Irish Massachusetts

  The South Shore Irish Heritage Trail is hosting its first annual Black Velvet Soiree on February 4, 2023 at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset, MA. Tickets to the event are $125-$200. Purchase online here. The fundraising event helps support the SS Irish Heritage Trail, which offers visitors a fascinating journey into the history and heritage of the Massachusetts Irish community through nine scenic towns South of Boston.  State Senator Patrick O'Connor and Historian Catherine Shannon, PhD are receiving the First Annual Trail Blazer Awards at the Soirée for their support and leadership in creating the Trail.  As part of the fundraiser, organizers of the soiree are also auctioning off a week in Ireland in August, 2023, at a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home in Kinvara, County Galway that sleeps eight. The home is on the southern side of Galway Bay within an easy drive to the Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, Ailwee Cave, Bunratty, Shannon Airport, Galway City, Connemara and other i...

Photo courtesy of Boston Irish Reporter Congratulations to Jacob Bombard, the newly appointed executive director of Rian Immigrant Center in Boston.    Jacob began his tenure at Rian on January 9, 2023, succeeding Ronnie Millar, who ran the Center for 12 years. Rian was founded in 1989 as the Emerald Isle Immigration Center by a small group of Irish immigrants, including its first executive director, Sister Lena Deevy, LSA, who ran the Center until 2011. Read more about Rian here .  Jacob comes to Rian from Catholic Charities of Boston , where he worked for seven years, serving as division director and more recently as VP of Data and Analytics. Previously, he worked in the officials of State Representative Nick Collins and State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry.   Rian Board Chair Kevin Mawe said in a statement, “Our board believes Jacob will be the right individual to carry Rian into its next chapter. As a native of Boston, he spent four years running the Laboré C...

Massachusetts is gearing up to celebrate the feast day of St. Brigid, one of Ireland’s three patron saints along with Patrick and Columbkille. These local celebrations take on added significance, because starting in 2023, Ireland has officially declared a bank holiday honoring St. Brigid.  The holiday is set to take place on February 6, the first Monday after February 1.   In Boston , Ag Céiliuradh Lá Fhéile Bríde  takes place on Wednesday evening, February 1, starting at 6:30 p.m. at Westin Copley Place Hotel in the city’s Back Bay, complete with live music, appetizers and a cash bar. Sponsored by the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston and Invest Northern Ireland, the celebration features guest speakers Middlesex county District Attorney Marian T. Ryan, and Consul General of Ireland Dr. Laoise Moore.    The event also serves as the official launch of the Boston New England Rose of Tralee pageantry for 2023. Joining the launch at the Weston Copley are ...

Courtesy of Tourism Ireland   Congratulations and sincere thanks to Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons , who is stepping down from his position in April 2023, after a distinguished 21 year career that included 8 years as chief executive officer. "It has been an honor and a privilege," Gibbons said in a statement. 'I started with the company just after 9/11 and tourism has weathered many challenges since then, including COVID-19. As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which gave rise to Tourism Ireland, the time is right for a new challenge. "I want to thank everyone for all the support I have received over the last 21 years. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible before I depart. I wish the staff of Tourism Ireland and the tourism industry well in 2023 and beyond."  Tourism Ireland's Chairman, Christopher Brooke, said, “I would like to thank Niall for his outstanding leadership and commitment to tourism over the last 2...

Get off to a great start in 2023 by checking out the Aer Lingus January sale, with unbeatable savings on flights from 15 North American cities to Ireland for 2023 travel   The sale, which runs through January 25 2023, includes round-trip flights from East Coast cities such as Boston, New York and Hartford to Ireland starting from $369.  Flights from Midwest cities including Chicago start from $459 roundtrip, and flights from West Coast cities such as Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles start at $499*. *Sale period: January 11 – 25, all fares quoted are per person travelling and inclusive of taxes and charge Aer Lingus January  Sale fares are valid for travel from January 18 to May 31, 2023. Terms and conditions apply. Customers flying with Aer Lingus will enjoy complimentary meal and drinks endless hours of in-flight entertainment and will benefit from US Customs and Border pre-clearance at Dublin and Shannon airport ahead of returning to the U.S.  For more i...

On January 13, 1919, Massachusetts State Senator George E. Curran of Roxbury entered a resolution to the state's Foreign Relations committee calling for Irish Independence. George Edward Curran was a Boston democrat, born on January 28, 1873 in Roxbury. He was a member of the Charitable Irish Society, Theatrical Mechanics Association, and the Ward 18 Democratic Club. In the senate, Curran represented District No. 18—Ward 18, and served on several committees, including military affairs, federal relations (clerk) and taxation. The resolution read in part: No people are better deserving of the blessings of the right of self determination than the people of Ireland, the service of whose sons in the colonization of America, in the winning of its independence, in the founding of its institutions and the creation of its health and prosperity, has placed America and democratic government everywhere in its everlasting debt. The proposed resolution was part of a larger effort by Irish-Ameri...

A public unveiling of  Embrace Boston , a bronze memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, takes place at 1 p.m. on Friday, January 13, 2023 on Boston Common. The memorial depicts Dr. King and his wife embracing after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and celebrates their time in Boston when they met as students. It was designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Hank Willis Thomas. Organizers say the memorial will serve as a permanent monument representing the Kings’ time and powerful presence in Boston, a time that helped shape their approach to an equitable society. “This moment brings with it the culmination of years of work. It is a celebration of the profound role our city played in the lives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King,” said M. Lee Pelton. President & CEO of The Boston Foundation. “The Kings met and fell in love here—and Boston was one of the places they called home.” What is now called the  Embrace Bos...

The Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston is offering a 15-class winter course on Irish Dancing at its facility in Canton, MA.  The program runs from January 16 to May 15, 2023.   See full information, including registration details, here .  The course is being taught by teacher  Jackie O'Riley , founder of O'Riley Irish Dance .  It offers a non-competitive Irish dance program for kids and teens.  Each class addresses developing rhythm, timing and technique, with the foremost emphasis on musicality and understanding the connection between the music and the dance. The advanced level course allows students to collaborate with live musicians, with a mix of traditional step dancing, sean-nos dance and set dancing, as well as soft shoe and chili dancing.  Founded in 1989 to celebrate Irish culture and heritage in the greater Boston area, the Irish Cultural Centre  sits on a 46-acre ground off of Route 138 in Canton, about 20 miles southwest of ...

The Burns Statue in The Fens, Boston Since 1801, lovers of Scottish poetry and song have celebrated the life of Scotland's great bard, Robert Burns, on the occasion of his birthday, which was January 25, 1759. New England has a vibrant community of Scots-Americans who are always in form to gather for authentic Scottish fare and fashion, for a taste of haggis, whisky, songs and poems, for ceilidh dancing and good cheer. Here are a few celebrations taking place in 2023. January 20 Robert Burns Night Deerfield Inn 81 Old Main Street Deerfield, MA All of the traditional Scottish foods are on this year's menu, including haggis and clapshot, beef, lamb and venison, sticky toffee pudding and cheddar and oak cakes, followed by a toast of Kilchoman Single Malt Scotch whisky. January 21 Scottish Arts, Inc. presents Robert Burns Night Nosh by Concord Market 97 Lowell Road Concord, MA This annual Robert Burns gathering features Scottish food and whisky, haggis, piping, dance, good cheer a...