Irish Massachusetts

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of David R. Burke , an Irish-American leader from Lawrence, Massachusetts, who passed away on May 27, 2009. Dave worked tirelessly with the Ancient Order of Hibernians and other organizations throughout his life on behalf of Northern Ireland and a whole range of Irish-American issues.  He started the Irish Foundation of Lawrence to help build an impressive Irish Collection of valuable books, periodicals and memorabilia at the Lawrence Public Library . And he led the initiative with the AOH Lawrence Division to place a Memorial in honor of the 19th century Irish Famine victims at St. Mary's Cemetery in Lawrence. We'll always have respect and gratitude for the wonderful work Dave Burke did in his lifetime.  From all of us in the Massachusetts Irish community, thank you Dave.

(Boston) -- The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism just launched an new interactive navigator site that lets visitors create a virtual vacation plan this spring and summer. The site lets visitors use digital navigation bars to zero in an regions within Massachusetts, as well as choosing categories like family fun, romantic places, adventure and relaxing activities.  The interactive site also lets viewers share specific events with family and friends through Facebook and Twitter.   "We wanted to provide site visitors an enjoyable experience as they make their travel plans in Massachusetts. You’ll be surprised at how many truly great ideas are offered up based on how you steer the Navigator,” said Betsy Wall, Executive Director of MOTT. For more details, visit MassVacation.com/Fun

(Boston) -- The Rock and Blues Concert Cruise in Boston Harbor gets off to a great start this summer on June 5, 2011 with two great bands, Enter the Haggis and Carbon Leaf .  The Boston Irish Tourism Association is raffling off a pair of free tickets to the concert.  To take a chance, visit BITA's Contest Page . BITA is also offering a $10 discount from the $30 tickets; to get the discount, click here and then use the word BITA in the Promotion Code box.  The boat leaves at 3:00 p.m. from the World Trade Center Pier in Boston's Seaport District at 200 Seaport Boulevard.  You can board the boat starting at 2:00 p.m. For a full schedule of performances in this summer's Rock and Blues Concert Cruise, click here . For more details on Irish and Celtic activities in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .

RTE is carrying live the concert on College Green, Dublin, now staring Imelda May.  Check it out live here .

Tourism Ireland , which promotes Ireland as a travel destination in North America,  has put together a handy guide for family history research on its Facebook page called Rooting for the Irish. It provides a primer on how to get started in family history research, a  list of genealogy resources in Ireland and Northern Ireland, plus museums and heritage centers to visit that relate to Irish emigration over the centuries. Another interesting fact from Tourism Ireland: at least 22 American presidents claim some Irish ancestry, including President Barack Obama , who is visiting Ireland for the first time this week. You can also find details on visiting Ireland at DiscoverIreland.com .

Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May is headlining a musical concert for President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama this Monday, May 23, 2011 at College Green in Dublin, Ireland. Also performing is Irish traditional star Sharon Shannon and other musical groups from across Ireland. The event is free and open to the public and the gates open at 2:00 p.m.  The concert is expected to start at 5:00 p.m., and President Obama is expected to speak at the end of the 90 minute concert. For more details, visit the US Embassy in Dublin web site.

President Barack Obama is visiting Ireland on May 23-24, 2011, and his trip is expected to draw positive attention to Ireland's tourism industry. Officials at Tourism Ireland, the official agency for promoting Ireland in the United States, have put together a video on the village of Moneygall, County Offaly, where President Obama traces his Irish ancestry. Tourism officials predict that over 800,000 Americans will visit Ireland in 2011.  For more information on visiting Ireland this year, go to Tourism Ireland's web site DiscoverIreland.com .

The Huntington Theatre Company is presenting William Shakespeare's play, Richard III, May 18- June 19, 2011 at the Boston University Theatre, located at 264 Huntington Avenue. The play is directed by Edward Hall and performed by the Propeller Theatre Company . For ticket information click here . For a schedule of upcoming plays at Huntington Theatre Company, click here . For year round cultural activities in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org . For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com . 

Bible Code Sunday - an exciting Irish band from London - performs at the Four Green Fields Pub & Restaurant in downtown Boston on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 9:00 p.m., with doors opening at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. The band is also promoting a new film, Clan London , written by accordion player Andrew Nolan.  Four Green Fields is Boston's newest Irish pub, located at One Boston Place.  For year round details on Irish cultural events in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org .

On Sunday, May 22, 2011,starting at 8:00 a.m., ten runners from the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority are participating in a 9K race to help raise money for local veterans living with traumatic brain injuries and combat stress. It's part of the Run to Home Base program initiated by the Boston Red Sox Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital .  The race begins and ends at Fenway Park, and provides runners with the chance to run onto the field at the historic ballpark and to cross the finish line at home plate. The MCCA team has been actively involved in fund raising efforts throughout the year as they work toward reaching their goal of raising $10,000 for local veterans. To support Team MCCA click here . To run in the Run Home Base event, click here . For year round cultural activities in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Boston Pops , led by conductor Keith Lockhart , is bringing New Orleans to Boston this week with a special Mardi Gras festival featuring the Dukes of Dixieland , taking place on Tuesday, May 17 and Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at Boston Symphony Hall . Tickets to the concert are $70-$91 and can be purchased online . The legendary Dukes of Dixieland have been ambassadors for jazz over the past four decades, traveling the world with their distinct sound of New Orleans jazz in its authentic form. For a complete schedule of concerts in the Boston Pops 126th season, click here . For year round cultural activities in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .

The Blackstone River Theatre is launching a new Summer Solstice Festival on Saturday, June 18, 2011 featuring some of the region's top Irish traditional performers. Included in the line-up: folk singers Robbie O'Connell and Aoife Clancy , Matt & Shannon Heaton , Pendragon , Annalivia , Atwater-Donnelly Trio and more. The festival includes five concert stages, as well as food and crafts booths, family activities, and an area for set dancing and ceili dancing.  The Blackstone River Theatre is a non-profit arts and education group that programs cultural activites year round in Cumberland, Rhode Island.  It celebrated its 10 year anniversary in 2010 as one of the region's leading cultural venues.  For year round details on Irish cultural activities in the New England region, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Last Wednesday, May 11, the White House hosted a “ Celebration of American Poetry ,” an all-day event that included an afternoon poetry workshop led by First Lady Michelle Obama “Whenever our nation has faced a great tragedy,” President Obama said at the ceremony, “whether it was the loss of a civil rights leader, the crew of a space shuttle, or the thousands of Americans that were lost on a clear September day — we have turned to poetry when we can’t find quite the right words to express what we’re feeling.” For more information on poetry in the United States, visit the Poetry Foundation .  For cultural activities in Massachusetts visit IrishMassachusetts.com . 

Former US President Jimmy Carter is appearing at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 2:45 p.m. He'll be speaking about his new book, White House Diary , which is a daily account of President Carter's four years in the White House from 1977-1980.  Moderating the discussion is Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour .  Since leaving office, President Carter has spent the last thirty years working on international issues of peace and justice.  He started the Carter Center in Atlanta to address human rights issues in over 70 countries around the world.  For year round details of the John F. Kennedy Library, click here . For year round cultural activities in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com .

The seasoned Scottish folk band, North Sea Gas , is performing in concert at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI on Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $15 and can be purchased at the door. Combining rousing songs, humor and great musicality, the band has been performing throughout the world for the past 30 years. For a full schedule of concerts at Blackstone River Theatre, click here . For year round details on Irish and Celtic activities in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Officers and Members   of the Rev. James T. O’Reilly OSA Division Eight   Ancient Order of Hibernians Lawrence , Massachusetts Cordially invite you to attend A Mass In honor of the 175 th Anniversary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America Celebrated by the   Rev. William F. Waters OSA on Sunday, May 15, 2011 at the An Gorta Mor Memorial  Immaculate Conception Cemetery 29 Barker Street Lawrence , Massachusetts at 1:00 PM In the event of inclement weather, the Mass will be held in the Mausoleum Chapel on the grounds of the Cemetery. Light Refreshments will be served

James E. Rooney , executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority , was honored recently by the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts for his role in enhancing economic development, corporate social responsibility and diversity in Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. "Jim is being recognized because he not only streamlined but restructured the way that we go after conferences for people of color," said Darnell Williams , CEO and President of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, who presented Rooney with the Game Changer Award at the group's annual awards gala at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel .  Under Rooney's direction, the MCCA created the Weekend of Discovery program, which introduces the city and its leadership to the organizers of diverse meetings and conventions.  The program was created to overcome outdated perceptions of Boston and to showcase the city as a welcoming and diverse destination. The program help...

Novelist Aine Greaney is discussing her new novel, Dance Lessons , at The Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. As part of the Tannery Literary Series, Greaney, along with Pamela Greenberg and Jedediah Berry, are taking part in a reading called A Scandal of Women , devised for Mother's Day. The Jabberwocky is located in the Tannery Marketplace , 75 Water Street in Newburyport.  Published by Syracuse University Press , Dance Lessons is Greaney's second novel, following on her debut novel, The Big House , published in 2003. Greaney was born in County Mayo, Ireland.  She moved to the United States in 1986 and lives on Boston's North Shore.  For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Eire Society of Boston is honoring Mary Robinson , former President of Ireland, with this year's Gold Medal Award on Friday, May 13, 2011 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. Tickets to the event are $150 and can be ordered by calling 1 866 560-1050. Robinson was the first woman President of Ireland (1990-1997).  She is  former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), and founder and President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative (2002-2010). Formed in 1937, the Eire Society of Boston promotes Irish culture in the Boston area year round. Past Gold Medal Award recipients have included John F. Kennedy , Olympian James B. Connolly, writer Mary Lavin , scholar Dr. Margaret MacCurtain , and Senator George Mitchell among others.  For a complete list, click here . For year round details on Irish-American cultural activities in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For more on Boston's Irish histo...

Caroline Kennedy is opening up a new wing at the John F. Kennedy Library & Museum in Boston, according to a story in The Boston Globe .  "The wing includes 15,000 square feet of archival storage, a staging area for exhibits and curatorial work, and a new temporary exhibit gallery," writes the Globe. Kennedy, the daughter of President Kennedy, is president of the John F. Kennedy Foundation , a non-profit organization that helps the JFK Library perpetuate President Kennedy's ideal that political and public service be conducted and exemplified as an honorable and patriotic profession.  Located at Columbia Point in Dorchester, the JFK Library & Museum is open year round.  For more details, visit JFK Library . For Irish cultural activities in greater Boston throughout the year, visit IrishBoston.org .

Boston's only Irish-Mexican pub - Jose McIntyre's -  is celebrating Cinco de Mayo on Thursday, May 5, 2011 starting at 5:00 p.m.  It's a fun night of music and dancing with DJ Rhythem, plus tasty Mexican foods served along with great Mexican beverages.  Located at 160 Milk Street in downtown Boston, Jose McIntyre's is part of the Glynn Hospitality Group , a family-run business that operates the Black Rose Pub and other popular restaurants in the city. For more information, visit IrishConnection.com . For year round Irish events in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org .

Boston's historic hotel, the Omni Parker House - is offering a unique Mother's Day Brunch that includes a special menu and a performance from Grammy Award-winning string ensemble The Parker Quartet .  “We wanted to add something special for our patrons this Mother’s Day,” said Dave Ritchie, area director of sales and marketing for the Omni Parker House. “Our brunch has been enjoyed by guests and locals alike for many years, and the addition of the The Parker Quartet is sure to make this special day truly memorable.” The Mother's Day Brunch prix fixe menu is $54 for adults and $19 for children under 12.  For brunch reservations, call 617 725-1600. Located in downtown Boston, the Omni Parker House opened in 1855 and is America's longest continuously operating luxury hotel; it also remains one of America's most elegant and refined hotels.  For a list of other hotel specials at Omni Parker House, click here . For information on cultural activities in greater...