Visit Central Massachusetts - a Vibrant Destination for Irish Heritage and History
Canal Builders Monument, Courtesy of City of Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts is New England's second largest city and a place with a rich blend of culture, history, cuisine and natural beauty.
Its Irish roots go back to the 18th century, when a group of sturdy Ulster Presbyterians from the north of Ireland arrived here in 1718.
A century later, on July 4, 1826, a new wave of Irish laborers came to construct Worcester's canals, roadways and railways. The Irish famine of the 1840s brought even more Irish to Central Massachusetts, and by 1850 Sullivan was the most common name in Worcester.
Today, those strong Irish roots remain evident in Worcester County, as 17.5% of all residents claim Irish ancestry, according to the US Census Community report issued in September 2023.
Today, those strong Irish roots remain evident in Worcester County, as 17.5% of all residents claim Irish ancestry, according to the US Census Community report issued in September 2023.
President & CEO of Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce Tim Murray says Worcester won't be what it is today without Tipperary immigrant Tobias Boland and the Irish navies he brought down from the Eire Canal project to build the Blackstone Canal in the 1820s. The waterway connected Worcester to Providence, RI, and became a crucial transportation route for farms and other businesses moving their products from inland to the ocean.
“The Canal was the state-of-the-art transportation infrastructure project at the time, and it set the stage” for Worcester’s growth as New England’s second largest city after Boston," says Murray
A monument to the Canal Builders, created by sculptor Robert Shure of Skylight Studios in Woburn, was unveiled in the city’s Canal District in June 2023, showing Tobias pointing his hand toward the future.
Central Massachusetts has numerous monuments to the Irish, including a distinctive Irish Round Tower in Milford, unveiled in 1895.
“The Canal was the state-of-the-art transportation infrastructure project at the time, and it set the stage” for Worcester’s growth as New England’s second largest city after Boston," says Murray
A monument to the Canal Builders, created by sculptor Robert Shure of Skylight Studios in Woburn, was unveiled in the city’s Canal District in June 2023, showing Tobias pointing his hand toward the future.
Celtic Cross at City Hall, Worcester, photo by Devin Quinlin
Civil War Soldier by Sculptor Martin Milmore, photo by Michael Quinlin
And it has numerous Civil War statues created by 19th century Sligo sculptor Martin Milmore and his brothers, located in Uxbridge, North Brookfield, Fitchburg and Winchendon.
The Boston Irish Heritage Trail celebrates its 30th anniversary in summer 2024 as one of Boston’s premier walking trails. As part of this milestone celebration, the trail is adding new landmarks in Boston’s downtown and neighborhoods and eventually to include all of Massachusetts.
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