Irish Massachusetts

Piper Joey Abarta, fiddler Nathan Gourley, and bouzoukist Owen Marshall are performing at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 28.   The concert is a CD release party for their new album, Copley Street . Tickets to the show are $20 general admission and $15 for ICC members, and can be purchased at the door. Here is a calendar of upcoming events at the Irish Cultural Centre in February. For year round details on Irish cultural activities visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Photo courtesy of Joyce Linehan   Boston Mayor Marty Walsh today received 2017 Public Leadership in the Arts Award from the national advocacy group, Americans for the Arts .  The award was presented to Mayor Walsh at the U.S. Conference ofMayors winter meeting, a gathering of mayors from across the country.  Boston was recognized as a city with a population of 100,000 or more.  Also receiving an award was Satish Hiremath, mayor of Oro Valley , Arizona , a city with under 100,000 residents. Walsh was cited for “exceptional leadership and commitment to the arts,” said accoding to Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Art and culture help shape a city’s quality of life and economic vitality,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.  “Mayors understand the connection between the arts, business and tourism and the arts’ significant impact on local economies.” Shortly after ...

Tin whistle master  L.E. McCullough  has just published a definite collection of his extensive research and essays about Irish traditional music. The 726 page, 2-volume tome includes over 40 years of McCullough's writing, including his groundbreaking Ph.D. dissertation, Irish Music in Chicago : An Ethnomusicological Study, submitted to the University of Pittsburgh in 1978.  The compilation also includes 122 articles - including scholarly essays, music reviews, concert reports, album notes, newspaper stories and more.   McCullough is a noted author, public speaker, musician, whom the Irish Echo called a Renaissance Man.   For more information visit   silverspearpublications.com  

Steven McDonald with his wife Patti and son Conor Condolences to the family, fellow police officers and friends of New York City police officer and hero Steven McDonald, who died at age 59 this week after suffering a heart attack. McDonald became a quadriplegic in 1986 after being shot three times while on undercover duty in Central Park . He later forgave his shooter, who was 15 at the time, according to the Irish Echo Newspaper in New York .  "Despite being confined to a wheelchair that included a machine to enable his breating, he carried his message of forgiveness and reconciliation to other parts of the world over the years, including Northern Ireland ," wrote Irish Echo editor Ray O'Hanlon. "Steve McDonald was my dear friend," said Ray Flynn, former Mayor of Boston and U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican . "Steve taught us to forgive people who offended us and proved that love is more powerful than hate.   "He was proud of hi...

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum is accepting nominations for this year's Profiles in Courage Awards through February 1, 2017. Submit your nomination to the Profiles in Courage awards here . Here is a video of  Caroline Kennedy , daughter of President Kennedy, talking about the awards and also her father's life and the value he placed on courage in public life. 

Boston Police Pipers & Drums Gaelic Column at 2016 Cape Cod Parade Boston Irish Tourism Association has released its 2017 calendar of St. Patrick's Day parades taking place in Massachusetts and Rhode Island this March. The marching season kicks off on Saturday, March 4, with the Cape Cod St. Patrick's Parade in Yarmouth on the Cape, and extends to Sunday, March 19, with parades taking place in Abington , Boston and Holyoke . Here is a schedule of other Irish activities in March 2017 taking place throughout New England . Find year round details by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com .