Irish Massachusetts

Boston's  Irish Famine Memorial  was unveiled before a crowd of 7,000 people on Sunday, June 28, 1998 at the corner of School and Washington Street along Boston's  Freedom Trail  and  Irish Heritage Trail . The $1 million Memorial commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine which occurred in Ireland between 1845-1849, killing nearly one million people and forcing another two million people to emigrate to  Boston, New York, Halifax and other eastern seaboard cities. The memorial project was headed by the late  Thomas J. Flatley , along with  Michael Cummings  and others from the Boston community.  At the time of the memorial's unveiling, Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson wrote, "I hope people who come here reflect on the survivors.  And remember, we are the survivors of the survivors."  Since Boston's Irish Famine Memorial was unveiled, other memorials to the Famine generation were unveiled in Lawrenc...

On June 28, 1998, the Boston Irish Famine Memorial Committee issued a 32-page commemorative book was issued at the dedication and unveiling of the Boston Irish Famine Memorial in downtown Boston on June 28, 1998.   The book contains photos of the work in progress, letters from Irish public officials, the text for the eight narrative plaques, and a list of every individual, group and business making a donation to the project.  The commemorative book was written and produced by committee member Michael Quinlin , with graphic design provided by Trinity Communications and printing by Pyramid Printing.   The $1 million Famine Memorial project was led by Thomas J. Flatley , and created as a tribute to the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine of the 1840s, and a tribute to the generations of Irish who faced pestilence, disease and death during this period.   The Boston Irish Famine Memorial is part of Boston's Irish Heritage Trail .  

( BOSTON ) -- This month the Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA) released its 2018 summer issue of  Travel & Culture Guide , a compendium of Irish festivals and concerts, culinary, cultural and literary activities taking place in Massachusetts and throughout New England .   The 28-page color magazine is  distributed free  at visitor kiosks and cultural venues throughout Massachusetts and is available in  digital format online.    It has a shelf life through October 2018.  In New England, the magazine features outdoor festivals concerts, from Boston to Tanglewood and from Cumberland RI up to Rockport, MA.  Some of the performers at Tanglewood this summer include rock/blues/folk legends James Taylor, Bonnie Rait, Ry Cooder and Emmy Lou Harris.  The Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf continues its Summer in the City series with free concerts Tuesdays through Thursdays, and free movies every Friday through ...

Photo of Kevin White Statue at Faneuil Hall, courtesy of BITA Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA) is offering a guided tour of Boston's Irish Heritage Trail at 10 a.m. this Saturday, June 23, 2018, led by tour guide Ted Kulik , an expert on local history. The tour begins at the Visitor Information Center on Boston Common and covers 10 stops along the Trail.  Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for seniors, students and military.  Children under 12 go free when accompanied by a parent.  Fill out the reservation form here , or purchase your ticket the day of the tour at the VIC. See video from Chronicle/WCVB5 ABC on the origins of the Trail and what's on it. The Irish Heritage Trail was created in 1994 and covers over 300 years of Boston Irish history, from colonial Irish like Governor James Sullivan and Boston Massacre victim Patrick Carr, to 19th Century Civil War heroes and the Famine generation, to 20th century political leaders, builders and soc...

History is replete with stories about refugees from around the world coming to Boston, Massachusetts, seeking help from tragedies of historic proportions that were too massive for them to face. Very often they were poorly received, as locals feared the burden these immigrants would have on society.  One of the most compelling chapters in the city's history involves Irish immigrants who fled Ireland in the 1840s, fleeing starvation, disease and death. Many of these refugees fled to Boston, where they arrived, traumatized and ill, having lost parents and children, neighbors and friends.  News reports describe Irish families huddled in doorways in downtown Boston, begging for food.  A  group of 50 Irish refugees camped out on Boston Common because they had no where to stay.  Many never made it to the mainland, but were held at the quarantine station on Deer Island in Boston Harbor to see if they carried with them typhus or cholera, diseases that late...

Rockport Music presents Gordon Lightfoot , the  iconic Canadian troubadour, in concert at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, MA at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12, 2018.  Tickets to the concert can be purchased at the venue.  The singer/songwriter has left quite a mark over the last 50 years, inspiring thousands of aspiring songwriters to follow in his footsteps. His songs belong squarely in the folk canon, including classics like “Early Morning Rain” and “For Lovin’ Me,” as well as 70’s pop hits like “Sundown” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Here is a schedule of upcoming folk, pop, World and jazz concerts at Shalin Liu this summer and fall.  Find more about Irish activities in Massachusetts by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com . 

Fiddler Mari Black The 8th annual  Summer Solstice Festival,  presented by the  Blackstone River Theatre,  takes place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, 2017 at  Diamond   Hill   Park  in  Cumberland ,  RI .   Tickets to the festival  are just $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, $5 for children ages 6-15, and free for children 5 and under. You can also enter a contest to  win a free pair of tickets  from the  Boston Irish Tourism Association . The 2018 line-up Includes: The Atwater~Donnelly Trio, Mari Black Celtic Band, Daymark, Eastern Medicine Singers, The Gnomes, The Gothard Sisters, La Croisée D’Antan, Owen Marshall & Jenna Moynihan, Emerald Rae, Torrin Ryan, Sheila Falls & Kyle Forsthoff, Kevin Doyle Dance Showcase: From trad to tap, Tir Na Nog Irish Dance, Irish session led by Bob Drouin   Here are  full details ...

Rockport Music presents  Ireland 's tenor  Ronan Tynan  in concert at the  Shalin Liu Performance Center   in Rockport at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 9, 2018.   Purchase tickets online  or at the performance center. Tynan  is one of  America 's beloved performers, especially in New England, where Ronan has performed the national anthem at  Fenway   Park , Gillette Stadium, TD Garden and countless concert halls in the region. "If you can perform songs in a specific way that moves an audience to a wonderful memory, you've achieved everything you set out to do as a performer," Ronan said in an interview a few years ago, validating why the Irish vocalist has such a local following. Here is a schedule of  upcoming concerts at Shalin Liu Performance Center. Find year round details on Irish music in New England by visiting  IrishMassachusetts.com .