Irish Boston History & Heritage

  Reprinted from the Boston Business Journal October 20, 2003 By Michael P. Quinlin It was St. Brendan who carried the first planeload of Aer Lingus passengers from Boston to Ireland 45 years ago, on Oct. 5, 1958. In those days, when the skies were still considered the heavens, Aer Lingus christened each of its carriers after a saint. And who better to transport Boston dignitaries across the ocean than a plane named for the Irish monk who, according to lore, discovered North America back in the sixth century? Boston was in a state of urban renewal in the late 1950s, transforming itself from "a hopeless backwater" to a modern metropolis. Logan International Airport was fast becoming a gateway for the burgeoning travel industry, and airport officials accurately envisioned Boston one day becoming a gateway to the world. The inaugural flight that bright fall day was an Irish affair start to finish. Business leaders, journalists and travel agents with Irish names tagged along, pro...

  The monument honoring Matthew Thornton was unveiled on September 29, 1892 in Merrimac, NH at his former home along the Merrimack River. Several thousand people were present at the ceremonies. He was one of the three men from New Hampshire to sign the Declaration of Independence, joining Dr. Josiah Bartlett of Kingston and Brig. Gen. William Whipple of Portsmouth.  Thornton has been described as a physician, soldier and patriot, who agitated against the Stamp Act of 1765, presided over the Provincial Congress in 1775, served in the State Senate, and was an associate justice of the Superior Court.    The monument was placed next to the cemetery where he was buried and across from the homestead where he lived in his final years.  New Hampshire Governor H. A. Tuttle spoke at the ceremony. Born in the Ulster Province in Ireland in 1714, Matthew was the son of James and Elizabeth Thornton, who emigrated to New England in 1717 in the first wave of Scots-Irish P...

 

Paul Revere Statue, courtesy of  Digital Commonwealth On September 22, 1940, the bronze statue of Paul Revere was unveiled at the Paul Revere Mall on Hanover Street in Boston's North End. A number of Revere's ancestors and descendants were present at the unveiling, along with many North Enders who returned to their neighborhood for the occasion. Some 10,000 people attended. Orator and Boston City Councillor Henry L. Shattuck gave a stirring patriotic tribute on the eve of World War II, telling the audience, "It is well we should honor and celebrate the achievements of Paul Revere and of our other heroes. It is just and fitting that we should sing their praises and take pride in their deeds. But that is not enough. These patriots did not live for their country and die for their country in order that we might live softly. They looked to us, their descendants, to pick up and carry on the of liberty." Thomas Cass Bronze Plaque, courtesy of IrishBoston.org   In addition t...

Photo couresty of NPS / Claire Hassler A bronze statue in Washington, DC honoring Robert Emmet was created in 1916 by Irish sculptor Jerome Connor (1874–1943), who used Emmet's own desk mask to model the face.  Emmet was an Irish nationalist and rebel who was hanged and beheaded at age 25 on September 20, 1803 on Thomas Street in Dublin, Ireland, after being convicted of high treason by the British government. Connor made three original castings of the Emmet statue.  The first casting was unveiled in June 28, 1917, at the main rotunda of the Smithsonian national museum in Washington DC.  US President Woodrow Wilson and his wife attended the event, along with and numerous dignitaries from the United States and Ireland and leaders of the Irish-American community. US Supreme Court Chief Justice Edward Douglass White accepted the statue on behalf of the American people.  "About the statue will be draped the Stars and Stripes, and on the base will rest the Gaelic flag, so...

   On September 12, 1953, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier and US Senator John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts were married at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Newport, RI. More than eight hundred guests attended the wedding. The bride's stepfather, Hugh D. Auchincloss, walked her up the aisle. The ceremony was performed by Boston's Archbishop Richard Cushing , a friend of the Kennedy family, and he was assisted by four other priests, including the former president of Notre Dame and the head of the Christopher Society. Before the mass, a special blessing from Pope Pius XII was read, according to the John F. Kennedy Library archives. Tenor soloist Luigi Vena from Boston sang Gounod’s Ave Maria. The reception was held on the terrace of the 300 acre Auchincloss oceanfront estate, Hammersmith Farm, for more than 1,200 guests. The wedding cake, four feet tall, was ordered by Joseph P. Kennedy.  Meyer Davis and his orchestra played at the reception under a huge canopy.  St. Mary’s Chur...