Fund Raiser for Deer Island Irish Memorial Taking Place on Friday, February 24, in Hingham

A reception to raise funds for the Deer Island Irish Memorial project in Boston's Harbor Islands is taking place at the Aisling Gallery on Rt. 3A in Hingham on Friday, February 24, 2012 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. The fundraiser is being organized by Dr. Bill and Rita O'Connell, who head a committee to place a permanent memorial to the 850 Irish immigrants who were buried at the Rest Haven Cemetery in the 1840s.

In May, 1847, city officials set up a quarantine station on Deer Island to tend to thousands of Irish refugees fleeing the Irish Famine were coming to Boston Harbor on crowded ships. Many of them were suffering from typhus, cholera and other transferable diseases.

Today Deer Island is home to the region's sewerage treatment facility, with parkland and walkways along the perimeter of the island.

Here is more information on the Deer Island Irish Memorial Project.

Find out more about Boston's Irish history by visiting the Boston Irish Heritage Trail.

For cultural events in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org.

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