So last night I was watching The History Channel (as I often do) and about 2:00 am they ran a program on the history of urban prostitution. They concentrated (until I fell asleep) on a Revolution-era several blocks square section of old New York (Manhattan) behind St. Paul's Church. It was the red-light district - prostitution and other seedyish professions and, obviously, called The Holy Ground.

Seems that when the Brits took New York, they made extensive use of the social amenities there and created quite a sexy environment all together. As a novelty & as officers and gentlemen all over the place and with so many of the Colonials off fighting elsewhere, the young ladies, both proper and less so got themselves into the party scene that sprung up.

Anyway, the area seems to have taken shape under the Holy Ground name by about 1770 and thrived for some time. This is pre-clipper ship, of course, and may have preceeded the Irish Holy Ground. Or been named after the Irish one - they didn't say. Maybe like the robin, the local bird's nest came to be called the Holy Ground wherever Brits travelled in the World.