Irish Massachusetts

Irish Dancing Exhibits Throughout the Weekend Patriot Place is expanding its popular Irish Festival into a three day event this year, as the 14th Annual event takes place from March. 15-17, 2025 at the shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Foxborough, MA.  The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.    Saturday’s lineup includes Irish step dancing, live performances by popular Irish musicians Devri, Jenny’s Chickens and the Fenian Sons, as well as themed activities, face painting, caricature artists and more. The day will also feature the return of the Irish Vendor Village, offering a wide variety of apparel and items. On Sunday, guests will enjoy a pint glass engraving activity accompanied by live music from Pour Man Band at Six String Grill & Stage, as well as bands at Wormtown Brewery and The Harp. Fittingly, St. Patrick’s Day will also have a lineup of Irish-themed events, as Wormtown Brewery and The Harp will host live music and Irish s...

Swan Boat photo courtesy of Swanboats.com  The majestic Swan Boats in the Public Garden lagoon, created in 1877 by Irish immigrants Robert Paget and his wife Julia (Coffey), will soon have a spot on the Boston Irish Heritage Trail  this summer, according to the Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA), which oversees the historical walking trail and is  expanding the Trail  in Boston and across Massachusetts in the coming months.   Robert Paget was born in Ireland in 1837, coincidentally around the same time that Boston opened its Public Garden, the country's first public botanical garden.  A boatbuilder by trade, Paget worked at the Charlestown Navy Yard when he emigrated to Boston.  He and his wife Julia F. Coffey, also from Ireland, married in 1872.  In the 1870s, Paget obtained permission from the city of Boston to operate row boats in the Public Garden pond, according to a fascinating history of the Swan Boats compiled by the Paget family, wh...

(BOSTON) – Today, Boston Irish Tourism Association released its Annual Spring 2025  Travel & Culture  magazine, highlighting New England’s robust St. Patrick’s Day season, plus travel ideas for visiting Ireland this year. The 48 page  magazine is available  for free at visitor centers and cultural venues in greater Boston and throughout New England, and is also available in  digital format  online. “New England becomes the Capital of Irish America each March with a dozen St. Patrick’s Day parades plus hundreds of cultural events and Irish festivities taking place,” says Michael Quinlin, co-founder of the Association.  “These events are just an inkling of the year round Irish culture, heritage, sports and educational activities that flourish here.”    New England has the nation’s highest percentage of residents claiming Irish ancestry, according to the US Census.    In addition to the parades, which draw millions o...

Tourism leader Victoria Cimino has been named as the new president and CEO of Discover Newport,  following a robust national search that concluded with a unanimous vote by the  Board of Directors. She begins her new role on March 17, 2025. The award-winning destination leader and brand expert, brings over 20 years of hospitality and destination marketing experience to this role. Current Principal of Cimino Consulting, she previously served as president and CEO of Visit Williamsburg, the official destination marketing organization for Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, Virginia. Cimino also has extensive New England connections, having served as director of the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development and director of international marketing for Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.  She has also served on a variety of boards and committees, including Discover New England, New Hampshire Travel Council, U.S. Travel Association’s (USTA) board of direc...

  Canal Builders Monument, Courtesy of City of Worcester Worcester, Massachusetts is New England's second largest city and a place with a rich blend of culture, history, cuisine and natural beauty.    Its Irish roots go back to the 18th century, when a group of sturdy Ulster Presbyterians from the north of Ireland arrived here in 1718.   A century later, on July 4, 1826, a new wave of Irish laborers came to construct Worcester's canals, roadways and railways. The Irish famine of the 1840s brought even more Irish to Central Massachusetts, and by 1850 Sullivan was the most common name in Worcester. Today, those strong Irish roots remain evident in Worcester County, as 17.5% of all residents claim Irish ancestry, according to the US Census Community report issued in September 2023. President & CEO of Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce Tim Murray says Worcester won't be what it is today without Tipperary immigrant Tobias Boland and the Irish navies he broug...

Massasoit overlooking Plymouth Rock Situated along the Atlantic Ocean between Boston and Cape Cod, Plymouth is a treasure trove of history, culture, cuisine and natural beauty.  Spring is a perfect season to See Plymouth . Iconic landmarks such as Plymouth Rock, Ship  Mayflower II , Plimoth Patuxet Museums and Pilgrim Hall Museum immerse visitors in the seventeenth century story of the Wampanoag Native People who lived here for centuries and the Pilgrims who arrived in 1620. The Irish arrived a few years later in 1626 and have been a big part of Plymouth ever since. Celebrating the St. Patrick’s Day each March is a big deal in Plymouth, and rightly so.  The US Census, 2020 Community Surveys reveal that 27.5% of Plymouth County residents claim Irish ancestry.  South Shore towns such as Marshfield, Scituate, Hull and Abington are ranked among the most Irish-American places in the United States!   In fact, two of Massachusetts’ most popular...

The Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston is hosting its 5th Annual  St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Boston on March 3, 2025 at the University of Massachusetts Club at 1 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108.  Purchase tickets here . The event kicks off a busy month at the Irish Cultural Centre headquarters in Canton, which includes a variety of  activities in its capacity as the region's largest Irish cultural organization.   Entertainment for the March 3 event includes performances by Declan Houton, David Healy, Aoife Griffin & Co., and talented dancers from the Harney Pender Keady Academy. Also that night, the Centre presents its annual Gradam Dóchais Award to Eithne & Colin Bell for their outstanding charity work with the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. KBRT was founded out of a family tragedy when, in June 2013, Kevin Bell died suddenly in New York. Following an outpouring of support from Kevin’s friends, family and colleagues, significant funds ...

Worcester St. Patrick's Parad e One of the most enjoyable rites of spring in New England are the St. Patrick’s Day parades that have taken place each March dating back to colonial times. In fact, the very first St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States took place on March 17, 1737, when the newly-formed Charitable Irish Society formed a solemn procession from King’s Chapel on Tremont Street in downtown Boston. Today the parades are more celebratory than solemn, an expression of Irish heritage and culture. And they are also beloved community events designed for everyone to enjoy. And they are free and open to the public. What makes these parades so special are the volunteers, who put thousands of hours into raising funds to book bands and bagpipers, getting street permits, choosing grand marshals and inviting community leaders, celebrities and cherished individuals to participate. Here are six parades you’ll want to check out this St. Patrick’s Day season. Newport St. Patrick...

Image courtesy of Lowell WinterFest Cold becomes cool this month, as New England rolls out three amazing winter festivals in Newport, Quincy and Lowell.       Whether you’re celebrating Presidents Day, School Vacation or winter itself, grab your hat and gloves and warm your spirits by enjoying these special New England traditions.  February 14-23 Newport Winter Festival Throughout Newport, RI Various times and venues Hailed as “New England’s largest winter extravaganza,” the 36th Annual Newport Winter Festival features 10 days of live music, food and fun in one of New England’s most scenic places. Highlights of this family-fun festival include a children’s fair, chili cook-off, a princess party, and magic shows. For adults, enjoy live tribute bands for Jimmy Buffett, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John and a tropical drink competition. discovernewport.org