The Tipperary Hill Heritage Memorial, dedicated in 1997, is located on Tipperary Hill in Syracuse, New York. The memorial was erected in honor of early citizens who, in the opinion of local residents, were brave sons of Ireland who stood up to City Hall and won the battle of the "Green over Red" traffic light.
The memorial features bronze, life-size figures of a 1930s Irish immigrant family and was sculpted by Dexter Benedict of Penn Yan, New York. The father is pointing out the traffic light to his wife, daughter and son
The memorial is located in Tipperary Hill Memorial Park which was originally the site of a commercial building that held a prominent position on the northeast corner of Milton Avenue and Tompkins Street and was later demolished. It is the newest city park in Syracuse.
Stone throwers
The Stone Throwers were several youths from the neighborhood who were among some of the original residents who rallied against the addition of the new traffic light on Tipperary Hill because it sported the British "red" prominently placed over the Irish "green". Due to strong national rivalries, the traditional "red-over-green" lights were interpreted as symbols of England over Ireland and offended the youths of the close-knit Irish neighborhood.
Patrick "Packy" Corbett (born 1909), former Onondaga County Sheriff, was named honorary member of the group after growing up on Tipp Hill, however, would not acknowledge vandalizing the traffic light.
In a fund raising effort, Coleman, a saloonkeeper for over 50 years and owner of Coleman's Authentic Irish Pub at 100 South Lowell Avenue, also sold commemorative bricks engraved with the names of loved ones for $75 each which were set around the base of the statue. There were a total of 450 installed.
Jerry Wilson, a local jewelry store owner, was also instrumental in the establishment of the memorial park. On March 17, 1995, he helped Coleman raise $6,000 for the statue and the two planned a fund raiser "among pubs on The Hill."