Irish Massachusetts

Boston's Irish community has played an oversized role in the nation's military, from the Revolutionary War to the present.   Here are four distinguished Irish-American war heroes.  John Barry, Ireland Born on March 25, 1745 in Tacumshane, County Wexford, Ireland, Barry emigrated to Philadelphia at age 15 and became a successful maritime merchant. In March, 1776, Barry was commissioned to command the ship USS Brig Lexington and in April, 1776, the Lexington captured the British ship Edward, marking the first American naval victory in the American Revolution. Barry fought valiantly throughout the war, fighting the British Navy on the high seas.  In December 1781, following the Battle of Yorktown, Commodore Barry transported Marguis de Lafayette back to France aboard the frigate Alliance. There, Lafayette joined American emissaries Benjamin Franklin, John Laurens, John Adams, and John Jay to secure continued French support for the new American nation. After the war, Geo...