Canadian-American Club Holds Annual Gala/Fundraiser on November 3 in Watertown

-
The Canadian American Club in Watertown MA is holding its annual Gala/Fundraiser on Sunday, November 3, 2019, from 1-8 p.m.  Suggested donation is $20.

 Among the performers are the Boston Scottish Fiddle Orchestra and the Reynolds-Hanafin-Cooley Boston chapter of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann.  See full line-up of performers here.

The Canadian-American Club is the outgrowth of a group of Canadian expatriates dating back to the 1930, according to author Michael Quinlin.  The group formed a Canadian-American League on May 19, 1937.  A story in The Boston Globe published on the following day, wrote that the group was "seeking 1,000 charter members....(and) more than 200 attended" the first meeting.

Attorney Joseph S. O'Neill, the organizer and first president of the Canadian-American League, was originally from Prince Edward Island, according to his obituary in The Boston Globe published on August 20, 1938.  Other officers at the time included Alexander C. Chisholm, treasurer; Mrs. Colin W. MacDonald, secretary; and Jeannette C. Chisholm, assistant secretary.

Judging from the many Scottish and Irish names cited in the Globe story, the organizers were largely comprised of immigrants who had come to the Boston area from the Maritime provinces.


In June 1969, the group purchased the building at  at 202 Arlington Street in Watertown, which eventually became known as the Canadian American Club. A number of Canadian government officials visited the Club in the early years, such as Nova Scotia Premier Gerald A. Regan in 1972, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Canadian-American League; and Cecil Miller, Speaker of the Provincial House, Prince Edward Island in 1973.  

 According to the group, "the Canadian American Club celebrates Canadian culture in all its diversity and particularly fosters the distinctive Gaelic traditional music and dance of the Maritimes."

 Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann has been holding its monthly sessions and dances at the Club since the late 1970s.  

 Find year round details on Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton music in Massachusetts by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Declan Crowley is new Cultural Programming Manager at the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston

-
Image
The Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston (ICC) has announced the appointment of Declan Crowley as its new Cultural Programming Manager. Declan's primary role will be to curate a diverse lineup of Irish, Irish-American, and Celtic artists to perform at the Centre throughout the year, from musicians, singers and dancers to writers, filmmakers, historians and artists, while catering to a wide audience of people who cherish Irish culture. Crowley brings a wealth of experience and artistic vision to his new role.  Originally from Burnt Hills, NY, he is an eight-time Regional, two- time National, and All-Ireland Champion Irish dancer, as well as a two-time silver and bronze medal holder at the World Championships and a NFAA youngArts™️ Silver Medalist in World Dance, Crowley began touring internationally with Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” in 2009, where he played the principal role of ‘Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord’ until 2013. While completing his B.A. in English at the College ...
Read more

General Edward L. Logan, Namesake of Boston's Logan International Airport

-
Image
General Edward L. Logan (1875-1939), namesake of Boston’s Logan International Airport , died on July 6 1939 from a sudden 'heart ailment.'  His brother, Reverend Leo J. Logan, presided over the funeral mass at the Gate of Heaven Church in South Boston, with tributes by leading politicians like Senator David I. Walsh , former Massachusetts Governor and Boston Mayor James M. Curley and former Mayor John F. Fitzgerald .  Logan is buried at the Calvary Cemetery in West Roxbury.  A first generation Irish-American, military leader, civic leader and municipal judge with family roots in Galway and South Boston,  Edward was the oldest of nine children of Lawrence and Catherine (O’Connor), according to Michael Cummings of Milton, an expert on the Logan Family. Edward’s father Lawrence immigrated to Boston from Ballygar, County Galway, in 1858, and became a successful businessman at a young age when he became president of the Boston Brewing Company in South Boston.  The ...
Read more

Boston's Irish International Immigrant Center now called Rian Immigrant Center

-
Image
The Irish International Immigrant Center, one of Boston’s leading immigrant advocacy groups for over three decades, has changed its name to  Rian Immigrant Center . Rian (Ree-Ann), the Irish word for path, honors the groups Irish roots while reflecting its inclusive mission of empowering immigrant and refugee families on the path to opportunity, safety and a better future for all. The Center’s new logo is inspired by the Giant's Causeway on the north coast of Ireland, natural hexagonal stones formed 60 million years ago by cooling lava. The symbol represents how the Rian Immigrant Center provides the support to chart a pathway forward. “Our work has never been in higher demand,” said  Ronnie Millar,  executive director of the Rian Immigrant Center. “In recent years that path has grown more difficult. Legal obstacles, bureaucratic thickets, even physical barriers obstruct the path to legal status and citizenship. Together with our public and private par...
Read more