Irish Massachusetts

(July 19, 2021) Ireland is now officially open to visitors from the United States, Canada and other countries around the world. This announcement is good news for North Americans who have been waiting to revisit Ireland; many of them consider Ireland to be one of their favorite destinations.  Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons welcomed the news, saying, "The tourism industry right across the island of Ireland is very much looking forward to welcoming back visitors from the U.S. and we will ensure they enjoy their visit." The process for validating a traveler’s vaccination is as follows, according to Tourism Ireland:   “U.S. visitors traveling to Ireland are required to complete a Passenger Locator Form . The form will be checked prior to departure to Ireland by the relevant air carrier and visitors may be asked to provide the vaccination certificate indicated on their form. On arrival in Ireland, spot checks will be carried out on proof of vaccinations and negative RT-...

General Edward L. Logan (1875-1939), namesake of Boston’s Logan International Airport , died on July 6 1939 from a sudden 'heart ailment.'  His brother, Reverend Leo J. Logan, presided over the funeral mass at the Gate of Heaven Church in South Boston, with tributes by leading politicians like Senator David I. Walsh , former Massachusetts Governor and Boston Mayor James M. Curley and former Mayor John F. Fitzgerald .  Logan is buried at the Calvary Cemetery in West Roxbury.  A first generation Irish-American, military leader, civic leader and municipal judge with family roots in Galway and South Boston,  Edward was the oldest of nine children of Lawrence and Catherine (O’Connor), according to 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 ...

  The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum  in Boston has reopened to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, officials announced over the July 4th weekend.   The Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and tickets must be reserved in advance   online .  According to a statement by library officials, "In appreciation of the significant sacrifices that were made by everyone over the past year to keep people safe, admission to the Museum will be free in July and August." Tickets will be marked for a specific time to enter the Museum. Visitors must enter the Museum at the time marked on their ticket. The last timed entry available each day will be at 12:45 p.m.   COVID-19 safety guidelines remain in place for JFK Library visitors.    The JFK Library will not require masks for fully vaccinated individuals, but will require not-fully vaccinated individuals to wear a mask while in the building.  Visitors are required to provide...

  The  Boston Irish Famine Memorial  was unveiled on Sunday, June 28, 1998, before 7,000 people, including the governor of Massachusetts, mayor of Boston and government officials from Ireland.   A Vietnamese and Rwandan were among the speakers of the day, an acknowledgment of modern day refugees who continue to seek solace in Boston. The effort was led by Irish immigrant and businessman Thomas J. Flatley , whose committee included representatives from Boston's Irish community, artist community and from academia.   The Memorial by artist  Robert Shure  juxtaposes an Irish family starving in Ireland with another Irish family striving for success in America.   Eight narrative plaques encircling the statues tell the story of the famine and the Irish triumph in America. The $1 million memorial park commemorates the 150 th  anniversary of the Irish Famine (1845-49), during which one million people died of starvation or disease a...

Today, the White House announced its intent to nominate 17 individuals to serve in key roles. Among the nominees is Massachusetts State Representative Claire D. Cronin , President Joe Biden ’s choice for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ireland.  “I am deeply honored to be nominated by President Biden for ambassador to Ireland, especially given the President’s and my own Irish roots,” Cronin said in a statement released by the White House Wednesday. “If confirmed, I look forward to serving as ambassador and working with our partners in Ireland on both the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.”  Cronin, whose maiden name is McLaughlin, has represented the Eleventh Plymouth District since November, 2012. A graduate of Stonehill College and Suffolk University Law School, Cronin is admitted to the Massachusetts bar and is also admitted to practice in U.S. District Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. Cronin is the first woman nominated for the Irish diplomatic ...

Statue of James Joyce in Dublin, courtesy of Tourism Ireland Bloomsday is a literary celebration held every June 16 in countries, cities, pubs and college campuses around the world. It is a tribute to Irish writer, James Joyce’s (1882 – 1941) and his novel Ulysses. First published in 1922 Ulysses follows the movements of the novel’s main character, Leopold Bloom, through a single day on June 16th, 1904, as he roams through Dublin, Ireland.   Here are some local resources for celebrating Bloomsday 2021 in Massachusetts, Ireland and online.  June 16  Bloomsday 2021: An Online Literary Festival  The Literacy Project in Greenfield, Massachusetts celebrates Bloomsday with Irish music and dramatic readings. Led by harpist Rosemary Caine, the music features Carolan tunes and classic Irish melodies on violins, flute and tin whistle, bodhran and guitar, plus dramatic readings by Michael Haley and by The Wilde Irish Women. In lieu of a cover charge, the Literary Proje...

Officials from Tourism Ireland welcome the announcement by the Irish Government about the re-opening of travel to Ireland. Ireland’s adoption of the EU’s new Digital Covid Certificate, which will enable more seamless travel among EU member states, is good news for everyone in the tourism and hospitality industry. Ireland will begin the scheme on 19 July, meaning that travellers from EU member states bearing the pass – which attests that the holder has either been vaccinated, has had a negative test for COVID-19 or has had the virus – will then be able to visit Ireland without the need for a test or quarantining.  Tourism Ireland also welcomes the commitment to extend the Digital Covid Certificate to vaccinated visitors from other countries – including Great Britain and North America. Tourism Ireland has been actively planning for the restart of international travel. The organisation is now ready to roll out a significant promotional kick-start campaign to entice and welcome back in...

The newly restored Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial across from the Massachusetts State House, is being unveiled to the public on Friday, May 28 and through Memorial Day Weekend. The  iconic public monument just underwent  a $3 million restoration over the past year. Visitors may sign a restoration book at the Memorial from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. from May 28-31. The restoration of the bronze memorial was carried out at Skylight Studios in Woburn, Massachusetts, led by sculptor Robert Shure and his team of specialists. Additional stone work restoration was done in Lenox. The restoration initiative was led by a unique partnership that included the National Park Service, City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department, Friends of the Public Garden and Museum of African American History. First unveiled on May 31, 1897, the Shaw Memorial pays homage to the 54th Black Infantry Regiment of Boston, considered one of America’s most significant Civil War memorials.   It was the firs...

The wildly popular Aer Lingus College Football Classic is returning to Dublin on August 27, 2022, as American football powerhouses Northwestern and Nebraska get ready to meet at Aviva Stadium. The 51,700 seat stadium is the primary home of the Irish rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland football team.  Aer Lingus Chief Commercial Officer David Shepherd said, “Today’s announcement is a welcome beacon of hope for travel on both sides of the Atlantic. As proud sponsor of the Aer Lingus College Football Series, we look forward to flying the Northwestern Wildcats, Nebraska Huskers and their respective delegations to Ireland next summer, and to promoting our airline to our valued US market.”  Tourism Ireland welcomed the announcement. Chief Executive Niall Gibbons said, "The announcement of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic for August 2022 is really good news. As we get ready to restart international tourism to the island of Ireland, the game between the Northwester...

Titanic Belfast   and the   SS Nomadic , among the most famous ships in the world, are reopening in Belfast, Northern Ireland on  Thursday, May, 27, 2021.   Named the World's Leading Tourist Attraction at the prestigious World Travel Awards in 2016, Titanic Belfast stands on the historic Titanic Slipways, the very place where RMS Titanic was designed, built and launched in 1912.   There is no bigger story, and no better place to hear it told than in the spectacular building which has welcomed more than six million visitors from 145 different countries since she first opened her doors exactly 100 years later. The self-guided  Titanic Experience  is the most authentic way to discover the sights, sounds, smells and stories of the ship – now with a themed one-way tour route.   On entering, visitors are greeted with a panoramic eagle eye view down Belfast Lough and the actual slipways on which both the Titanic and her sister ship the Olympic slipped in...