John Boyle O’Reilly

Boston’s Omni Parker House: A Legend is Reborn

The reimagined Omni Parker House, one of America’s most beloved icons, is being unveiled this summer leading up to the historic hotel’s 170th anniversary. Located in the heart of downtown Boston,…

The reimagined Omni Parker House, one of America’s most beloved icons, is being unveiled this summer leading up to the historic hotel’s 170th anniversary. Located in the heart of downtown Boston, the Omni Parker House is an unwavering testament to the city’s storied past. With meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to preserving its legacy, the Boston landmark is…

Irish Rebel John Boyle O’Reilly Helped Establish the Boston Athletic Association in 1887

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…

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…

Local Black and Irish Leaders Unveil the Boston Massacre Memorial on Boston Common, November 14, 1888

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…

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…

Kindred Spirits in County Cork, Photo courtesy of Gavin Sheridan

John Boyle O’Reilly and Captain Jack, Chief of the Modoc People

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…

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…

New York Daily Herald Front Page, August 2, 1903

Irish-American Sculptor John Donoghue (1853-1903) Dies Tragically after his Masterpiece is Destroyed on Brooklyn Docks

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…

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…

Milmore's Civil War Monument in Winthrop Square, Charlestown

Landmarks in Boston’s Charlestown Neighborhood Celebrate the Irish Presence
Here

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…

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…

John Boyle O'Reilly Landmarks

Visit these Public Memorials to John Boyle O’Reilly throughout Massachusetts

Born 180 years ago on June 28, 1844, John Boyle O’Reilly helped shape the history or Ireland and America in the late 19th century in powerful ways.  Today, O’Reilly’s stature…

Born 180 years ago on June 28, 1844, John Boyle O’Reilly helped shape the history or Ireland and America in the late 19th century in powerful ways.  Today, O’Reilly’s stature as a seminal figure in Irish and Irish-American history is particularly evident in his beloved birthplace of Dowth, County Meath; in Freemantle, Australia where he…

Early 18th Century: Irish, Negro + Indian Run Away Together from Boston

Irish + Black in Boston, Caught in the Caste System

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…

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…

John O'Reilly and Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass and John Boyle O’Reilly, Allies for Freedom and Liberty

John Boyle O’Reilly and Frederick Douglass were natural allies in 19th century New England, where they aligned on pressing issues of liberty and justice for all. In the early part…

John Boyle O’Reilly and Frederick Douglass were natural allies in 19th century New England, where they aligned on pressing issues of liberty and justice for all. In the early part of their lives, both men were fugitives, on the run from their captors as they tried to make their way to freedom. Both became writers…

Catalpa ship 1876 illustration

New Bedford Whaler Catalpa Rescues Six Irish Prisoners from British Penal Colony in Australia

The Catalpa whaleboat out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, pulled off one of the most daring rescues of the 19th century when it retrieved six Irish prisoners from a British penal…

The Catalpa whaleboat out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, pulled off one of the most daring rescues of the 19th century when it retrieved six Irish prisoners from a British penal colony in Freemantle, Australia.  The escape plot was hatched for months by Irish leaders in America including Fenians John Devoy and John Breslin, who masterminded…

Boston Common sign in winter

The Common Irish- A Select Chronology of Irish Events on Boston Common

Along the Boston Irish Heritage Trail, one of the most popular stops is Boston Common, the nation’s oldest public park, created by English Puritans in 1634 as a training ground and grazing field…

Along the Boston Irish Heritage Trail, one of the most popular stops is Boston Common, the nation’s oldest public park, created by English Puritans in 1634 as a training ground and grazing field for cattle. The 50 acre park has been a staging ground for rallies, protests, marches, speeches, concerts, celebrations and commemorations for nearly 400 years. Here…

Boston Common Central Burying Grounds 1756

Boston Common: 50 Acres of Irish History

Anywhere you travel in Boston, you’ll find evidence of deep-rooted Irish connections dating back to the 17th century. To appreciate the Irish and Irish-American contribution, we created the Irish Heritage…

Anywhere you travel in Boston, you’ll find evidence of deep-rooted Irish connections dating back to the 17th century. To appreciate the Irish and Irish-American contribution, we created the Irish Heritage Trail in 1994 to chronicle the illustrious history of the Boston Irish. It includes 20 downtown and Back Bay sites, and an additional 20 sites…

Gravesite of Patrick Carr

Irishman Patrick Carr was the last of the Boston Massacre Victims to Die in March 1770

On March 5,1770, British troops fired into a crowd of Bostonians; four people were killed and a fifth victim died a few days later. Irishman Patrick Carr was one of…

On March 5,1770, British troops fired into a crowd of Bostonians; four people were killed and a fifth victim died a few days later. Irishman Patrick Carr was one of five people shot to death in front of the Old State House on State Street on March 5, 1870 after a scuffle between colonists and…

Boxing Champ John L. Sullivan Born in Boston on October 12, 1858

Boxing champion John L. Sullivan was born on October 12, 1858, on East Concord Street in Boston’s Roxbury/South End. His father, Mike Sullivan, emigrated from County Kerry around 1850 and…

Boxing champion John L. Sullivan was born on October 12, 1858, on East Concord Street in Boston’s Roxbury/South End. His father, Mike Sullivan, emigrated from County Kerry around 1850 and married Katherine Kelly, whose family had immigrated from Athlone in 1853. They married on November 6, 1856. Most Irish boys during this time seemed to…

The Irish Role in the Boston Massacre

March 5, 2020 Ceremony at the Boston Massacre Grave Site March 5, 2020, Boston marks the 250th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, a transformative event in history that launched the road…

March 5, 2020 Ceremony at the Boston Massacre Grave Site March 5, 2020, Boston marks the 250th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, a transformative event in history that launched the road to revolution in the American colonies. The Massacre took place on a wintry Monday night on March 5, 1770, when British troops fired into a…

John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial

John Boyle O’Reilly Homage @ Holyhood

Patriot, poet, orator and editor John Boyle O’Reilly was a leading figure in Boston between 1870 and 1890. Born on June 28, 1844 in Dowth Castle in County Meath, O’Reilly…

Patriot, poet, orator and editor John Boyle O’Reilly was a leading figure in Boston between 1870 and 1890. Born on June 28, 1844 in Dowth Castle in County Meath, O’Reilly was conscripted into the British Army as a young man, later charged with sedition against the British Crown and sentenced to life imprisonment in an…

Boston Massacre Memorial was unveiled on Boston Common on November 14, 1888

One hundred and thirty years ago, on November 14, 1888, state and city officials unveiled the Boston Massacre Memorial on Tremont Street on Boston Common.  Among the guest speakers were Governor Oliver Ames, Mayor…

One hundred and thirty years ago, on November 14, 1888, state and city officials unveiled the Boston Massacre Memorial on Tremont Street on Boston Common.  Among the guest speakers were Governor Oliver Ames, Mayor Hugh O’Brien and State Representative Julius Caesar Chappelle, an African-American leader who advocated for civil rights, voter registration and political participation.The sculptor was Robert Kraus, a German…

John Boyle O'Reilly

John Boyle O’Reilly: Rebel with a Cause

By the time Irish immigrant John Boyle O’Reilly arrived in Boston in 1870, at age 26, he had already come face to face -in the most urgent manner- with issues…

By the time Irish immigrant John Boyle O’Reilly arrived in Boston in 1870, at age 26, he had already come face to face -in the most urgent manner- with issues of freedom, liberty and justice. As a child, born in 1844, he survived that terrible Irish Famine decade which killed one million Irish and sent…

Robert Burns Statue in Boston’s Winthrop Square Honors Famed Scottish Poet

Scotland’s poet and bard Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 – July 21,1796) is honored in Boston with a statue at Winthrop Square in Boston’s Financial District. Best known for composing  the unofficial anthem to New…

Scotland’s poet and bard Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 – July 21,1796) is honored in Boston with a statue at Winthrop Square in Boston’s Financial District. Best known for composing  the unofficial anthem to New Year’s Eve, Auld Lang Syne, Burns was a prolific poet who wrote over 300 poems, as well as various epistles and ballads. He was prolific in…

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