not have fallen to the American forces after all. The Mexican government paid better wages and offered land grants. On September 12th,the date when captured members of the Saint Patrick’s Battalion were executed for desertion from the U.S. Army, all across Mexico there are memorials and celebrations.

Here in the States, they were seen as traitors. You rarely hear about the San Patricios in a US History class

Michael Hogan has a phenomenal book out, "The Irish Soldiers of Mexico". It is well worth the read, as is his other book "Molly Malone and the San Patricios", a fictional work based on the historical facts of the Saint Patrick Battalion.

Comment by Francisco Javier Vazquez Rangel on January 12, 2015 at 1:49am

El Batallon de San Patricio, first fight was in Monterrey, my homeland there is a monument where the main battle, theSan Patricios as an artillery group success in defending the city, here is a local hero, an important street is named Batallon de San Patricio, behind the Irish College, also a street is named,Heroes del 47, i dont know where my family roots are, but the redheads in my family are common, well here in the region are many people with this characteristics, here many inmigrants from US settled, but the Saint Patricks brigade is still present in our memories.

Comment by Bit Devine on January 14, 2015 at 3:37pm

Francisco, what a great image! My Abuela's father was also red of hair and blue of eye, fair skinned. Quite different in appearance from the rest in Pitiquito.

Comment by Francisco Javier Vazquez Rangel on January 14, 2015 at 4:10pm

Bit, The Fair skin, but my Grandfather, abuelo or "wuelito" as the child says, and my uncles sometimes uses a big sideburner with or without moustache,  some of my cousins,the reds the blondes and the dark ones they live now in Alabama, California, chicago, Houston, but some stay here  in Monterrey, by the way when the Mexican revolution an English family try to get my granpa with them, as if he were his son, but he keeps here with his real family.

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