Going Green: Boston’s Top 10 Irish Sites to Visit this St. Patrick's Day

John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial

© Boston Irish Tourism Association

Author Michael Quinlin has explored the rich history of Boston's Irish community in his book, Irish Boston: A Lively Look at Boston’s Colorful Irish Past, published by Globe Pequot Press.

Garnering material of famous people and places in his book, here is his list of top ten Irish sites in Boston to check out this St. Patrick’s Day, or any time of year. All of these sites and more are listed on Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail, a walking map of 20 sites Quinlin created as a companion to his research for Irish Boston.

Quinlin is co-founder of Boston Irish Tourism Association and is a frequent contributor to Irish America Magazine and the Irish Echo newspaper.

For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts and New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com.

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Born 180 years ago on June 28, 1844, John Boyle O’Reilly helped shape the history or Ireland and America in the late 19th century in powerful ways. Today, O'Reilly’s stature as a seminal figure in Irish and Irish-American history is particularly evident in his beloved birthplace of Dowth, County Meath; in Freemantle, Australia where he was imprisoned; and indeed, throughout the Irish Diaspora. O'REILLY LANDMARKS IN MASSACHUSETTS O’Reilly remains popular in Boston, New Bedford, Hull and Springfield where there is a selection of memorials and plaques, parks and city squares, library collections and Irish organizations honoring O’Reilly’s memory. In Boston, the John Boyle O’Reilly Memorial at the corner of Boylston Street and The Fens, not far from Fenway Park, was unveiled in 1896 by famed Concord sculptor Daniel French. The Memorial is part of Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail. In Charlestown, O’Reilly lived at 34 Winthrop Street, where there is a plaque in his honor. In 1988 t...

Irish Boston History & Heritage

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