Looking Back at John F. Kennedy

“We would like to live as we once lived. But history will not permit it.”

President Kennedy, November 22, 1963

Half a century later, we allow ourselves

to be captured in time. To imagine earlier days

that must have been better days.

It was the time of our life, our nation’s life,

when idealism trumped cynicism, when

grace and beauty took their rightful place

in how we saw ourselves, how the world saw us.

Televisions were black and white,

just like the battle between good and evil.

New frontiers opened up, old prejudices broke down.

We felt that anything was possible.

The Boston accent, summers on the Cape,

boats swaying in the bay, clam bakes and ocean waves.

The beauty of youth. It all seemed endless.

Fifty years later, we hold our memories gently

and remain wistful of that time interrupted.

Even now, we carry the promise

of possibility in our hearts

- from Boston Irish Tourism Association

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Irish Boston History & Heritage

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