Ireland

History

The town was founded on land purchased from the United States government by John Stewart, a native of Ireland, on December 23, 1816. The earliest settlers, most being Protestant, came from Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. These early settlers lived in the Irish Settlement, the area that is now the northern Madison Township. The town was once intended to be called American City, but changed to Ireland when the name was not approved by the post office department. The town was laid out by John Stewart's son James, and four others. The first town map is dated May 20, 1865, but had been a small village many years before that. The Ireland post office has been in operation since 1853. Ireland's school system was absorbed by Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools in 1970, with the middle school being torn down in 1989. The current Ireland Elementary School was built in 1990 on the site of the old middle school. On the night of February 28, 2017, an EF2 tornado associated with the February 28, 2017, tornado outbreak struck Ireland. Several homes were destroyed, however no injuries were reported.

Geography

Ireland is located 4 miles west of downtown Jasper on State Road 56 in the northeast portion of Madison Township. On the western edge of the town lies the Alder Creek, a tributary of the Patoka River. Besides the valley caused by the Alder Creek, the area around Ireland is a mostly flat plain that can stretch for miles at certain points.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  543
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  398
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  395
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  387
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  384
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  374
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  372
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  365