Irish Boston History & Heritage

Boston's Irish Famine Memorial was unveiled before a crowd of 7,000 people on Sunday, June 28, 1998 at the corner of School and Washington Street along Boston's Freedom Trail and Irish Heritage Trail . The $1 million Memorial commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine which occurred in Ireland between 1845-1849, killing nearly one million people and forcing another two million people to emigrate to  Boston, New York, Halifax and other eastern seaboard cities. The memorial project was headed by the late Thomas J. Flatley , along with Michael Cummings and others from the Boston community.  For year round details on Boston's Irish cultural community, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information, visit BostonUSA.com or MassVacation.com .

John Boyle O'Reilly , the famous Irish rebel who lived in Boston from 1870 until his death in 1890, was born on June 28, 1844 in Dowth Castle along the River Boyne. In Boston, he became a respected poet, orator, journalist and defender of the downtrodden.  He helped to move Boston from a plutocracy to a democracy by demanding equal rights for all citizens and challenging the status quo of the privileged. The O'Reilly Memorial , located in Boston's Fens along the Boston Irish Heritage Trail, was created by sculptor Daniel Chester French.  For year round details on Boston Irish history, heritage and cultural activities, visit IrishBoston.org . For more about O'Reilly and other Boston Irish heroes, read Irish Boston: A Lively Look at Boston's Colorful Irish Past, available from Globe Pequot Press.

"That splendid summer morning of June 26, 1861, Irish soldiers from the Ninth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers paraded from Long Wharf to Boston Common for a final muster before heading off to fight in the Civil War. "The regiment was commanded by forty-year-old Colonel Thomas Cass , a native of Queen's County (now County Laois) and a Bostonian since 1829.  When the unit formed earlier that spring, heeding the call of Governor John Andrew, more than 1,000 Irish had signed on for three years of service.  They came from Boston and the nearby towns of Salem, Milford, Marlboro and Stoughton.  Boston Pilot publisher Patrick Donahoe had raised the money to outfit and train the Irish, who were stationed in barracks near Faneuil Hall.  They spent the final weeks on Long Island in Boston Harbor , which had been converted to a training center for many of the state's fighting battalions.  "That morning they had taken a boat over to Long Wharf and were greeted by...

Joe O’Malley is lacing up the boxing gloves to raise money for a good cause. O’Malley- an Event Services Manager at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority – has signed on to Haymakers for Hope , a group that hosts charity boxing matches to raise money for the Jimmy Fund , supporting cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. On Thursday, June 23, O’Malley and over two dozen boxers will fight three two-minute rounds at the Castle at Boston Park Plaza on Arlington Street in downtown Boston.     Tickets to the event are $75 each and O’Malley’s goal is to raise $1,000 for the Jimmy Fund.   The 29 year old O’Malley, from Dorchester’s Savin Hill, is in the heavyweight division and comes to boxing with some solid family pedigree.  He counts as one of his relatives Sean Mannion , the Irish boxer whose bout against Mike McCallum for the world title in 1984 is part of boxing lore. O’Malley’s father, Peter , from Rosmuc in County Galway,...

Music icon Kenny Loggins is performing with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 and Wednesday, June 22, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $21-$91 and can be ordered online .  As part of the American Pastimes theme of this year's Boston Pops season, Loggins is doing a special tribute to baseball, with a variety of songs about America's pasttime. This summer Loggins is accompanying the Boston Pops on a tour of ten minor league baseball parks around the nation, where they'll be performing the baseball tribute. For more on Boston Pops, click here . For more cultural activities in greater Boston this summer, visit IrishBoston.org For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com .

The Lowell Summer Series kicks off another great season of live music tonight with guitar master and crooner Chris Isaak , who performs at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at Boarding House Park in downtown Lowell. Tickets to the concert are $50 and can be purchased at the gate. Other performances at the Lowell Summer Music Series this season includes Ricki Lee Jones , Eileen Ivers , Great Big Sea and Richard Thompson .  For a full schedule click here . For a full schedule of great concerts this summer in Massachusetts and New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com .

Dervish (Boston) – The Boston Irish Tourism Association has released its annual schedule of outdoor festivals and concerts featuring Irish and Celtic music throughout the New England region and upstate New York. Kicking off this year’s schedule is the 1 st annual Summer Solstice Festival , taking place on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at Diamond Hill Park in Cumberland, RI.  Organized by the Blackstone River Theatre, a non-profit group promoting culture and the arts year round, this year’s festival features Aoife Clancy and Robbie O’Connell, the Heatons, Pendragon, Annalivia, atwater-Donnelly Trio and more.  With five stages, there’s continuous music, set dancing and ceili dancing throughout the day, as well as children’s area, vendors and food and craft vendors. The 17 th annual Catskills Irish Arts Week , in East Durham, NY, takes place July 10-16, 2011, and features some of the world’s best Irish musicians, singers and dancers.  It’s a summer school format,...

Acclaimed Canadian traditional band Genticorum from Quebec is performing at the first annual Summer Solstice Festival , taking place this Saturday, June 18, 2011 at Diamond Hill Park in Cumberland, RI . They'll be joined by Irish performers like Aoife Clancy , Robbie OConnell , Shannon and Matt Heaton , Burning Bridget Cleary , and Pendragon . The festival is being organized by  the Blackstone River Theatre , which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year as one of the premier non-profit organizations in New England. In addition to five stages with continuous music, the Summer Solstice Festival features a variety of dancing exhibitions,  cultural activities, plus vendors, food courts and play areas for children. For more information visit Blackstone River Theatre   or call  401 725-9272.  For a list of Irish, Scottish and Celtic festivals in New England and the Catskills this summer, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The popular Rock & Blues Concert Cruises on Boston Harbor features the Ryan Montbleau Band , along with Jason Spooner , and Will Dailey and the Rivals this Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. at the World Trade Center Pier in Boston's Seaport District.  The boat begins boarding at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $27 in advance and $30 at the dock and can be ordered online . You can follow the Rock & Blues Concert Cruises this summer on Facebook . For a full schedule of festivals and concerts in New England this summer, visit IrishBoston.org . For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .

Dervish, Performing at Lowell Folk Festival (Boston) – The Boston Irish Tourism Association has released its annual schedule of outdoor festivals and concerts featuring Irish and Celtic music throughout the New England region and upstate New York. Kicking off this year’s schedule is the 1 st annual Summer Solstice Festival , taking place on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at Diamond Hill Park in Cumberland, RI.  Organized by the Blackstone River Theatre, a non-profit group promoting culture and the arts year round, this year’s festival features Aoife Clancy and Robbie O’Connell, the Heatons, Pendragon, Annalivia, atwater-Donnelly Trio and more.  With five stages, there’s continuous music, set dancing and ceili dancing throughout the day, as well as children’s area, vendors and food and craft vendors. The 17 th annual Catskills Irish Arts Week , in East Durham, NY, takes place July 10-16, 2011, and features some of the world’s best Irish musicians, singers and dancers....

Aoife Clancy   The Blackstone River Theatre is launching a new Summer Solstice Festival on Saturday, June 18, 2011 featuring some of the region's top Irish traditional performers. Included in the line-up: folk singers Robbie O'Connell and Aoife Clancy , Matt & Shannon Heaton , Pendragon , Annalivia , Atwater-Donnelly Trio and more. The festival includes five concert stages, as well as food and crafts booths, family activities, and an area for set dancing and ceili dancing.  The Blackstone River Theatre is a non-profit arts and education group that programs cultural activites year round in Cumberland, Rhode Island.  It celebrated its 10 year anniversary in 2010 as one of the region's leading cultural venues.  For year round details on Irish cultural activities in the New England region, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Boston Irish Tourism Association is raffling off a free pair of tickets to see Ireland's rising rock band, The Script , performing at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston's Seaport District on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. To enter to win, go to the Contest Page . Or, you can order tickets -- which range from $35-$45 - directly through Ticketmaster . For a full schedule of concerts this summer at Bank of America Pavilion, click here . For Irish events throughout the greater Boston area this summer, visit IrishBoston.org . For tourist information visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com .

The popular Rock & Blues Concert Cruises on Boston Harbor kicks off this weekend on Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. at the World Trade Center Pier in Boston's Seaport District. Headlining Sunday's Cruise are two great bands, Carbon Leaf and Enter the Haggis . You can get a $10 discount on tickets through the Boston Irish Tourism Association by clicking here and using BITA in the promotion code box. You can follow the Rock & Blues Concert Cruises this summer on Facebook . For a full schedule of musical and cultural events in greater Boston this summer, visit IrishBoston.org . For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .

Dick Flavin is staring in the new show on Thomas "Tip" O'Neill  - According to Tip - which runs at the Lyric Stage in Boston's Back Bay from June 9 through July 3, 2011. The Boston Irish Tourism Association is raffling off five pairs of free tickets to see the opening night show on Thursday, June 9, 2011 at 7:30 p.m..  To enter the contest, click here and fill in the form. Tickets to the show are $39 - $47.  There's a special discount for the opening shows on June 9-11, when prices are $32 - $37.  You can purchase tickets to any of the shows online . For a full schedule of the 2011-12 season at the Lyric Stage, located at 140 Clarendon Street in Boston's Back Bay, click here .  You can also follow Lyric Stage on Facebook and Twitter . For year round cultural activities in greater Boston visit IrishBoston.org or MassJazz.com . For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .

The John F. Kennedy President Library & Museum has a great exhibit open to the public called Passing the Torch: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy , which runs through August 2011. This special 50th anniversary exhibit presents treasures from the ceremonial events building up to the inaugural -- JFK’s farewell to his home state of Massachusetts; his arrival in Washington at an inaugural eve gala -- and from the inaugural ceremony itself. To see a video of President Kennedy's inaugural address, click here . For a list of upcoming Forum events at the JFK Library, click here . For year round cultural events in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information for Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com .