Fenway Park, built by Irishman Charles E. Logue, is part of Boston's Irish Heritage Trail

Fenway Park in Boston has many pleasant associations with the Irish-American community over the past 110 years since it officially opened in 1912.

The park was built by Charles E. Logue, a renowned builder who immigrated from County Derry, Ireland to Boston in 1881 at the age of 23. He founded a successful company that built many of the city's schools, hospitals and college campuses over the next four decades. His company, now called Logue Engineering, is still in operation five generations later.

The architect for Fenway Park was James E. McLaughlin, who was born in Nova Scotia to a Canadian father and Ireland-born mother, Mary Mulcahy, born in Ireland. The family emigrated to Boston in 1885. McLaughlin designed other famous buildings, such as the Boston Latin School and the Police Station on D Street in South Boston.

On opening day, April 20, 1912, Boston Mayor John 'Honey Fitz' Fitzgerald threw out the first ceremonial ball from the stands, and Thomas 'Bucky' O'Brien was the starting pitcher for the Sox. Tommy Connolly was the umpire behind home plate, and Michael McGreevey led the boisterous Royal Rooters cheers from the stands.

Read Greening of Fenway Park for a timeline of other Irish activities, from Irish football and hurling, to political rallies featuring Eamonn deValera.

Fenway Park is part of Boston's Irish Heritage Trail, which includes 20 sites in Boston and an additional 20 sites in the neighborhoods, plus dozens of Irish landmarks across Massachusetts.

Comments

The Boston Celtics : The Story Behind Their Irish Green Theme

Many people wonder why the Boston Celtics wear shamrocks on their green uniforms and have a giant leprechaun smoking a cigar as their team logo. And why the team mascot is a guy named Lucky who looks like he stepped out of a box of Lucky Charms? According to the Boston Celtic’s official web site, the name came about in 1946 when owner Walter Brown started the team. He and his public relations guy, Howie McHugh, were throwing out potential nicknames, including the Whirlwinds, Unicorns and Olympics. It was Brown who had the epiphany, saying, “Wait, I’ve got it – the Celtics. The name has a great basketball tradition from the old Original Celtics in New York (1920s). And Boston is full of Irishman. We’ll put them in green uniforms and call them the Boston Celtics.” Red Auerbach , the now legendary coach of the early Celtics, then commissioned his brother Zang, a graphic designer in the newspaper business, to come up with the famous Celtics logo in the early 1950s. The logo mana

Boston Mayors of Irish Descent, 1885-2021

(Originally published in 2013, this post was updated in 2021) Here are the Mayors of Boston Claiming Irish Heritage: Hugh O’Brien 1885–88 Patrick Collins 1902–05 John F. Fitzgerald 1906–07, 1910–13 James M. Curley 1914–17, 1922–25, 1930–33, 1946–49 Frederick W. Mansfield 1934–37 Maurice Tobin 1938–41, 1941-44 John Kerrigan 1945 John B. Hynes 1950–59 John Collins 1960–68 Kevin H. White 1968–83 Raymond L. Flynn 1984–93 Martin J. Walsh 2014- 2021 The lineage of Boston mayors with Irish ancestry dates back to 1885, when Irish immigrant Hugh O'Brien of County Cork assumed office and became the first Irish-born mayor elected in Boston, serving four one-year terms (1885-88). O'Brien was followed by Irish-born Patrick Collins (1902-05), also of County Cork, who died in office in 1905. He was replaced by John F. Fitzgerald, who became the first American-born mayor of Irish descent, serving two terms. A noteworthy mayor was James

Boston's Airport Named for Edward L. Logan, South Boston Leader with Galway Roots

Statue of General Edward L. Logan Boston ’s Logan InternationalAirport was named for General Edward L. Logan (1875-1939), a first generation Irish-American, military leader, civic leader and municipal judge with family roots in Galway and South Boston . Logan was the son of Lawrence Logan and Catherine O'Connor from Ballygar, County Galway, according to historian Michael J. Cummings . The Logan family lived on East Broadway in South Boston. Read a full profile of Edward L. Logan on IrishMassachusetts.com . The Logan statue is part of Boston's Irish Heritage Trail , a collection of public landmarks, memorials, buildings and statues that tell the story of the Boston Irish from the 1700s to the present. Find year round information on Boston's Irish community at IrishBoston.org .

Irish Boston History & Heritage

Search This Blog