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Commodore John Barry, Naval Hero In the American Revolution, Dies on September 13, 1803

American naval hero of the Revolutionary War,  Commodore John Barry  died on September 13, 1803.  He is buried at Old Saint Mary's Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA.  Considered one of the true military heroes of the American Revolution,   Barry was born in Tacumshane, County Wexford on March 25, 1745.   At age 15, he emigrated to Philadelphia in 1760, and joined the American forces at the outbreak of the war.  Barry's ship, the Lexington, was the first to capture a British vessel under the American flag.  During much of the war, Barry commanded ships out of Boston Harbor, including the Delaware and the Alliance.  After the war,  President George Washington  assigned Barry to help create the United States Navy.   Barry settled in Philadelphia  and died there at age 59. He is buried at St. Mary's Churchyard on S. Fourth Street. John Barry Plaque on Boston Common Though Boston's Irish-American, naval veterans and local historians have long honored Barry for his distinct role d
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In Boston, Thomas Mooney Self-Publishes 1,700 page History of Ireland

  Frontispiece  Thomas Mooney of Dublin, a writer, lecturer, historian self-published a 1,7000 page book,  A History of Ireland From its first Settlement to the Present Time.   The sweeping study included chapters on Literature, Music, Architecture and Natural Resources, 200 biographical sketches of famous men, and 88 Irish melodies that included both musical notations and lyrics. The book was self-published in Boston in 1845 in two volumes, and was available for purchase from Patrick Donoghue, publisher of The Boston Pilot and in similar outlets in Providence, New York, Troy, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC. and Savannah.   Mooney had come to Boston in 1841 and was a welcomed speaker at the Boston Repeal Association and other local organizations.  "The cause of Repeal is the cause of truth and justice in Ireland," he said on his lecture tour. The Boston Post wrote that he  “appeared to striking advantage in the repeal uniform, with home-manufactured frieze c

Amy Beach's 'Gaelic Symphony' (1896) is First American Symphony Composed by a Women

Courtesy of Eire Society of Boston The very first symphony composed by an American woman was called Gaelic Symphony, Opus 32, a beautiful piece of music that evoked centuries of Ireland's ancient music.  It was written by pianist Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, who was born in Henniker, New Hampshire on September 5, 1867. Gaelic Symphony premiered on October 30, 1896 at Boston Music Hall, and was performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The musical composition instantly received critical acclaim, and was quickly sought by premier orchestras around the country, in Pittsburgh, Washington, Kansas City and Chicago.   Though mainly of Yankee stock - a distant relative, John Marcy, emigrated from Limerick to New England in the 17th century - Beach said she was drawn to the simple beauty of Irish melodies, according to the late George E. Ryan of the Eire Society of Boston, who wrote about Beach in the 1992 Eire Society Bulletin. Courtesy of Fans of Amy Beach Amy herself wrote, "I can ascr

Boston Longshoremen and Irish Women Protest British Ships at Charlestown Navy Yard on September 1, 1920

Photo Courtesy of Digital Commonwealth On September 1, 1920, more than 100 dock workers at Charlestown Navy Yard boycotted British Ships in sympathy with the Boston Irish who were protesting against Britain's treatment of Ireland. Bostonians were upset about the hunger strike of Terence MacSwiney , lord mayor of Cork, Ireland, who had been sentenced to two years in prison by British authorities. He went on a hunger strike on August 12 to protest his imprisonment and was rapidly declining in heath. He died on October 20, 1920. Photo from Boston Globe, September 1, 1920 As longshoremen were loading the British ship Nitonian, there was picketing on the docks by two women, Mrs P. H. Savage and Miss Amelia Rosser, niece of General Thomas Rosser, according to The Boston Globe. The women were joined by Irish leader John P. McCarthy, an Irish leader, who exhorted the crowd, asking if they were going to handle British goods and telling them they must tie up British shipping.  "A lar

Irish-American Sculptor John Donoghue (1853-1903) Dies Tragically after his Masterpiece is Destroyed on Brooklyn Docks

New York Daily Herald Front Page, August 2, 1903 One of the most gifted 19th century Irish-American sculptors, according to art historians, was John Talbott Donoghue (1853-1903) , a Chicago native who lived in Boston in the 1880s and whose life and career ended tragically when he took his own life.  Donoghue was discovered as a struggling artist by Oscar Wilde during the famous Irish writer's trip across America in 1882. Wilde reported he met "a young sculptor whom we would love and be so proud of if he were in Europe. He reminded me of the old Italian stories of the struggles of genius." Wilde wrote that he found Donoghue "in a bare little room at the top of a great building, and in the center was a statuette of the young Sophocles, a piece of the highest artistic beauty and perfect workmanship…. It was by far the best piece of sculpture I have seen in America." Image courtesy of  Isabella Gardner Museum  in Boston Donoghue's most celebrated work is The

Patrick Keely, a Pioneering Architect of Catholic Churches in America

Holy Cross Cathedral in Boston, image courtesy of Elkus Manfredi Patrick C. Keely (1816-1896), regarded as one of the great neo-Gothic church architects of the 19th century, designed more than 600 churches and 16 cathedrals throughout the United States between 1846-1896.  Born in Thurles, County Tipperary on August 9, 1816, Keely was the son of an architect and skilled carpenter who built St. Patrick's College and the Fever Hospital in Thurles. The family, spelled Kiely in Ireland, originated from Kilkenny.  He emigrated to New York in 1842 at age 25 and settled in Brooklyn. Inspired by 13th century Gothic design and influenced by English architect Augustus Pugin, he used elements such as Marcello towers and pinnacles, and within a short time was the most sought after church architect in America. In addition to Catholic churches, Keely also created notable Protestant churches such as the Asylum Hill Congressional Church in Hartford, CT, which included parishioners Mark Twain and

The Sudden Death of Irish Patriot and Poet John Boyle O'Reilly on August 10, 1890

Poster Courtesy of Boston Irish Tourism Association Irish patriot, poet, scholar and athlete John Boyle O'Reilly died suddenly at his summer home in Hull, Massachusetts on August 10, 1890, from an accidental overdose of medication taken for insomnia.  For the two decades he lived in Boston, since arriving in January 1870, O’Reilly had quickly become an influential writer, orator, advocate and sage, especially for the city’s large Irish population and the Black community. He was beloved by the literati, business and political establishments, church leaders, and by ordinary people everywhere, who recognized his authenticity, dignity and good-will.  St. Mary's Church, Charlestown His funeral was held at St. Mary's Church on Warren Street in Charlestown, right around the corner from his home at 34 Winthrop Street.  The church was full to the brim, and participants included his wife Mary and four daughters, Elizabeth, Mary, Agnes and Blanid, and hundreds of friends, collea