Irish Boston History
Visitors to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum come from all over the world to be inspired and to remember one of America’s most beloved presidents, Boston native John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the JFK Library sits on a 10-acre site overlooking Boston Harbor…
A visit to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is always inspiring. Encircled by local colleges, cozy small restaurants and the stunning Back Bay Fens, a natural parkland designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the exterior setting is almost as beautiful as the museum itself! The front entrance to MFA on Huntington Avenue is…
Happy Birthday City of Quincy! The picturesque city of 100,000 residents marks its 400th anniversary in 2025 as one of the most historic and vibrant cities in New England. Located seven miles south of Boston, this bustling urban center is encircled by 27 miles of coastline facing the Atlantic Ocean and 7,000 acres of gently…
Boston’s most iconic public monument, the Shaw Memorial, was officially unveiled on May 31, 1897. The homage to the 54th Black Infantry Regiment of Boston is considered one of America’s most significant Civil War memorials. It was the first public monument to accurately depict black soldiers in military uniform. The memorial was created by immigrant Augustus…
In 2025, The Swan Boats in the Public Garden Lagoon is being added to the Boston Irish Heritage Trail, in homage to the Irish immigrant couple, Robert Paget and his wife Julia (Coffey) Paget, who launched the iconic attraction in 1877. A boatbuilder by trade, Robert developed a catamaran propelled by foot pedals to sail around…
The famous Boston Athletic Association (BAA) was founded in the late19th century by an unlikely coalition of leading Boston Brahmins and a famous Irish rebel, John Boyle O’Reilly (1844-90). The BAA was created at a time when amateur sports were increasingly popular across the United States. There were many collegiate teams in greater Boston and numerous small associations, but the…
Forbes House Museum in Milton
On April 11, 2001, the Parnell Society of Dublin placed a granite marker at the grave site of Ms. Fanny Parnell at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, honoring her role as a patriot and poet of Ireland. The ceremony was led by Ireland’s ambassador to the United States Sean O hUuiginn, Irish government official Frank Murray and members…
John Barry, a naval hero in the American Revolution, was born on March 25, 1745 in County Wexford, Ireland. His parents were James Patrick john Barry and Mary Ellen Cullen. Barry was “born in the townland of Ballysampson and lived his boyhood in the townland of Rostoonstown, both in the parish of Tacumshane,” according to…
The post-Famine generation of Irish women in Boston and New England were typically relegated to jobs as domestic servants, nursemaids and mill workers, before eventually being accepted as shop clerks, nurses and teachers. This work was often in addition to their primary role running households as wives and mothers. The young Irish girls of the Famine…
On March 21, 1926, two top traditional fiddlers from the British Isles and Ireland, 82 year old James Scott Skinner of Aberdeen, Scotland and 76 year old John Wiseman of Bantry, County Cork, arrived in Boston Harbor aboard the Cunard liner Carolina. They were here to compete in the World’s Old Fiddlers Contest, taking place April…
Tip O’Neill Bust in Buncrana, photo courtesy of Visit Donegal Legendary politician Thomas P. ‘Tip’ O’Neill, one of the most impactful politicians of American politics in the 20th century, died on January 5, 1994 at his home in Harwichport, Cape Cod. He was 81. Born in North Cambridge on December 9, 1912, he was the son…
Portrait of Louis St. Gaudens, photo courtesy of Saint Gaudens National Historical Park Louis St. Gaudens (1854-1913), whose iconic sculptures grace the American landscape today, was born in New York City on January 8, 1854. He was the son of Bernard Saint-Gaudens from France and Mary McGuinness from Ireland, and the brother and protégé of his…
A new era in city government took hold on Monday, January 5, 1885, when Hugh O’Brien became Boston’s first Irish-born mayor. O’Brien’s victory at the polls in December finally broke the hegemony of old-line Yankees who had run local government since Boston was incorporated as a city in 1822. O’Brien defeated incumbent mayor Augustus Pearl Martin by 3, 124…
On November 14, 1888, state and city officials and citizens from greater Boston officially unveiled the Boston Massacre Memorial on the Tremont Street Mall on Boston Common. The memorial commemorates the infamous episode in which five men were shot and killed by British soldiers in Boston on March 5, 1770, an event that helped launch the…
The Boston Public Library (BPL), founded in 1848 and acclaimed as the People’s Palace, has an incredible collection of books, videos, music, genealogy resources and educational materials available to the public. The BPL also has a celebrated collection of art and sculpture throughout the library that inspires library staff, visitors and residents every day. The McKim Building itself is…
Kip Tiernan, Photo courtesy of Rosie’s Place The next time you are exploring Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail, stop by the memorial to Kip Tiernan (1926-2011), social activist, writer, teacher, visionary and provocateur. The Kip Tiernan Memorial is located in Boston’s Back Bay on Dartmouth Street between Newbury and Boylston streets, next to Old South Church, and…
Irish rebel John Boyle O’Reilly arrived in Boston in January 1870, and almost immediately he became a powerful voice for the oppressed, including his own people of Ireland who were trying to break free of Britain, but also in the United States, Blacks, Chinese immigrants and Native Americans. O’Reilly saw the British conquest of the…
Irish-born Launt Thompson (1833-1894) was a consequential American sculptor of the 19th century whose monuments of the Civil War and classical themes were hailed during his lifetime. Born in Abbeyleix, County Laois, Ireland in 1833, he emigrated in 1847 with his widowed mother and settled near Albany, New York. Like the other Irish sculptors such…
Margaret F. Foley (1827-1877) was a highly-praised 19th century cameo artist and sculptor, who lived in Vermont, Lowell and Boston, Massachusetts before moving to Rome, Italy where she spent the final 17 years of her life. She was widely known for her exquisite and intricate cameos of leading personages from singer Jenny Lind and poet Henry…
Dublin-born sculptor Stephen J. O’Kelly (1850-98) was a successful artist in late 19th century United States, creating several important memorials that still stand today. Born in Dublin, he studied art in Paris and opened a studio in London before immigrating to Boston, where he lived for much of his adult life. He had Roscommon roots, and his brother,…
Located along the Seaport District on Fan Pier and situated along Boston Harborwalk, the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse is a tribute to South Boston native Joe Moakley, who represented his neighborhood and district as a state representative, state senator, Boston City Councilor and U.S. Congressman for 48 years. The Moakley Courthouse is part of Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail, an…
One of the most gifted 19th century Irish-American sculptors, according to art historians, was John Talbott Donoghue (1853-1903) , a Chicago native who lived in Boston in the 1880s and whose life and career ended tragically when he took his own life. Donoghue was discovered as a struggling artist by Oscar Wilde during the famous…
Henry Lee, Boston’s beloved civic leader, parks advocate, teacher and historian, died on Monday, August 12, 2024, from cardiac arrest. He was 99. Lee is best admired and renowned in Boston for spearheading a grass roots movement in the 1970s to prevent the development of high rise buildings encroaching on the perimeter of the Public…
Get the Latest Irish News & Events in Your Inbox
Join our mailing list
Editor's Picks
Irish Boston Partners
These organizations promote Irish Culture in New England.
