Oscar Wilde In America

On St. Patrick's Day (March 17) during his lecture tour of North America, Oscar Wilde happened to be in St. Paul, Minnesota.

He had lectured the previous evening at the Opera House on The Decorative Arts, and on St.Patrick's Day he returned to the same venue  to attended a patriotic gathering. It was one of several events held that day in St. Paul, a city with a large Irish population, to observe the occasion. Despite inclement weather, the Opera House was full for a series of addresses interspersed with vocal and instrumental selections. 

Wilde spoke towards the end of proceedings and responded to the Irish sentiment abroad, and some favorable mention of his mother's (Speranza) nationalistic poetry. He gave what can now be seen as a rare, and perhaps even uncharacteristic, speech about Irish patriotism, albeit from the perspective of the Arts.

Opera House:
Wabasha Street between Third and Fourth Street, St. Paul, MN

Daily Globe (St. Paul) March 18, 1882, 1