O'Brien Illuminates San Francisco Irish

By Jonathan Farrell

Parkside District resident Anne O'Brien Hickey was undaunted when publishers rejected her original manuscript.

"I just trusted the material," exclaimed the first-time author, "taken right from the mouths of the people I met."

In her book "Ballroom of Romance - the KRB Dance Hall Revisited," Hickey took more than two years writing down the life and historical accounts of more than 94 people she interviewed.

The finished result, which she published herself, is a collection of stories of the Irish people in San Francisco.

"Approaching people at first, they were a bit shy," she said. "Irish people are unlikely to boast about their lives."

Pursuing this project, she said, was simple.

"I really enjoy looking into my Irish roots," she said. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania of Irish immigrant parents, Hickey confessed, "there's a magnetism that just draws me in."

Married to John F. Hickey, a native of County Kerry, she and John are active members at the United Irish Cultural Center. She spends much of her time volunteering at the Irish Library, located next-door to the cultural center.

To her surprise, "all 32 counties of Ireland were well represented. It was as if another Ireland had been established here."

One common element in Hickey's research was The Knights of the Red Branch Dance Hall, a fraternal organization that was mentioned many times.

"It was as if everyone I spoke to had either been there or knew of someone who had been there," Hickey said.

Once she found a common link she began to research.

An organization similar to the Elks, Odd-Fellows and Masons, the KRB was an organization that originated in Ireland and continued its membership in America.

The KRB - referred to as "the Irish Dance Hall" - was located at 1133 Mission St. Built in the mid 1800s, the KRB helped many new arrivals to the United States.

According to Hickey, "newcomers could meet new friends, find a job, look for a house, get a loan and start a new life" with the help of the organization.

"Irish people, being very social minded, are loyal to family. They love to help each other out," Hickey said. "Many benefits and fundraisers were held at the hall. It was the community's way of helping their own when in need."

Hickey says the KRB was "the only place for the Irish to go.

"Just think about it. You are 6,000 miles away from home. You are a stranger in a new land. And not knowing anybody you then hear your language being spoken, your type of music being played and so on. What a welcome feeling that would be," she exclaimed.

Hickey said the KRB was an important place for the city's Irish community because it helped them stay connected with their homeland.

"Young people found their sweethearts on the dance floor, while parents and grandparents looked after the children," she said.

Each story in Hickey's book identifies the county in Ireland a person was from and the reasons for moving west. Some of the narratives have children recalling what their parents told them about how they met and what brought them to California.

Amid the narratives there are dozens of pictures of weddings, anniversaries, dances, recitals, parades and parties. The book is like a family collage ranging from 1900 to the early 1970s.

"People would tell me that they did not want to say much because their story was like everyone else." said Hickey. "Yet, I found that regardless of the similarity of each person's story, there was something different to it."

"Once they understood what I was doing," Hickey said, "they were not at all reluctant."

Fascinated how the Irish arrived here with very little and often alone, Hickey emphasizes the fact that "within a short amount of time, they established themselves."

Determination and a drive to succeed were the tools that allowed many of them to not only survive, but to flourish.

"After World War II in the 1950's and 60's," Hickey said, "the Irish became more settled and new places emerged as centers for people to gather."

Soon El Patio, St. Mary's Hall, The Carousel and Richmond Hall began to attract a following, causing "attendance at the KRB to become less and less," Hickey said.

"What was will never be again and that is why it needs to be written down," she said.

Sheila McCarthy who has been working at Irish Delights on West Portal Avenue for more than 14 years, agrees.

"I think it's a treasure for many people to have, she said.

A native of County Kerry, McCarthy added, "The stories are exactly what the Irish experienced."

Plans to write another book are in the works.

"There is still more to say. There are tons of Irish people out there all over the Bay Area that have a story to tell," Hickey said.

"Ballroom of Romance - The KRB Dance Hall Revisited" is on sale at Irish Delights for $30. Proceeds go to the Irish Library at the UICC and the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, Cooley Keegan Branch. Irish Delights Imports Shop is located at 77 West Portal Ave. For more information, call (415) 664-1250.

Anyone interested in contributing to Anne O'Brien Hickey's next book is welcome to call her at (415) 664-5676