Boston's famous Purple Shamrock Pub - the Last Call

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An old-fashioned Irish wake took place in Boston this week for the Purple Shamrock Pub in downtown Boston, one of the city's signature Irish pubs in the shadows of Boston City Hall and Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

The owners are closing the iconic place after the landlord announced a 60% rent increase.

Here's a video of the wake, reported by Greg Wayland of NECN:



The Purple Shamrock is owned by the Glynn Hospitality Group, a family-run business that operates some of the city's signature Irish pubs like The Black Rose and sports bar Hurricane O'Reilly's. Patrons  are hoping the Purple Shamrock will be re-opened at some other Boston location in the coming months.

The pub was named for James Michael Curley, Boston's quintessential Irish-American politician, who dominated Boston politics from 1900 to 1949, serving as mayor (four times), governor, U.S. congressman.  Curley got the nickname from his biographer, Joseph F. Dineen, author of The Purple Shamrock: The Hon. James Michael Curley of Boston, who noted that purple represented Curley's royal mannerisms and the shamrock represented his Irish ancestry.

For year round info on Irish activities in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org.

For tourist information go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com. 

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