Irish Boston History & Heritage

Grand Union Flag used by George Washington at his Cambridge Headquarters in 1776  Here is an interesting summary of the variety of flags in the colonies at the start of the American Revolution, as reprinted in Irish American Almanac in 1876.  The original source, according to the Almanac, was Appleton's American Cyclopaedia.  "In the beginning of the American Revolution a variety of flags were displayed in the revolted colonies. The Union flags,  mentioned so frequently in the newspapers of 1774, were the ordinary English red ensigns, bearing the Union Jack. These generally bore some patriotic motto, such as  "Liberty," " Liberty and Property," " Liberty and Union," etc. It is uncertain what flag, if any, was used by the Americans at Bunker Hill. That displayed by Putnam on Prospect Hill, on July 18th following, was red, with Qui transtulit sustinet (He who transplanted sustains) on one side, and on the other, " An Appeal to Heaven....

Christa Corrigan McAuliffe (1948-1986) Born in Boston, Sharon Christa Corrigan was the eldest of five children of Grace and Edward Corrigan.   She grew up in Framingham, married her high school sweetheart Steve McAuliffe, and began her career teaching. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan announced the first citizen in space would be a teacher, and McAuliffe was selected out of 11,000 applicants and began rigorous training. On 1/28/1986 the Challenger launched but exploded after take-off, killing everyone on board.   Today the McAuliffe Center at Framingham State carries on the spirit of Christa by teaching students to dream big. Christa Corrigan McAuliffe is part of  BITA's  2019  Irish Women of Massachusetts  series in celebration of Irish Heritage Month and Women's History Month.  

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (1890-1995) Rose Fitzgerald was born in Boston’s North End, the daughter of famous politician John ‘Honey Fitz’ Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Hannon. She was raised in Dorchester and attended college in New York and The Netherlands. Considered the matriarch of America’s best-known political families, she and her husband Joseph P. Kennedy raised nine children in Brookline and Hyannis, including President John F. Kennedy, Senator and Attorney General Bobby Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy. Her daughters included Jean Kennedy Smith, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics.          Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy is part of  BITA's  2019  Irish Women of Massachusetts  series in celebration of Irish Heritage Month and Women's History Month.  

Margaret Foley (1875-1957) Born in Dorchester to a working-class family, Margaret grew up in Roxbury and attended Girls High School.   She worked in a hat factory to pay for singing lessons and eventually began organizing women workers.   She had a ‘daring personality and a voice like a trumpet,’ and wasn’t afraid to confront male politicians in public settings, relishing her nickname, the Grand Heckler.   When the 19 th Amendment passed in 1920, granting women voting rights, Foley went on the lecture circuit and later worked as Deputy Commissioner of the Child Welfare Division in Boston.  Margaret Foley is part of  BITA's  2019  Irish Women of Massachusetts  series in celebration of Irish Heritage Month and Women's History Month.