Irish Massachusetts

(This story originally appeared in the spring 2016 issue of  BITA's Travel & Culture Guide .) Séamus Connolly, the Irish fiddle master from  County   Clare  who created  Boston   College ’s influential Gaelic Roots program, retired from the university in December, after an illustrious 25 year career as an artist-in-residence, teacher, researcher and leading advocate for the folk traditions of  Ireland . We telephoned Séamus in February and he answered from  Florida , where he and some friends were enjoying themselves at a race track on a sunny, winter’s day. Retiring in wintry December in  Boston  and then heading down to  Florida ? Connolly always did have impeccable timing. “Sometimes you know when the time is right, and leaving at the end of 2015 was the perfect time,” he says, laughing. “I was honored to be part of BC’s Irish Studies program, working with people from the school, with visiting artists an...

Ninety-nine years ago today,  President John F. Kennedy  was born on  May 29, 1917 at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, the son of  Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy . Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States, elected at age 43, the youngest American president.  He was also the first Catholic president.  You can find out about President Kennedy, his life, his family and his presidency, by visiting  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library , located at Columbia Point in Boston. The Library is open year round to the general public.  Kennedy's birthplace in Brookline is a  National Historic Site  and is also open to the public.  To read more about the Kennedy Family's Irish connections, click  here . For year round details on Irish activities in Massachusetts, visit  IrishMassachusetts.com .

Ray Flynn , former Mayor of Boston and US Ambassador to the Vatican , was honored this week by state and city officials and dozens of local school children.   The children, representing the Laboure Center, South Boston Boys and Girls Club, South Boston Catholic Academy, South Boston Community Health Center and the South Boston Arts Association, painted a life-sized mural of Flynn overlooking Boston 's waterfront. The ceremony took place at the  Cruiseport Boston  Black Falcon facility operated by Massport , as part of the Cruiseport Boston Week celebrating the 30th anniversary of the facility, which was opened two years after Flynn became Mayor of Boston.   Massport CEO Tom Glynn praised Flynn for preserving the South Boston waterfront and bringing it back to active use. As a youth, Flynn worked on the docks as a Longshoreman alongside his father and father-in-law. The students painting the murals were instructed by South Boston artist and wa...

The Dark Hedges Just in time for the Season Six of the HBO series, Game of Thrones , Tourism Ireland has released a promotional video of the locations in Northern Ireland that are part of the show's most memorable moments.  The video showcases the beauty of Northern Ireland to the millions Game of Throne fans around the world. "There are over 20 Game of Thrones filming locations in Northern Ireland that are accessible to everyone," said John McGrillen, CEO of Tourism Northern Ireland .  Among them: Tollymore Forest Park, the  Cushendun   Caves , Castle Ward,  Ballintoy   Harbour , The Dark Hedges, Inch Abbey, Audley’s Castle and Strangford Lough.  See list of filming locations here.  "TV and film are recognized as strong influencers on travelers everywhere and the stellar popularity of Game of Thrones® is a fantastic opportunity for us to promote Northern Ireland to a huge audience of potential visitors," says Niall Gibbons, CEO...

Uilleann piper David Power and fiddler Willie Kelly are performing from their new album, Apples in Winter , at the Chatham Fiddle Company in Chatham on Cape Cod on Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $20 at the door. Radio host Brian O'Donovan described the duo as "stunning musicians" and said the music they played was "the Pure Drop." Find out more about Chatham Fiddle Company here. For year round information on Irish cultural events in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Boston Irish Tourism Association is giving away a free pair of tickets to see KURIOS: Cabinet of Characters , the new Cirque Du Soleil show, opening on Thursday, May 25, 2016 at Suffolk Downs in East Boston. Enter the contest here.   Or, you can purchase tickets to the show online . Watch a video about KURIOS here . Find year round information on cultural activities in Massachusetts by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com . 

Skellig Michael   Described as "just indescribably beautiful" by actor Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywaker in the renowned Star Wars series, Skellig Michael island off the coast of County Kerry was the setting for Star Wars: the Force Awakens , which opened in theaters in December 2015. The movie has been a powerful marketing tool for Tourism Ireland 's web site, Ireland.com and the  Wild Atlantic Way visitor campaign, which highlights the coastal counties in the West of Ireland. "To have our phenomenal landscape featured so prominently in the film filled Irish hearts with pride and gave the rest of the world a taste of what we have to offer," said Paschal Donohoe , TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The next Star Wars movie, Episode VIII, is also being filed on Skellig Michael, according to director J.J. Abrams, who said,"It's sort of a miracle this place.  We could not be more honored to be here." For detai...

The Boston Irish Tourism Association has named Riverdance as Event of the Week in Boston for the week of May 8-14, 2016. Now in its 20th year as one of the cultural phenomenons of our time, Riverdance is performing at the Wang Theatre in Boston from May 10-15. You can purchase tickets online to Riverdance , or take a chance to win a free pair of tickets . See videos of Riverdance here.  Find year round details on Irish cultural activities at IrishMassachusetts.com .

Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy  is being honored by Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson, as the 2016 recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award™ .   The ceremony is taking place on Sunday, May 1, 2016 at the John F. Kennedy Library .  View the Profiles in Courage Award live , beginning at 11:00 a.m.  Amid security concerns following the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris , Malloy courageously defended the U.S. resettlement of Syrian refugees and personally welcomed a family of Syrian refugees to New Haven after they had been turned away by another state. Here is a schedule of upcoming events at JFK Library . For year round details on the Irish-American community in New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .