Irish Massachusetts

(May 30, 2024) --Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA) has released its 2024 summer/fall issue of   Travel & Culture   magazine, a free travel publication highlighting Irish and Celtic festivals, concerts and cultural and sporting events taking place in New England, as well as travel tips for visiting Ireland this summer and fall. This issue features a new exhibit on  John F. Kennedy Jr.  at the Kennedy Museum in Hyannis, Cape Cod, preparations by the  City of Quincy  to celebrate its  400th birthday in 2025 , plus a roundup of  Celtic, Irish and Scottish festivals  such as  Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival  in Northampton and  Rockport Celtic Festival  in Rockport, plus dozens of  cultural events and concerts  across New England for plenty of  New England summer fun . A  sports roundup  includes Gaelic Athletic Association summer leagues at the  Irish Cultural Centre  in Canton, pro...

Photo courtesy of National Archives, Ireland Good news for researchers, historians and archivists, for the people of Ireland and for the Irish Diaspora.  This week the Irish government announced a major investment of €37m in re-developing the archive repository at the National Archives on Bishop Street in Dublin.  The projects is expected to last about 16 months. See press release here. The project is part of the National Cultural Institutions investment program, a component of Project Ireland 2040. It is being funded by the Department for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and is being delivered in partnership with the Office of Public Works. Speaking at the National Archives, Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, said, "This is a significant project for one of our cultural institutions and ensures the National Archives can meet its evolving needs in a sustainable and future-proofed manner.” The new repos...

Gloucester 400 , an organization created to commemorate, celebrate, and promote the famous fishing port's four centuries of cultural, social, ethnic, and economic achievement, featured a year-long celebration in 2023 of city-wide educational programs, activities, and events marking Gloucester's founding in 1623. One outgrowth of this celebration has been to create a rich archives of stories about individuals and families, milestone events, natural resources and industrial achievements throughout Gloucester's illustrious history.  Stories Project leader Terry Weber coordinated Gloucester 400's effort to collect 400 stories, and said the aim of the initiative was "to bring to life, commemorate, and preserve the rich diversity, strength of character, and unique accomplishments (large or small) that have connected the people of Gloucester today and across the centuries." Many of the ethnic communities settling in Gloucester over the centuries came from seafaring...

Mary Lou McDonald , president of Ireland’s Sinn Fein political party and leader of the opposition in the national parliament, was keynote speaker at Westfield State University ’s 2024 undergraduate commencement ceremony at noon Friday, May 17, at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.  She also received an Honorary Doctorate from Westfield for her commitment to education and her lifelong leadership for social justice in Northern Ireland.  McDonald said in her remarks , “Education is the great equalizer and is the most powerful thing that we can give our children.  In the young people of the world, there is immense capacity for good, limitless potential to make a real lasting difference. “Young people fill me with hope – hope that we can end poverty and grow prosperity, that we can end inequality and expand inclusion, that we can consign war and conflict to the dustbin of history, that we can win the race against climate change." She told the graduating students, “I b...

Photos: Left column, Charlestown, Lowell and Milford.  Middle Column: Boston, Boston and Lawrence Right column: Deer Island, Cohasset and Portland Bottom Row: Providence and Cambridge As part of Ireland's annual National Famine Commemoration taking place in Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford on Sunday, May 19, 2024, the Boston Irish Tourism Association has compiled information on ten Irish Famine Memorials throughout New England.  These memorials were erected between 1914 and 2019 and built by local Irish communities to commemorate the Irish Famine of the 19th century, which killed one million people and sent an additional two million people into exile.  The Irish Famine is also referred to in Irish as An Gorta Mor, or the Great Hunger. Many of the Irish who fled Ireland during this time arrived at New England, arriving at local ports, or making their way here from Quebec, Montreal and St. John in Canada or from Eastern Seaboard cities such as New York and Philadelphia, often...

Norwegian Gem, photo courtesy of Massport Today, Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) joined elected officials and community stakeholders to celebrate the start of the 2024 cruise season at Flynn Cruiseport Boston , which runs through November. Read full press release . Building upon the success of last year, Massport expects to welcome 169 vessels from 25 cruise lines, an increase of 15% over 2023. The Norwegian Gem (see photo) is just one of the eight ships homeporting in Boston this season and offers weekly sailings to Bermuda through August, followed by sailings to the Canada/New England coastline through October. Among the sailings this season are 79 homeport calls that bring cruise passengers to Bermuda, Canada/New England, and various cruises to Iceland/Greenland, Europe, and the Caribbean. Cruiseport will also welcome 90 port of call visits so that tourists on other itineraries can stop in Boston and explore all the region has to offer. State Representative David Biele Mass...

Photo Courtesy of Irish Cultural Centre The  Gaelic Athletic Association's Boston/Northeastern Division  has a full weekend of exciting games and activities on Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5 at the  Irish Cultural Centre  in Canton, as a ramp up to the  upcoming season . On Saturday afternoon, starting at 2:30 p.m., a full round of the  Pat O'Brien Cup  matches takes place, with teams from across New England playing in elimination matches in order to reach the finals. Photo Courtesy of Irish Cultural Centre Prior to the GAA matches at the Irish Cultural Centre, the GAA is offering a Referee's course on Saturday at 8:30 a.m., for those interested in becoming referees this summer or for just brushing up on the rules. At 11:30 a.m., GAA is offering a CPR course  for those who want to learn these important lifesaving skills. A new AED (automated external defibrillator) is located behind the scoreboard. The fee for the course is $50 and the class covers...

A poignant exhibit entitled “ We Remember John F. Kennedy, Jr. ” is on display at the John F. Kennedy Museum in Hyannis, Cape Cod now through December 2024.   It features President Kennedy ’s beloved son John Jr. in an array of extraordinary images of John Jr. alone, and with his father, mother, sister, and wife.   Arranged thematically, the exhibit uses video, photos, quotes, text, and artifacts to lovingly portray John F. Kennedy Jr. who, like his father, had every gift but length of years.  Born two weeks after JFK was elected President of the United States, John F. Kennedy Jr. grew up in the spotlight. Whether it was at Hyannis Port, at the White House during his father’s presidency or years later in Manhattan, JFK Jr. captivated the world.  Along with his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister Lauren, JFK Jr. died in a plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard on July 16, 1999, on the way to a cousin’s wedding at the Kennedy Compound on Cape Cod. He...