Irish in the American Revolution
During the centenary celebration of the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1875, the Town of Lexington honored two American patriots – Sam Adams and John Hancock – with statues for their distinctive role in the American Revolution. Irish-born, Boston-based sculptor Martin Milmore, best known for his iconic monuments of the American Civil…
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…
When the American Revolution erupted in June, 1775, the Irish and Scots-Irish living in New England quickly joined the colonial side to fight for American independence. After all, they knew sometime about revolution, and about meeting the British in battle. Here are a few of their names. Major General John Sullivan was the son of…
The American Revolution is taking center stage across the United States this year, as preparations get underway to officially celebrate the 250 th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our nation in 2026. The effort is being led nationally by America 250, “a nonpartisan initiative working to engage…
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 next time you’re exploring the Irish Heritage Trail or Boston’s Freedom Trail, be sure to stop by the USS Constitution ship and theIrish Heritage Trail in the Charlestown Navy Yard.The USS Constitution is America’s oldest commissioned ship, first launched on October 21, 1797. It is berthed in the Charlestown Navy Yard, and operated by the US Navy, in partnership with the National Historic Parks of Boston.Known…
American naval hero of the Revolutionary War, Commodore John Barry died on September 13, 1803. He is buried at Old Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA. Considered one of the true military heroes of the American Revolution, Barry was born in Tacumshane, County Wexford on March 25, 1745. At age 15, he emigrated to Philadelphia in 1760, and…
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…
The town of Lexington, Massachusetts is gearing up for the semiquincentennial celebration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. A new organization named Lex250 has been set up to promote and spearhead activities, projects and celebrations for the Town of Lexington. In a statement issued on its website, Lex250 writes: “The legacy of April 19, 1775, endures as…
Boston’s vibrant neighborhood of Charlestown has a rich Irish history that goes back to the American Revolution and continues today. There are several landmarks in Charlestown that visitors can explore along the Boston Irish Heritage Trail. Here are a few or our favorites. A Boston National Historic Park overseen by the National Park Service, the Bunker Hill Monument is…
Henry Knox, a first-hand witness to American history and a hero in the American Revolution, was born in Boston on July 25, 1750, the seventh of ten children. His parents, William Knox and Mary (née Campbell), were Ulster Scots immigrants who came to Boston from Derry in 1729, part of a large exodus of Ulster-Irish Presbyterians who…
America’s first great portrait artist, John Singleton Copley (1737-1815) was born in Boston on July 3, 1738. He was the son of Irish immigrants who emigrated to Boston in the 1730s. John’s parents, Richard Copley and Mary Singleton from County Clare, were married in County Limerick before emigrating to Boston. Right after their son John…
President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Ireland on June 26-29, 1963 was later described by his siblings as one of the most memorable and cherished parts of his presidency. Kennedy visited his ancestral family in Wexford and Limerick, and also stopped in Dublin, Cork and Galway. The trip was widely covered by the international media…
On June 12, 1937 a plaque dedicated to Captain Jeremiah O’Brien was unveiled at the Massachusetts State House commemorating O’Brien’s “distinguished services for winning the first navel engagement in the War of the Revolution and of his subsequent exploits in said war as the first regularly commissioned naval officer and commander of the Revolutionary Navy of…
One of New England’s true military heroes of the American Revolution was General John Stark (1728-1822), the son of Scots-Irish parents who emigrated to the American colonies in 1720 and settled in the Scots-Irish colony of Nutfield, NH, where John and his brothers were raised. Today, the former settlement is comprised of the towns Londonderry, Derry…
On March 28, 1770, following the now famous Boston Massacre that occurred on March 5, local engraver Paul Revere released a depiction of the event that was quickly printed and distributed widely in the colonies, helping to fan the flames of rebellion. Revere, famous for the midnight ride to Lexington and Concord in 1775, was a…
Blacks and Irish have often, though not always, faced similar experiences in how they were depicted, considered and treated in New England over the past four centuries. When the Puritans settled in Boston in 1630, they believed fervently that they were the chosen ones, destined to build “a city upon a hill, with the eyes…
The Massachusetts State House has a number of beautiful and rare works of art and artifacts relating to the Irish-American experience, and is a featured stop along Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail. The incredible collection of art and artifacts is maintained and curated by the State House Art Commission. Here is just a selection of items worth…
Irish and Scots-Irish immigrants played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War, as evidenced by the number of public landmarks that relate to their heroics and sacrifice. From Commodore John Barry and General John Sullivan to Boston Massacre victim Patrick Carr and the Scots-Irish who fought at Bunker Hill and Dorchester Heights, the Irish were…
Colonel John Glover, a local hero of the American Revolution, is memorialized on Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue Mall with an heroic bronze portrayal by Irish-born sculptor Martin Milmore. Described as an overlooked hero by the National Park Service, Glover was born in Salem, Massachusetts and became a successful sailor and maritime leader on Boston’s North Shore. His…
New Hampshire native John Sullivan committed the first act of armed rebellion against the British Crown on December 14, 1774, when he and his men raided Fort William and Mary in Portsmouth, NH and seized an arsenal of gun powder and guns. The quickly planned raid came after Paul Revere rode up from Boston to alert Sullivan…
On December 5, 1770, nine months to the day after the Boston Massacre, two of the nine soldiers in the British regiment, Matthew Kilroy and Hugh Montgomery, were found guilty of manslaughter for the killing of five local Boston men; the other seven soldiers were exonerated. The incident in March, known as the Boston Massacre, helped…
The Granary Burying Ground on Tremont Street in downtown Boston, nestled between Boston Common and Boston City Hall, has a number of important colonial era and Irish Revolutionary War figures buried here. Among them is James Sullivan (1744-1808), lawyer, orator and statesman. The son of indentured Irish immigrants who settled in Maine, Sullivan was a delegate to…
In the 18th century, the annual Pope’s Day holiday in Boston every November 5 was a chilling demonstration of the deep-seeded anti-Catholic sentiments prevalent in New England in the decades leading up to the Revolutionary War. One of those bizarre and archaic pastimes that measure a lack of progress in the human condition, Pope’s Day…
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