What are some old Irish neighbourhoods in Chicago?

Question

I'm going to Chicago in a few weeks for a few days in June. There seems to be lots to see, but one thing I'm interested in is the Irish heritage of the city. Like Boston and New York City, Chicago was a major point for immigration of the Irish coming to the US. Are there any specific neighbourhoods in Chicago where this is particularly present? Or specific landmarks associated with the Irish?

Answer 1

Essentially it's quite easy to find some suburbs considered 'Irish', from Wikitravel.

From there:

Far Southwest Side (Beverly, Mount Greenwood) Ireland in Chicago: authentic Irish pubs, brogues, galleries, and the odd haunted castle, all extremely far from the city center

Further down, it speaks of Ethnic neighbourhoods:

Chicago's Chinatown is among the most active Chinatowns in the world. It even has its own stop on the CTA Red Line. It's on the South Side near Bridgeport, birthplace of the Irish political power-brokers who have run Chicago government for most of the last century. More Irish communities exist on the Far Southwest Side, where they even have an Irish castle to seal the deal. The Southwest Side houses enormous populations of Polish Highlanders and Mexicans, as well as reduced Lithuanian and Bohemian communities.

Conveniently, Wikitravel also has an article on the Far Southwest Side, where most of these neighbourhoods are located.

The Far Southwest Side of Chicago is home to a large Irish-American community, a ton of Irish pubs, and even a replica Irish castle.

Sounds like to get the ultimate experience, you want to head to Mount Greenwood, where NO tourists get to and the inside of pubs there will feel like you're across the seas in Ireland.

In terms of landmarks, the most 'Irish' one seems to be the castle:

• Givens Irish Castle - Certainly the oddest sight in Chicago's Far Southwest Side, this building is a replica of castle on Ireland's River Dee, built by a nostalgic and wealthy Irish-American for his fiancee in 1885.