Irish Massachusetts

John J. 'Jay' Mulligan of Quincy, Massachusetts, noted painter, former publican and lifelong sports enthusiast, was beloved by his family, friends, colleagues and everyone who knew him.  He passed away on June 22, 2024.  Read obituary here . Born in South Boston to a close-knit Irish-American family, Jay attended Brockton High School, where he captained the hockey team and was also recognized as a talented artist.  He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Southeastern Massachusetts University, in North Dartmouth (now UMass Dartmouth).   The Quiet Pint by Jay Mulligan Jay became a wonderful, successful artist during his life.  Working from his studio, The Spilled Pint, in Quincy, Jay created hundreds of paintings that celebrated his  favorite topics, especially Boston sports, including local legends Larry Bird, Tom Brady and the Boston Bruins.  He loved painting fishing boats and sailboats, dogs, pub scenes with ...

The Charitable Irish Society and Eire Society of Boston , along with the Government of Ireland, are hosting a two-hour chartered boat cruise, Gateway to America, from 3 to 5 p.m. this Sunday, June 23. Admission is $65, and participants can make reservations online . The cruise leaves from the Cambridgeside Galleria lagoon, located at 100 Cambridgeside Place Cambridge, MA 02141.  Discounted p arking is available in the garage adjacent to the Cambridgeside Mall at the rate of $4.00 for an eight hour stay. Historian Dr. Catherine Shannon is providing the narration of the journey European emigrants made to Boston Harbor from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century, and will detail many of the hardships and challenges of their trip. 

Boston’s  Edward L. Logan International Airport  was named for General Edward L. Logan (1875-1939), a first generation Irish-American military leader, civic leader and municipal judge with family roots in Ballygar, Galway and South Boston. Edward was the oldest of nine children of Lawrence and Catherine (O’Connor), according to the late Michael Cummings of Milton, an expert on the Logan Family. Edward’s father Lawrence immigrated to Boston from Ballygar, County Galway, in 1858, and became a successful businessman at a young age when he became president of the Boston Brewing Company in South Boston.  The family resided at 560 East Broadway in South Boston, and their home was a popular gathering place for family and friends. In 1898, during his senior year at Harvard, Logan enlisted in the 9th Irish Regiment of Massachusetts when the Spanish American War broke out in Cuba, joining his father Lawrence, who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the regiment. Edward stayed stateside at ...

Mass at the John Boyle O'Reilly grave, June 2019. photo courtesy of AOH On Saturday, June 15 at 11 a.m., the Irish-American community of greater Boston gathers to honor Irish patriot, writer, orator and leader John Boyle O'Reilly, at his gravesite at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline.  The annual event is organized by the Massachusetts State Board of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. The annual commemoration at O'Reilly's gravesite started shortly after his death in 1890 and has continued through today.   A few years after O'Reilly's death in 1890,  the family made plans to bring a large stone from the church in on which O'Reilly had carved his initials with a nail as a young boy in Howth, County Meath.   The caretakers of the church, which was abandoned and in disrepair, took the stone and shipped it to Boston.  It arrived in February 1894.  A friend of O'Reilly, the sculptor John Donoghue, then made a bronze portrait bust of O'Reilly, and placed it on ...

Photo courtesy of Discover Quincy The City of Quincy is opening its newly designed Welcome Center this week, part of a concerted effort by city leaders, tourism officials, historians and businesses to prepare for the 400th anniversary of the city's founding in 2025.   The  innovative and interactive Welcome Center is a  key component of the city's celebration, and has been specifically designed to offer an engaging and informative experience  for visitors who will come to Quincy from across the nation and around the world.    Photo courtesy of BITA Conveniently located in the heart of the city at 1259 Hancock Street, the Welcome Center looks out onto  Hancock Adams Common.  It is just steps from Quincy City Hall, the Adams  National Park Service  Visitor Center and the  MBTA Quincy Center  train line, and it is surrounded by  dozens of small businesses, restaurants and historic sites. Mayor Thomas P. Koch says the n...

Queen's University Athletes The strong Boston-Belfast ties in sports, culture, business and heritage continues this coming weekend, June 15-16, as the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, MA hosts a group of men and women athletes representing Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) teams at Queen's University from Belfast, Northern Ireland. The tour marks the 40th anniversary of  Queen's GAA last visit to the United States in 1984, and also the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Women's Gaelic football team.   Read more about the American tour.   Queen's University Group Traveling to Boston The teams are playing at Gaelic Park in New York before traveling to Boston, where they will participate in matches against top players from the USA GAA.  See Boston schedule below.   The GAA at Queen’s University has a long and distinguished history, dating back to 1931, according to the university's literature. Today, more than 500 student belong to Queen’s GAA , fielding 15 t...

Book lovers rejoice! Ireland has you covered  when it comes to literary festivals and ways to appreciate some of the world's best writers, novelists, poets, journalists and essayists.   This summer you can celebrate the amazing literature the island offers, past and present, from storied masters like James Joyce and William Butler Years to Ireland's leading writers today. Here are just a few of the literary treasures that await you in summer 2024.  Elaine Feeney, Belfast Book Festival The 14th  Belfast Book Festival , June 6-13, take place at the Crescent Arts Centre in South Belfast, a perfect setting to appreciate Northern Ireland’s extraordinary literary traditions that have inspired writers the world over. This year’s guests includes noted Irish novelist Colin Tóibín, Marie Howe, poet laureate of New York State, war correspondent Fergal Keane, and two Irish novelists, Elaine Feeney and Louise Kennedy, in conversation. James Joyce Statue, Dublin The annual  B...

In June, 1994, Quinlin Campbell Publishers (QCP) issued its 3rd edition of Guide to the New England Irish , a compendium of more than 1,200 listings Irish cultural, historical, literary and language organizations, businesses, services, as well as a directory of Irish music bands, singers, dancers, writers and teachers. The 3rd edition was written and self-published by Michael and Colette Quinlin,  an expansion on two other editions, Guide to the Boston Irish (1985) and Guide to the New England Irish (1987).  All three editions were published under the imprint Quinlin Campbell Publishers, which Michael began in 1980 as an importer and distributor of books about Northern Ireland.  In the introduction, the authors acknowledge the reach and longevity of the region's Irish community, citing 18th century place names such as Belfast, Maine and Dublin, New Hampshire. They acknowledge the two U.S. congressmen at the time,  Bruce Morrison of Connecticut and Brian Donnelly of...

The Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston (ICC) has announced the appointment of Declan Crowley as its new Cultural Programming Manager. Declan's primary role will be to curate a diverse lineup of Irish, Irish-American, and Celtic artists to perform at the Centre throughout the year, from musicians, singers and dancers to writers, filmmakers, historians and artists, while catering to a wide audience of people who cherish Irish culture. Crowley brings a wealth of experience and artistic vision to his new role.  Originally from Burnt Hills, NY, he is an eight-time Regional, two- time National, and All-Ireland Champion Irish dancer, as well as a two-time silver and bronze medal holder at the World Championships and a NFAA youngArts™️ Silver Medalist in World Dance, Crowley began touring internationally with Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” in 2009, where he played the principal role of ‘Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord’ until 2013. While completing his B.A. in English at the College ...