The larger-than-life bronze statue of legendary quarterback Tom Brady is being added to the Irish Heritage Trail, a collection of…
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Courtesy of Hardiman Hotel, Galway https://www.thehardiman.ie/hotel-dining/fathers-day/
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On June 1, 1847, Mary Nelson became the first Irish immigrant to die at the new quarantine hospital at Deer Island. She died of typhus fever and was six years old. During the first ten days of June, 1847, other deaths included: Mary Connelly, age one on June 3; Mary Flaherty, age 21, on June…
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On Sunday, May 30, 1913, Massachusetts Congressman James Michael Curley laid the corner stone for the new Hibernian Building on Dudley Street in Roxbury, before a crowd of over 5,000 people. Curley was joined by numerous Irish leaders from the city, state and nation, including members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, which organized the project in 1906 to create…
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On Saturday, May 25, 2019, a memorial commemorating 800+ Irish immigrants buried on Deer Island in Boston Harbor was unveiled several miles off the coast of Boston. Speakers included Boston Archdiocese Sean Cardinal O’Malley and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Gene O’Flaherty was the master of ceremonies, City of Boston’s Chief Archivist John McColgan gave the…
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Visitors to Ireland talk of making a pilgrimage home, of finding their roots, of reconnecting to an integral part of their nature. Part of the appeal has to do with Ireland’s ancient, spiritual dimension stretching back in time. Druids in love with nature, Monks transcribing scripture during the Dark Ages, medieval clans and colonial invasions…
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Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands represents a beautifully unspoiled part of Ireland knitted together by the majestic Shannon River and its scenic tributaries and waterways. The 224 mile Shannon, the island’s largest river, has countless recreational opportunities, from swimming and fishing to kayaking, canoeing and river cruising, where you get to see the natural wonders of Ireland’s…
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From mid-September, autumn is a special time in Ireland, when the crowds thin out and the island reverts back to the locals. It is a perfect time for intrepid travelers to experience Ireland in its autumnal glory, with plenty of outdoor activities and cultural events to enjoy. Walking Walking festivals are popular in Ireland year…
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In May, Congressman Stephen F. Lynch of the MA 8th Congressional District was honored by Massport Authority with the 2022 Maritime Champion award for his lifelong advocacy of maritime activities in the Port of Boston and Boston Harbor, and for his support for small businesses along the waterfront and the men and women who work…
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She may be gone but she is certainly not forgotten. Rose Kennedy Fitzgerald (1890-1995), who held the Kennedy family together through tragedy and triumph for much of the 20th century, is permanently enshrined along Boston’s waterfront. Born in Boston’s North End, Rose was the daughter of Boston’s gregarious Mayor John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Hannon. The mother of President John F. Kennedy,…
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July 23, 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the Cambridge Irish Famine Memorial, unveiled on Cambridge Common in front of 4,000 people. Ireland’s President Mary Robinson spoke at the ceremony, equating the process of “looking back and remembering” the Irish famine with an equally passionate resolve to solve “modern famine and hunger and inequalities in…
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Visitors to Ireland quickly learn that the Irish people love sharing their beloved island with travelers from across the globe and are delighted to make everyone feel welcome. But now more than ever, the Irish are mindful of the importance of preserving, protecting and respecting these precious natural wonders. Sustainable travel is a concept that…
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Belfast, a city of undeniable musical chops and outrageously gifted musicians, has been officially named as a UNESCO City of Music in November 2021. The prestigious honor puts Belfast in the company of musical bastions like Glasgow, Liverpool, Kingston, Havana and Kansas City, and confirms what many of us already know: this city rocks! World-renowned…
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Did you know that 70 million people around the world claim Irish ancestry, including 30 million in the U.S. alone? The Irish Diaspora is a testament to the intrepid Irish who by necessity or adventure bravely explored new frontiers. There are countless joys to visiting Ireland but researching your family tree is clearly one of…
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The City of Cambridge has a long and illustrious history of Irish settlers, dating back to the 19th century when Irish immigrants settled in East Cambridge, Cambridgeport and in North Cambridge. Here are some significant landmarks and institutions that reflect the strong Irish presence over generations. Irish Famine Memorial On Wednesday, July 23,…
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One of America’s most acclaimed sculptors of the 19th century was actually an Irish immigrant. Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) was born on March 1, 1848 on Charlemount Street in Dublin at the height of the Irish Famine, when millions of Irish were fleeing Ireland to places like Boston, New York, Montreal, St. John and other eastern port cities….
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The town of Milford Massachusetts has its own iconic Irish Round Tower, built in the 19th century by Irish immigrants who came to the Blackstone Valley Region to work in the rock quarries and on railroad construction. The Milford tower is about 65 feet high and 16 feet in circumference. Early media reports suggest that the…
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The public fascination with the Kennedy children during the John F. Kennedy administration was a world-wide phenomenon that tapped into pop culture and the advent of television during the 1960s. This special exhibit at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston examines this phenomenon in detail. First Children: Caroline and John Jr. in…
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Dublin, Ireland is gearing up for massive literary festivities this year, as the city celebrates the centenary of James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses, first published on February 2, 1922. Hailed as a masterpiece work of fiction by literary critics everywhere, Ulysses is set in Dublin and revolves around a single day in the life of Leopold Bloom…
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The A terrific new exhibit at the John F. Kennedy Museum in Hyannis this summer reveals that Old Cape Cod magic during the height of President John F. Kennedy’s Camelot Era. Presidential Summers: The Kennedys on Cape Cod offers a curated selection of archival video, family photographs, artifacts and memorabilia that takes visitors back to a…
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On January 24, 1776, 25 year old Boston bookseller and American revolutionary war hero Henry Knox reported to General George Washington in Cambridge that he and his volunteers had just transported 59 cannons and artillery 300 miles, from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to eastern Massachusetts, in the dead of winter. Image Courtesy of Marching the Knox Trail The plan was to position…
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Timothy Deasy (1839-1880), Civil War soldier, Irish rebel and elected official, died on December 10, 1880 in Lawrence, MA. Deasy emigrated with his family from Clonakilty, County Cork to Massachusetts in 1847 to escape the Irish Famine. The family settled in Lawrence 35 miles north of Boston, the nation’s first planned industrial city where immigrants and…
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On November 17, 1918, more than 30,000 people gathered in Lowell to honor a favorite native son, William Henry Cardinal O’Connell, who was at that time the Cardinal of the Boston Archdiocese. Officials unveiled and dedicated a fountain of granite and bust of O’Connell along a parkway in front of City Hall. The fountain and…
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On November 16, 1988 Boston City Council officially proclaimed Goody Glover Day in tribute to Goodwife Ann Glover, an Irish immigrant woman who was falsely accused of being a witch and hung from the gallows in 1688. Puritan leader Rev Cotton Mather and other town leaders were involved in the trial and execution of Glover. Glover was an Irish…
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After the Revolutionary War, the Puritan’s strident objections to Catholics living in the Bay Colony had lessened, thanks in part to the bravery of French, Polish and Irish soldiers fighting alongside the colonists during the colonial war against Britain. But it wasn’t until November 1818 that the Town of Boston’s Board of Health gave “that…
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Now is the time to start planning your long-awaited trip home to the island of Ireland. There are countless reasons to return to Ireland, but here are eight suggestions to make you want to visit Ireland this summer, fall and beyond! 1. The craic (fun) is still mighty! Replenish yourself with magical days and nights reconnecting…
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