Irish Massachusetts

  Battle between USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere, 19 August 1812, by Michel Felice Corne   Courtesy U.S. Navy - Naval History and Heritage Command, 80-G-K-26254 America's oldest commissioned ship, the USS Constitution , was first launched on October 21, 1797, and is  berthed in the Charlestown Navy Yard.  The USS Constitution is operated by the US Navy , a partner of the National Historic Parks of Boston . Known as Old Ironsides for its durability during battle, the USS Constitution was commanded in the War of 1812 by Commodore Charles Stewart, who was awarded a congressional gold medal for his leadership. Commodore Stewart was the grandfather of Ireland’s famous Home Rule leader, Charles Stewart Parnell and poet Fanny Parnell . Of the many Irish sailors served on the Constitution, Irish-born  Daniel Hogan was perhaps the most famous, according to the USS Constitution Museum . During a heated battle with the British frigate Guerriere, the American fl...

The beautiful walled city of Derry-Londonderry celebrates the ancient Celtic spirits of Samhain - otherwise known as Halloween  - on October 28 – 31 2022.  Now established as the biggest Halloween festival in Europe and voted the world's best Halloween destination in a poll by USA Today, Derry Halloween expects to welcome 90,000+ visitors to its wonderfully wicked witch’s brew of enchanting entertainment. The origins of Halloween lie in the mists of pagan Ireland over 2,000 years ago, when the ancient festival of Samhain was celebrated to mark the beginning of winter, according to Tourism Ireland. At that time the veil between our world and the Otherworld was believed to be at its thinnest, allowing spirits and demons to easily pass between the two. Derry Halloween features  these ancient spirits, such as Cailleach Queen of Winter and goddess of the cold and wind, will be roaming the streets of the city as well as the nearby town of Strabane. Within the walls...

Photo of Eugene O'Neill, courtesy of PBS, An American Experience Eugene O’Neill, one of the great American playwrights and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature , was born in a hotel on October 16, 1888 in New York City to parents Ella Quinlan and Irish actor James O’Neill. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936, the highest literary honor in the world, and also won several Pulitzer Prizes for his plays. O’Neill spent his formative years in New London, CT at Monte Cristo Cottage, the family’s summer home on Pequot Avenue. Later in life, O’Neill also spent considerable time in Massachusetts, taking a playwriting course at Harvard in 1914, then forming a troupe on Cape Cod called the Provincetown Players, which produced his play Bound East for Cardiff, in 1916. In between, O'Neill led an adventurous life. As a sailor, shipping out of Boston, he traveled around the world, then headed down to Honduras to prospect for gold. He worked for awhile in Buenos Aires, ...

Reverie Road , an Irish traditional quartet, performs at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI on Saturday, October 22 at 8 p.m.  Tickets to the show are $20 in advance, or $24 the day of the concert.  Featuring Winifred Horan and John Williams, both formerly of Solas, and Katie Grennan and Utsav Lal,  Reverie Road offers a powerful mix of curated gems including distilled airs, upbeat reels and jigs, as well as original soundscapes that weave the roots of the Irish musical traditions with fresh new departures. Read more about the band here .  . Winifred Horan is an American violinist and fiddler of Irish descent. After classical training, she played with the all-female Celtic music ensemble Cherish the Ladies before co-founding the award winning and renowned American Irish band Solas.  . Accordionist John Williams, also a co-founder of Solas, is internationally regarded as one of the foremost players of Irish music today. With five All-Ireland titles to...

  Our best wishes and sincere thanks to  Massachusetts Film Office  Director Lisa Strout, who retires this fall after capping off a distinguished and successful career in the film industry and in state government that spanned four decades. During her tenure at the MA Film Office which began in June 2011, Lisa helped make Massachusetts one of the top-tier film locations internationally, facilitating  more than 280 film, television, and streaming productions  in Massachusetts, generating billions of dollars in spending across the Commonwealth and supporting thousands of jobs while strengthening the local film industry. A native of Lexington, MA, Lisa graduated from Berklee College of Music and has spent most of her career in the film industry, starting in commercials, then working as a film location scout in New York, Los Angeles and Boston. She led the successful New Mexico Film Office for seven years before coming back to Boston to head up the Massachusetts Film...

Historic Bowen’s Wharf in downtown Newport, RI, is hosting the 31st annual  Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival , on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, 16, 2022, according to Discover Newport .  The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. This year's Festival offers fresh, local seafood, including fish tacos, lobster rolls, stuffies, chowder, fried calamari, clams and oysters.  Signature cocktails and cold beer are also available.  The festival features continuous live music - folk, surf rock, Caribbean and blues - plus plenty of room for dancing. Cafe-style seating is set up throughout the Wharf and proceeds from festival bars benefit  Oliver Hazard Perry , RI’s 200-foot official sailing education vessel. The Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival has been named one of the “10 Fabulous Fall Festivals on the Coast” by  Coastal Living Magazine . For more information about all that Newport has to offer,  visit  DiscoverNewport.org .

  Photo: The Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, from Condé Nast Traveler story (Getty Images) Ireland has been crowned the Friendliest Country in Europe by the annual Condé Nast Traveler's Readers Choice Awards for 2022. The prestigious honor puts Ireland atop other iconic destinations such as Spain, Italy and Portugal. Here are the ten friendliest countries in Europe .  In selecting Ireland, Condé Nast Traveler writes: Countless global reports have continually dubbed the people of Ireland as some of the friendliest and most welcoming to visitors in the world, and our readers feel the same; voting it into the top spot for the friendliest countries in Europe. Of course, the breweries and lively atmosphere of Dublin are a must, but there are plenty of more natural discoveries to be made here for those willing to venture a little further. Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, for example, is an area of around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns - formed during an ancient volcanic eru...

Irish writer Bram Stoker, author of the famous novel, Dracula, is being honored in his native city Dublin this October.    The  Bram Stoker Festival  returns to Dublin (28 –31 October) after a two-year hiatus to celebrate Count Dracula and his creator in a weekend of ghastly thrills, spine-chilling spectacles and fun-filled frights.  Stoker (November 8, 1847- April 20,1912) was born in Dublin and wrote 15 novels and several short story collections during his distinguished career as a writer.  His famous vampire character  was inspired by the city and Ireland’s tales of the neamh-mairbh, the walking dead.  The festival offers multiple opportunities to dress up in ghoulish garb, to watch film screenings, discuss the novel or simply stroll through the city on a walking tour of Dublin’s dark side or to visit the buildings that fired Stoker’s imagination.  These include the architecturally imposing Trinity College Dublin, which Stoker attended, M...