Irish Massachusetts

(BOSTON) – Today, Boston Irish Tourism Association released its Annual Spring 2025  Travel & Culture  magazine, highlighting New England’s robust St. Patrick’s Day season, plus travel ideas for visiting Ireland this year. The 48 page  magazine is available  for free at visitor centers and cultural venues in greater Boston and throughout New England, and is also available in  digital format  online. “New England becomes the Capital of Irish America each March with a dozen St. Patrick’s Day parades plus hundreds of cultural events and Irish festivities taking place,” says Michael Quinlin, co-founder of the Association.  “These events are just an inkling of the year round Irish culture, heritage, sports and educational activities that flourish here.”    New England has the nation’s highest percentage of residents claiming Irish ancestry, according to the US Census.    In addition to the parades, which draw millions o...

Tourism leader Victoria Cimino has been named as the new president and CEO of Discover Newport,  following a robust national search that concluded with a unanimous vote by the  Board of Directors. She begins her new role on March 17, 2025. The award-winning destination leader and brand expert, brings over 20 years of hospitality and destination marketing experience to this role. Current Principal of Cimino Consulting, she previously served as president and CEO of Visit Williamsburg, the official destination marketing organization for Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, Virginia. Cimino also has extensive New England connections, having served as director of the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development and director of international marketing for Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.  She has also served on a variety of boards and committees, including Discover New England, New Hampshire Travel Council, U.S. Travel Association’s (USTA) board of direc...

  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. 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 broug...

Massasoit overlooking Plymouth Rock Situated along the Atlantic Ocean between Boston and Cape Cod, Plymouth is a treasure trove of history, culture, cuisine and natural beauty.  Spring is a perfect season to See Plymouth . Iconic landmarks such as Plymouth Rock, Ship  Mayflower II , Plimoth Patuxet Museums and Pilgrim Hall Museum immerse visitors in the seventeenth century story of the Wampanoag Native People who lived here for centuries and the Pilgrims who arrived in 1620. The Irish arrived a few years later in 1626 and have been a big part of Plymouth ever since. Celebrating the St. Patrick’s Day each March is a big deal in Plymouth, and rightly so.  The US Census, 2020 Community Surveys reveal that 27.5% of Plymouth County residents claim Irish ancestry.  South Shore towns such as Marshfield, Scituate, Hull and Abington are ranked among the most Irish-American places in the United States!   In fact, two of Massachusetts’ most popular...

The Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston is hosting its 5th Annual  St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Boston on March 3, 2025 at the University of Massachusetts Club at 1 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108.  Purchase tickets here . The event kicks off a busy month at the Irish Cultural Centre headquarters in Canton, which includes a variety of  activities in its capacity as the region's largest Irish cultural organization.   Entertainment for the March 3 event includes performances by Declan Houton, David Healy, Aoife Griffin & Co., and talented dancers from the Harney Pender Keady Academy. Also that night, the Centre presents its annual Gradam Dóchais Award to Eithne & Colin Bell for their outstanding charity work with the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. KBRT was founded out of a family tragedy when, in June 2013, Kevin Bell died suddenly in New York. Following an outpouring of support from Kevin’s friends, family and colleagues, significant funds ...

Worcester St. Patrick's Parad e One of the most enjoyable rites of spring in New England are the St. Patrick’s Day parades that have taken place each March dating back to colonial times. In fact, the very first St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States took place on March 17, 1737, when the newly-formed Charitable Irish Society formed a solemn procession from King’s Chapel on Tremont Street in downtown Boston. Today the parades are more celebratory than solemn, an expression of Irish heritage and culture. And they are also beloved community events designed for everyone to enjoy. And they are free and open to the public. What makes these parades so special are the volunteers, who put thousands of hours into raising funds to book bands and bagpipers, getting street permits, choosing grand marshals and inviting community leaders, celebrities and cherished individuals to participate. Here are six parades you’ll want to check out this St. Patrick’s Day season. Newport St. Patrick...

Image courtesy of Lowell WinterFest Cold becomes cool this month, as New England rolls out three amazing winter festivals in Newport, Quincy and Lowell.       Whether you’re celebrating Presidents Day, School Vacation or winter itself, grab your hat and gloves and warm your spirits by enjoying these special New England traditions.  February 14-23 Newport Winter Festival Throughout Newport, RI Various times and venues Hailed as “New England’s largest winter extravaganza,” the 36th Annual Newport Winter Festival features 10 days of live music, food and fun in one of New England’s most scenic places. Highlights of this family-fun festival include a children’s fair, chili cook-off, a princess party, and magic shows. For adults, enjoy live tribute bands for Jimmy Buffett, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John and a tropical drink competition. discovernewport.org

Original Poster for Riverdance, 1995 On February 9, 1995, Riverdance - The Show opened for the first time at the Point Theatre, Dublin for a sold-out five-week run, with record sales reaching over 120,000 tickets. It was a victorious sequel to the original seven-minute version of Riverdance originally presented on April 30, 1994 at the Eurovision Song Contest held that year at Point Theatre in Dublin. This video clip above is the first scene of the show "Reel Around the Sun" featuring the Riverdance Irish Dance Troupe and Riverdance lead dancers Michael Flatley of Chicago and Jean Butler of New York.  The original choreography was by Michael Flatley. Riverdance: 30 The New Generation In 2025, Riverdance celebrates its 30-year milestone with a special anniversary tour that rejuvenates the much-loved original show with new innovative choreography and costumes and state of the art lighting, projection and motion graphics. In keeping with the generational theme, Rive...

South Boston Citizens’ Association  (SBCA) the nation's oldest neighborhood civic organization, is gearing up for its 2025 Evacuation Day program, when Boston pays tribute to the historic events of 1776, while celebrating the Irish-American traditions of the neighborhood.  Evacuation Day refers to the historic incident on March 17, 1776, when colonial troops forced the British to evacuate Boston, after pointing cannons from Dorchester Heights in South Boston at the British fleet in Boston Harbor.  Their brave actions ended the 11-month Siege of Boston.  SBCA President Thomas E. McGrath recently announced that the Executive Board selected Edward Flynn of the U.S. Navy (Retired) as the 2025 General Chairman of the Association’s 2025 Evacuation Day commemoration. “The executive board and I look forward to working with Ed, to ensure once again the success of this unique community celebration, the commemoration of the British evacuation of Boston in 1776,” said McGra...