The historical connection between Tucson and Roscommon, Ireland dates back to 1775. This came about due to major changes to New Spain's northern presidial system, endorsed in Marques de Rubi's Reglamento of 1772, and carried out by an Irishman named Don Hugo O'Conor.
Born in Ireland in 1734, Hugo was a descendant from the royal line of O'Conor in Roscommon, and also one of the "Wildgeese" who had fled English-occupied Ireland to fight in the service of the King of Spain.
As part of the realignment scheme for Pimeria Alta, Hugo O'Conor planned the relocation of several presidios in 1775: Santa Cruz Presidio relocated north to the west bank of the San Pedro River, near the former Sobaipuri village; Fronteras moved to San Bernardino; and Tubac shifted to Tucson.
At O'Conor's side when he announced his decision to move the presidio out of Tubac and place it at the more strategic Tucson location was Father Francisco Thomas Garces of San Xavier del Bac. For him, O'Conor's decision was the accumulation of seven years of work, politics, and prayer. Father Garces had come to take charge of the little mission of San Xavier del Bac seven years earlier, when the Franciscans replaced the Jesuits who were expelled from the Spanish Empire.
After examining the Tucson site, Hugo O'Conor declared: "I certify: that, having carried out the examination... I chose and marked out... for the new situation of said presidio [Tubac]... with the denomination of San Agustin de Toixon... at a distance of eighteen leagues from that of Tubac..." His certification was witnessed by Father Garces and Lt. Juan de Carmona at San Xavier del Bac, 20 August, 1775.
Accordingly, modern Tucson owes its founding to the red-haired Irishman whom frontier Indian groups titled, The Red Captain.
- Linnea Caproni and Patrick Lavin
Sources: Patrick Lavin, Arizona: An Illustrated History.
All content copyright Tucson-Roscommon Sister Cities, 2005