Irish Massachusetts

Seafood professionals from around the world came to Massachusetts this month to attend the Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America , which took place March 12-14 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the city’s Seaport District. Considered North America’s most dynamic seafood marketplace, this year’s conference attracted 1,141 exhibiting companies from 49 countries. This year’s exhibit space spanned 237,665 net square feet – 31% larger than last year’s event. “It was wonderful to welcome Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America back to the BCEC this year,” said Executive Director David Gibbons of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority . “This event exemplifies the importance of in-person gatherings and the connections that can be made between local and international purveyors in the Seafood industry. I would like to thank Diversified Communications for once again executing a flawless event.” Countries new to the exhibition fl...

Irish Dancers photo, courtesy of the Irish Cultural Centre Looking for the best Irish music and dance New England has to offer this weekend?     Check out these concerts from Thursday through Sunday, March 16-19.     You can find more details on our March calendar at   irishmassachusetts.com . Máirín Uí Chéide On Thursday, March 16, sean nos singer  Máirín Uí Chéide  presents Irish Gaelic Song and Story at Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline. The concert begins at 8 p.m.   Gypsy Reel On Thursday and Friday, March 16-17,  Gypsy Reel , featuring Claudine Langille on vocals, banjo and mandolin, perform at the Killarney Pub in Ludlow, VT.  On Saturday, March 18, the band plays at Slate Valley Museum in Granville, NY.  Green Road and Clodagh Kinsella The Irish Cultural Centre in Canton has an amazing line-up of music and dancer this weekend.  On Friday, March 17,  live music starts at 11 a.m., with sessions led by...

  The Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston, a year-round headquarters for Irish music, dance and culture as well as sports, education and socializing, has a full slate of activities planned for St. Patrick's Day weekend in 2023. On Friday, March 1 7, live music starts at 11 a.m., with sessions led by Aoife Griffin, Niamh Healey, Adam Hendey Colm Gannon and Joey Abarta, followed by Skeaf Bridge at 7 p.m. Then at 8 p.m., Green Road & Irish Soprano Clodagh Kinsella from Wexford perform a special concert, direct from Ireland. This five-piece ballad and folk band plays a blend of Irish folk and traditional tunes infused with a Country and Bluegrass flavor, while Kinsella is a talented multi-instrumentalist in vocals, piano and violin. On Saturday, March 18, a Family Celebration at the Centre runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring live music with Strawberry Hill - a Boston-based trio with a unique blend of Irish, Scottish and American music. Enjoy Irish dancing, arts & craf...

  Photo Credit: “OAK Long Bar + Kitchen” In Massachusetts, St. Patrick’s Day season runs throughout the month of March, a reflection of the deep-rooted Irish community that has settled here since the 17th century. Visit the  Irish Heritage Month page  at Mass Office of Travel & Tourism for a round-up of parades, cultural venues, heritage sites and Irish pubs and restaurants.  And below, here’s a selection of concerts, exhibits and hotel and restaurant specials happening in March 2023.  Slainte! HOTELS & RESTAURANT SPECIALS The popular OAK Long Bar + Kitchen at the Fairmont Copley Plaza is serving two St. Patrick’s Day specials from Friday, March 17  through Sunday, March 19.  Those wanting to celebrate overnight in Boston can book Fairmont Copley Plaza’s Pot O’ Gold room package for two available all of March in honor of Boston’s Irish Heritage Month. On March 8, The Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, Chef Trisha Pérez Kenne...

Did you know that Irish immigrants played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War? From Commodore John Barry and General John Sullivan to Boston Massacre victim Patrick Carr and the Scots-Irish who fought at Bunker Hill, the Irish were everywhere during the quest for independence.  The Boston Irish Heritage Trail gives a fascinating overview of Irish landmarks on Boston Common, the Massachusetts State House, Granary Burying Ground, USS Constitution and Bunker Hill Monument.   Many of these landmarks intersect with  Boston's Freedom Trail,  which provides an important introduction to Boston's instrumental role in the American Revolution.  Visit the Boston Common Visitor Information Center at 139 Tremont Street for a free map of the Irish Heritage Trail, and take a self-guided tour.   Here are some Revolutionary landmarks with Irish connections.  Granary Burying Ground The Granary Burying Ground , established in 1660, is located on Tremont S...

  The 247th Anniversary of the occupation of Dorchester Heights and the Evacuation of Boston takes place on Friday, March 17, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The event occurs at the Dorchester Heights National Historic Park, 95 G Street in South Boston. Organizers of the event include the National Parks of Boston, South Boston Citizens Association, the South Boston Historical Society, Revolution 250 and the City of Boston. This annual event marks the historic occasion when General George Washington and the colonial troops forced the British Army to leave town in March, 1776.  Read about Dorchester Heights  from the National Park Service, which oversees the property.  The British presence in Boston began in October, 1768, when 4,000 British troops arrived in Boston after local citizens objected to a series of British taxes on the residents. Their presence led to a number of physical confrontations, starting with the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, when five B...

  A group of Irish women in greater Boston have launched a new organization to create "an enterprising, independent, future-oriented community," that builds upon "the legacy Irish women have built in America" over past generations.  Mná Mheiriceá , which is Irish for Women of America, was created by co-founders  Martina Curtin, Aoife Griffin, and Megan Greeley with strong ties to Ireland and greater Boston.  The group is open to women of all backgrounds.  In a statement, the co-founders write, 'We are a convener and resource for the new graduate, the mother, and the executive who understand that it is not just raising a child that takes a village, but raising ourselves as well. Mná Mheiriceá strives to convene women regardless of background to understand and celebrate all it is to be a woman. "Mná Mheiriceá is as an open door networking group for women of all backgrounds. Our events are suitable for women of all ages, and we strive to build a future-orienta...

  (March 8, 2023) - As New England celebrates St. Patrick's Day and Irish-American Heritage Month, here are three parades you don't want to miss on Cape Cod, in Newport, RI and Holyoke!  Read our story in the Irish Echo and visit our parade page for more details  This story appeared in the Irish Echo newspape r in New York, March 8, 2023

    March 2023 is Irish Heritage Month and Women’s History Month in Massachusetts. In honor of both of these month-long celebrations, and to mark International Women's Day on March 8, the Boston Irish Tourism Association pays homage to these seven Irish-American women from Massachusetts whose accomplishments in their respective fields have positively influenced society and inspired people around the world. Mary Kenney O'Sullivan (1864-1943) Nationally acclaimed union organizer Mary Kenny was born in Missouri to Irish immigrants. She worked in Chicago and New York as an organizer before moving to Boston’s South End in 1893. She organized rubber makers, shoe makers and garment workers, shops where women were paid poorly and suffered bad working conditions. When her husband John O’Sullivan died, she continued her work, creating the National Women’s Trade Union League and taking part in the Bread and Roses Strike in Lawrence, MA. The Massachusetts State House has a plaque ent...

Looking for authentic Irish products for St. Patrick's Day or for year-round gifts or purchases?  Check out these three Irish gift shops in the Boston area, all owned by Irish immigrant families and offering the most authentic and high quality Irish products you'll find on this side of the Atlantic! Bridget's - an Irish Tradition Gift Shop Bridget’s - An Irish Tradition Gift Shop   88 West Main Street, Norton, MA 02766 Norton ,  MA  This popular gift shop just south of Boston has been selling high quality Irish imports since 1987.  Run by mother-daughter team Bridget Daly and Lorraine Ryan, the shop specializes in the best hand-made Irish clothing, especially sweaters, caps and shawls, as well as Celtic jewelry, sweets and tea from Ireland and more.  The shop is open every day during St. Patrick’s Day season, and freshly-made soda bread is available.   Read more about Bridget's here . Aisling Gallery & Framing Shop, Painting by Vincent Cr...

(March 1, 2023) -- The Spring 2023 issue of Travel & Culture Magazine is being released today by the Boston Irish Tourism Association, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day festivities, spring in New England and travel to Ireland.   The free magazine is available at visitor centers and cultural venues in greater Boston and throughout New England, or in digital format  online. The St. Patrick’s Day roundup in March includes the season’s best Irish concerts, including Altan, Lunasa, Eileen Ivers, Seamus Egan, Runa and Green Road, plus stories on the Cape Cod and Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day parades, and a schedule of a dozen parades taking place in New England. The Irish Cultural Centre in Canton has a full slate of family activities throughout March. This issue includes a feature about springtime in Boston - America’s walking city, news about the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail, which runs along nine cities and towns south of Boston, and a map of the Boston Irish Heri...

Created in 1634 by the early Puritans, Boston Common is the nation's oldest public park. The 50 acre park has been a staging ground for rallies, protests, marches, speeches, concerts, celebrations and commemorations for nearly 400 years.   References to the Irish on Boston Common go back to the 17th century, when Ann 'Goody' Glover, an Irish-speaking servant, was hung on the gallows after mistakenly being accused of witchcraft.  According to Samuel Barber's book, Boston Common , published in 1914,  Irish immigrants from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, set up spinning wheels on the Common in 1730, and "showed great skill in the machine which was worked by the foot. Spinning wheels were brought into the Common and worked by the ‘females of the town’ all vying with each other to attain the greatest speed." And in 1787, "John Sheehan, a native of Cork, Ireland was executed on the common for committing Burglary in the house of Mr. T. Elliot on the previous June...