Irish Massachusetts

Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts issued a proclamation declaring Irish Heritage Month in the Commonwealth in March 2009. And the Massachusetts State Senate issued a Resolution for St. Patrick's Day, welcoming visiting chefs from Ireland who participated in this year's Gaelic Gourmet activities in Boston. The resolution was signed by Senate President Theresa Murray and Senator Jack Hart. The chef events are sponsored by Tourism Ireland and the Boston Irish Tourism Association as a way of highlighting the cultural and culinary ties between Ireland and Massachusetts. Massachusetts is the most Irish state in the USA, with nearly 24% of residents claiming Irish ancestry, according to the US Census.

The annual Gaelic Gourmet Gala sponsored by Tourism Ireland and Boston Irish Tourism Association was held at Seaport Hotel Boston on Saturday, March 14, 2009. The event featured a four-course dinner by master chefs from Boston and Galway. Gerard Reidy of the Delphi Mountain Resort in Galway was there to cook alongside Boston's finest chefs, including Barbara Lynch and Colm Lynch of No 9 Park , and Rachel Klein and Richard Rayment of Aura Restaurant at Seaport. The popular quintet from Ireland, Celtic Thunder , performed twice during the dinner. Proceeds from the evening benefited Fisher House Boston , a group that provides living arrangements for families of veterans who are in Boston for long-term medical treatment. The Gaelic Gourmet Gala is sponsored by Tourism Ireland and Boston Irish Tourism Association , as a way of celebrating Irish cuisine in America.

Boston's Irish Heritage Trail was featured on Boston.com this week as part of the city's St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Among the Trail sites shown: the Old Granary Burying Ground, Irish Famine Memorial, and statue of Mayor Kevin White. And other stops along the way included the Omni Parker House and the Black Rose Pub .

Ten-time Irish fiddle champion Seamus Connolly appeared on the New England Cable News as part of this year's St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

Boston is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a tasteful display of contemporary and traditional cuisine from Ireland as the 5th annual Gaelic Gourmet celebration takes place the week of March 11-18, 2009 in hotels, restaurants and pubs throughout the city. This year’s culinary program features two master chefs from Ireland, Chef Gerard Reidy of Delphi Mountain Resort in Connemara, County Galway, and Chef Kevin Cleary of the Westbury Hotel in Dublin. They’ll be cooking with Boston chefs Barbara Lynch, Rachel Klein and James Tierney to create special gourmet dinners at the Seaport Hotel Boston and Jurys Hotel Boston. The annual program, presented by Tourism Ireland and the Boston Irish Tourism Association, is designed to showcase new cuisine from Ireland alongside the distinct culinary traditions of Massachusetts. “Ireland is enjoying a culinary renaissance, and March is the perfect month to convey this exciting trend to the American public,” said Joe Byrne, Executive VP, United States a...