Boston Irish In The News
By Irish Boston Tourism Newsroom
Comhaltas Boston Offers Master Classes
Aoife Griffin, director of the Boston Irish Music School affiliated with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, has arranged masterclass workshops with three world-class Irish traditional musicians, taking place June 11 at the Irish Pastoral Centre in Adams Village, Dorchester.
Classes for youth/beginners take place from 5-6:30 p.m. and intermediate/advanced classes from 7-9 p.m. The fee is $25 for Comhaltas members and Music School students and $50 for non-members.
The featured instructors include Cathal Hayden from Co. Tyrone, internationally acclaimed fiddle and banjo master; Dónal Murphy of Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick, one of Ireland’s finest button accordion players; and Alan G. Murray, Glasgow-born guitarist, bouzouki player and vocalist, now based in New York.
The Charitable Irish Honor Founder
On May 22, the Charitable Irish Society (CIS) made its annual pilgrimage to the Old Granary Burying Ground in downtown Boston to honor William Hall, a founder of the Society in 1737 and its first known president. The annual tradition has taken place for more than a century and is held around Memorial Day. CIS members laid a wreath at the grave-site and said prayers, and afterwards retired to the nearby Union Club for a traditional luncheon.
CIS President Jim Foley noted that the tradition of honoring Hall dates back to March 17, 1924 and has been carried on successively by generations of Society members.
ICC Hosts National GAA Finals
The Boston Northeast GAA has a robust summer of Gaelic games at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton that stretches from May to August. The GAA Semi-Finals and Finals are held in early August, but this year there’s a welcomed addendum, as the prestigious USGAA North American Finals take place in Canton from August 14-16.
The annual tournament welcomes dozens of teams from across the USA and Canada to compete for top honors in Men’s & Ladies Gaelic Football, Hurling and Camogie. It alternates between major American cities such as Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago Denver and San Francisco and was last in Boston in 2021.
South Shore Irish Trail Joins Famine Way
The Brig St. John Memorial in Cohasset, along the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail (SSIHT), has been selected as the newest U.S. location on the Global Famine Way. The 20 foot Celtic Cross was dedicated by the AOH and LAOH in 1914 to honor 99+ famine refugees who perished aboard the Brig St. John during a storm in 1849.
“The AOH and SSIHT are working closely with Cohasset to choose a suitable location for the Bronze Shoe Memorial,” said Trail President Greg Shanahan.
The SSIHT is a nonprofit group that preserves and promotes the Irish American story through historic sites and educational programs.
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