Irish Massachusetts

  James Brendan Connolly , Olympic champion, writer and adventurer, was born in South Boston on October 28, 1868, one of twelve children of Irish immigrants John Connolly and Anne O’Donnell, from Inis Mor on the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway.   According to family records, the parents immigrated to the US in 1860, with their two children, John and Martin, settling first in the seaside village of Rockport, north of Boston, before moving to South Boston in 1862 and raising their family at 50 G Street.  Fishing was the family trade, and as and a boy, Connolly learned to sail, fish, survive storms, repair rigs, and to understand and appreciate the ways of fishermen everywhere. Later in his life, Connolly became a noted writer on the sea, publishing 25+ novels and short story collections.  Growing up in South Boston, sports were a central part of Connolly's life.  In his writings, he fondly recalled the days of his youth running across open fields, jumpi...

In one of his final acts as Mayor of Boston, James Michael Curley dedicated a bronze memorial on Boston Common to Revolutionary War hero Commodore John Barry, on October 16, 1949.     A few weeks later, Curley lost his final bid for re-election to a fifth term as mayor, losing to John B. Hynes.     Barry, a naval hero of the Revolutionary War, was born in Tacumshane, County Wexford in 1745, and is a long-standing favorite historical figure of Irish-Americans across the United States.  They claim Barry as the Father of the American Navy, while others say that title belongs to John Paul Jones.   The idea for the Barry memorial in Boston was first announced by the Central Council of Irish County Clubs on September 23, 1945, at the city’s annual Barry Day banquet at the Copley Plaza Hotel commemorating the 200 th anniversary of Barry’s birth in Wexford.      Four years later, at the  Charitable Irish Society  annual dinne...

On Monday, October 16, 1989, Boston citizens came together to officially dedicate the Richard Cardinal Cushing Memorial Park in Bowdoin Square, in tribute to one of the city’s most distinguished leaders.  The park first opened in 1981 with a bust of the Cardinal by sculptor James Rosati, and the newly designed $450,000 upgrade in 1989 was overseen by Architect Graham Gund, who added benches and greenery, making it a more welcoming space.  Public officials at the dedication included Senator Ted Kennedy and Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, along with family and friends of Cardinal Cushing and parishioners from St. Joseph's Church in the West End.   Born in South Boston to Irish immigrant parents from County Cork, Richard James Cushing (1895-1970) was a proud Bostonian. He once told reporters, "I was born in Boston. I was bred in Boston. I'm for everything that promotes Boston's welfare."  Ordained a priest in 1921, Cushing rose through the ranks, ultimately serving as...

Johnny Kelley in front of his Memorial at Heartbreak Hill  Photo courtesy of Bill Brett For the 125 rd  annual  Boston Marathon  taking place on Monday, October 11, 2021, we pay tribute to the legendary marathon runner John Adelbert  Kelley, who holds the record for running more Boston Marathons than any other athlete.  Kelley was born in 1907 in West Medford, outside of Boston, and traces his ancestry to County Wexford.  "My father's people left to go to Australia," he told  The Boston Globe  in 1981, when he was preparing for his 50 th  race.  "The boat stopped in Boston and they never left."  Kelley ran his first marathons in 1928 and 1932 but did not finish either race.  He ran again in 1933 and then competed in every single race through 1992!  He finished in the top 10 eighteen times, taking first place in 1935 and again in 1945.  He owns the record for the most races started (61) and the most finished (58)....