Irish Boston History & Heritage

Thomas Mooney of Dublin, a writer, lecturer, historian self-published a 1,700 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  Boston Pilot  reported that the first edition of 'A History of Ireland' was to be distributed to subscribers on Monday November 10, 1845 at the Odeon on Franklin Street, opposite Holy Cross Church, where "a concert would be performed of music in the book by the best melodists of Boston." 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 u...

In fall, 2011, esteemed Irish poet William Butler Years and fellow writer Lady Gregory came to the United States to promote Ireland's new theater movement with the Irish Players of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, where they performed in 30 venues from September through November.   As part of its tour, the Irish Players performed at the Court Square Theater in Springfield, MA on Thursday, November 9, 1911.  The plays included "Kathleen Ni Houlihan,' by William Butler Keats, "The Building Fund" by William Boyle and "The Rising of the Moon' by Lady Gregory. On the previous day, November 8, the Irish Players performed two shows at the Northampton Academy of Music, a matinee and evening performance.  "The company has been in the United States for the past six weeks, five of them in Boston, where crities and public were fascinated by the art of the dramatists, but more by the singularly simple and effective acting of the players," wrote the Springfiel...

  In one of his final acts as mayor of Boston, James Michael Curley dedicated a bronze memorial on Boston Common to Revolutionary War hero Commodore John Barry, on Sunday, October 16, 1949. He was joined at the unveiling by Joseph Shields, Irish consul; John E. Hurley, state treasurer; Captain C. E. Kelly of the U.s.Navy; and John J. Foley, president of the Central Council of Irish County Clubs. Barry, a naval hero of the Revolutionary War, was born in Tacumshane, County Wexford in 1745, and was a long-standing favorite historical figure of Irish-Americans across the United States. The idea for the Barry memorial in Boston was first announced by the Central Council of Irish County Clubs on September 23, 1945, at the city’s annual Barry Day banquet at the Copley Plaza Hotel commemorating the bicentennary of Barry’s birth in Wexford. Four years later, at the Charitable Irish Society annual dinner on March 17, 1949, Mayor James Michael Curley vowed to build a memorial to Barry in ...

On October 14, 1869, the Town of Woburn MA dedicated its Civil War Soldiers Monument in the center of town, complete "with appropriate and imposing ceremonies," including some 1,600 school children marching in a procession, led by Governor William Clafin and other dignitaries, military heroes, town officials, fire departments and temperance associations. The bronze figure was created by 25 year old Irish-born sculptor Martin Milmore, who was quickly gaining faming as a young artist for his series of Civil War statues and monument, as well as three classical figures for the prestigious Massachusetts Horticultural Society Building on Tremont Street. Prior to the unveiling, the Boston Evening Transcript described the monument: "The statue is in bronze, and is designed and moulded be Martin Milmore. It is eight feet high, and represented a soldier standing at ease. It is considered one of the best specimens of a soldier yet cast in bronze. The granite has been elegantly ...

Many people wonder why the  Boston Celtics  wear shamrocks on their green uniforms and have a giant leprechaun smoking a cigar as their team logo. And why is the team mascot a guy named Lucky who looks like he stepped out of a box of Lucky Charms? According to the Boston Celtic’s official web site, the name came about in 1946 when owner Walter Brown started the team. He and his public relations guy, Howie McHugh, were throwing out potential nicknames, including the Whirlwinds, Unicorns and Olympics. It was Brown who had the epiphany, saying, “Wait, I’ve got it – the Celtics. The name has a great basketball tradition from the old Original Celtics in New York (1920s). And Boston is full of Irishman. We’ll put them in green uniforms and call them the Boston Celtics.” Red Auerbach , the now legendary coach of the early Celtics, then commissioned his brother Zang, a graphic designer in the newspaper business, to come up with the famous Celtics logo in the early 1950s. The logo mana...

The USS Constitution, lovingly referred to as 'Old Ironsides,' returned to Boston on the morning of September 21, 1897, a month before the 100th anniversary of her launch on October 21, 1797. The Boston Globe reported that the ship reached the Boston Lighthouse at 6:30 a.m., and "by 8:30 a.m. the Constitution was at her berth at the navy yard, where she was docked with some difficulty owing to the wind, which was blowing off the pier." The Globe continued, "Now that the Constitution is at the navy yard, the public may see all of her they care to, as she will be open to visitors after today. Already there are hundreds ready to visit her from the immediate vicinity of the navy yard. No ship ever came into port that aroused so much patriotic interest as she. Every schoolboy knows her history." The legendary ship's 83-year career included 33 captures during the War of 1812 and voyages around the world, according to historian Margherita Desy  of the USS Const...