Travel & Culture 2026 Winter Issue Takes Visitors to New England and Ireland

November 13, 2025
Travel & Culture Winter 2025-26

PRESS RELEASE November 14, 2025Contact: Michael QuinlinIrishmassachusetts@comcast.net (Milton, MA) — The Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA) today released its 2026 Winter Issue of Travel & Culture, a free tourism magazine highlighting cultural activities in New England and Ireland. The 48 page magazine, with a shelf-life through early March, 2026, is distributed at visitor centers and cultural venues…

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Timeless Melodies

November 9, 2025
Irish Tenors 1080 x 810

It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas, to paraphrase the popular lyric, especially here in New England, where holiday shows inspire, comfort and bring joy to listeners, from big concert halls to small churches and cultural venues.  It turns out New England has a distinctive connection to holiday music, since many iconic Christmas songs…

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Phil Eng: Tracking Transit at the T

November 9, 2025
Phil Eng MBTA

Since 2023, General Manager Phil Eng of the Massachusett Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)has been overseeing a major upgrade to greater Boston’s subway system and commuter rail and getting accolades from public officials and riders themselves. Recently, Phil was also named Interim Massachusetts Transportation Secretary, reminding us of Ben Franklin’s timeless adage, ‘If you want something…

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Conventional Wisdom

November 9, 2025
Marcel Vernon Sr

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) hosts large events that create economic impact for Boston and Massachusetts, while also enhancing the civic life of the communities it serves. It operates the flagship Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibit Center in South Boston Seaport, John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Back Bay, MassMutual Center…

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Re-Discovering Quincy

November 9, 2025
Quincy Tree Lighting

The City of Quincy was in the spotlight all through 2025, celebrating its 400th anniversary with style and verve. With a continuous array of curated events and concerts, history and heritage tours, festivals and parades, culinary fare and food truck fests, Quincy 400 organizers made sure that residents and visitors alike were welcomed, entertained and…

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Visit the Revolutionary Valley

November 9, 2025
Brian Bradbury

On October 29, the Revolutionary Valley officially opened its brand- new Visitor Center in downtown Lowell with a spirited ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event brought together local officials, community leaders, volunteers and Revolutionary Valley partners to mark the beginning of a bold new chapter in regional tourism.  Designed to be a welcoming space for visitors and…

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Spectacle Live is Spectacular!

November 9, 2025
Pete Lally Spectacle Live

In 2012, Pete Lally founded Spectacle Live as a one-man company after working in various concert halls and cultural venues for 15 years. Since then, Spectacle has grown into a full-fledged concert promotion and venue management company with a wide reach across three states (MA, RI, NH), 11 concert venues and some 300 shows per…

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25 Years Never Sounded Better

November 9, 2025
Russell Gusetti BRT

As Blackstone River Theater in Cumberland, RI celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026, we talked with Russell Gusetti, executive director, about what makes the theater so distinctive as a musical venue, cultural center and community gathering space.  How did the Theatre get started and what was your mindset in the early days?  In July 1996,…

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The Magic of Camelot on Cape Cod

November 9, 2025
JFK Sailing Cape Cod

Hyannis Port, Cape Cod was a magical haven for President John F. Kennedy and his family, who loved to vacation there and escape the pressures of public life. The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum opened in 1992 to keep these fond Kennedy memories alive for visitors and residents alike. Located at 397 Main Street in…

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Hotelier Stephen Johnston – New Adventures

November 9, 2025
Stephen Johnston

Managing Director & General Manager Stephen Johnston has been a mainstay of Boston’s hotel industry for more than two decades, including 12 years overseeing Boston Harbor Hotel, one of Boston’s most prestigious and renowned properties. Pyramid Global Hospitality, which owns BHH, has created a new position for Stephen in Phoenix, AZ, where he’ll become Task…

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Hotelier John Murtha – Managing History

November 9, 2025
John Murtha

General Manager John Murtha is a lifelong veteran of the hospitality industry, including the past 18 years at Boston’s historic Omni Parker House, the longest continuously operating hotel in North America dating back to 1855. He is taking on a new assignment, as Task Force General Manager for Omni Hotels & Resorts. We caught up…

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On the Bookshelf

November 9, 2025
In Safe Hands by Mick O'Connor

IN SAFE HANDSAn Illustrated History of Irish Traditional Music in Dublin 1893-1970by Mick O’ConnorIrish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) / 552 pages / $84 / June 2025 Written by Irish traditional flute player, music historian and collector Mick O’Connor, In Safe Hands features more than 600 rare photographs and 112 biographies of Dublin musicians over eight…

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Irish Gift Ideas

November 9, 2025
Irish Gift Shops

BRIDGET’S – AN IRISH TRADITION88 West Main Street, Norton  Since 1987, the mother-daughter duo, Bridget Daly and Lorraine Ryan, have specialized in authentic hand-made Irish clothing such as sweaters, caps and shawls, the shop also sells Celtic jewelry and imported sweets and teas from Ireland + home-made brown bread, perfect gifts for seasonal holidays, special…

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Irish Groups

November 9, 2025
Boston

Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 8, Lawrence Lawrence’s vibrant Irish community dates back to 1871, when Irish immigrants formed Division 8 of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, America’s oldest Catholic fraternal organization. They named their chapter after parish priest Rev. James T. O’Reilly OSA, a 19th century champion of temperance and Irish independence. Today, AOH…

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The Irish Heritage Trail Expands

November 9, 2025
Tom Brady, Gillette Stadium,

Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail was created in 1994 to chronicle the illustrious history of the city’s Irish community. In 2025, we began adding new landmarks to the trail in downtown Boston and the neighborhoods, while also expanding the trail across Massachusetts. We are excited to add these two special landmarks to the Irish Heritage Trail…

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Revolutionary Irish Trail

November 9, 2025
Dorchester Heights Aerial View

With America 250 being celebrated across the nation and other countries in 2026, New England is creating a Revolutionary Irish 250 Trail to chronicle Irish and Scots-Irish heroics in the American Revolution. This story is being told through the lens of public art –including historic cemeteries, statues, monuments and battlegrounds – and through iconic institutions…

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Northern Ireland Welcomes America 250 Officials

November 3, 2025

America250 Executive Vice President Jennifer Condon and Commissioner Joe Crowley pictured at Hillsborough Castle ahead of their two-day visit to Northern Ireland. (November 3, 2025) – Northern Ireland Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Department for the Economy NI Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald have welcomed a landmark visit by the America250 Commission this week to formally…

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County Tipperary Among Lonely Planet’s ‘Best in Travel 2026’ Choices

November 2, 2025
Rock of Cashel, Cashel, Co. Tipperary

Tourism Ireland Press Release – (October 28, 2025) — County Tipperary has been recognized in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2026 list, which highlights the top 25 destinations to visit around the globe in the year ahead.  The globally renowned travel authority has praised Tipperary for its dramatic landscapes, thriving culinary scene and iconic heritage…

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A New Mural in Quincy Celebrates the Granite City

October 30, 2025

As part of Quincy 400 celebrations taking place throughout 2026, a new mural paying homage to the city’s industrial past was created by artist Shane Leonard at the Willard Street underpass in West Quincy. The mural honors distinctive Quincy’s role as The Granite City in 19th century America. The mural honors distinctive Quincy’s role as The…

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Boston Public Library Opens REVOLUTION! 250 Years of Art & Activism in Boston

October 27, 2025

(October 23, 20250 – The Boston Public Library (BPL) has opened its first major exhibition in nearly a decade. Revolution! 250 Years of Art & Activism in Boston. The exhibit features more than 100 artworks and documentary materials from the BPL’s renowned Special Collections, and explores America’s evolving struggles for freedom, civil rights, and belonging. The…

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Boston’s Charitable Irish 

October 21, 2025

On Wednesday, October 29, the Charitable Irish Society holds its Silver Key Award at the UMass Club in Boston, starting at 6 p.m. The 2026 recipients of the award include Most Rev. Richard G. Henning, Archbishop of Boston and Conor Shapiro, President and CEO of Health Equity International. The annual event serves as a fundraiser to…

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Ann Sullivan, Educator & Miracle Worker for the Blind

October 20, 2025

Annie Sullivan, known in her life as the Miracle Worker for her work with the blind, especially Helen Keller, was the daughter of impoverished Irish immigrants. Annie was born in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts in 1866.  Partially blind herself, she attended the Perkins School for the Blind in South Boston where she learned to read, write and spell.   After graduation,…

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Mass Convention Center Authority CEO Marcel Vernon Joins FIFA World Cup 26 Boston Honorary Board

October 15, 2025

Boston 26, a non-profit organization responsible for FIFA World Cup 26 tournament preparations and celebrations in the Boston region, has welcomed Massachusetts Convention Center Authority CEO Marcel Vernon, Sr. to the FIFA World Cup™ Boston 26 Honorary Board. “Marcel’s leadership and decades of experience in Boston’s convention and tourism landscape aligns perfectly with our mission to create…

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