Irish Protesting British Abuses Stage Boston Tea Party Reenactment on September 26, 1981

-
During the 1981 Irish hunger strike Bostonians dumped British Tea into Boston Harbor

On Saturday, September 26, 1981, more than 1,000 protestors in Boston marched from Charlestown to the downtown waterfront, where they threw chests of British tea into Boston Harbor, a reenactment of the famous act of civil disobedience that occurred 208 years earlier on December 16, 1773. 

The marchers were protesting British human rights abuses in Northern Ireland while supporting Irish political prisoners who were involved in the Irish hunger strike.  It was also part of a nationwide effort in New York, Baltimore, San Francisco and other cities to boycott British goods until the hunger strike issue was resolved. 

The 1981 hunger strike began on March 1, when prisoner Bobby Sands stopped eating in protest of prison conditions in Northern Ireland, and it ended on October 3 when the six remaining hunger strikers decided to end the protest.  In all, ten men died during the hunger strike.

The protest started at 2 p.m. at the base of Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, proceeded to march over the Charlestown Bridge and past Boston City Hall, then over to the Congress Street Bridge.

The protestors boarded the Beaver II, a replica of one of three ships the original tea party protestors raided back in 1773, and proceeded to toss crates labeled English Tea and Brit Tea into Boston Harbor.  

According to the globe story, "As the marchers approached the Congress Street Bridge and the Beaver II, pipers playing "The Wearing of the Green" drowned out the fife and drums of "Yankee Doodle" coming over the ship's loud speakers. Tourists in the area were baffled by the converging crowd."

Boston City Councilor Ray Flynn prepares to toss tea into the harbor

Among the protestors aboard the ship were Massachusetts State Representative Marie Howe and Boston City Councilor Ray Flynn, as well as leaders from various Irish organizations, including the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Irish National Caucus and Gaelic Athletic Association.  Flynn later became mayor of Boston and US Ambassador to the Vatican, and continued to champion human rights causes. 

James Fitzpatrick, one of the organizers, told Boston Globe reporter David Arnold, "Several months ago (the) British consul general said that Bostonians should stick to tea parties and stay out of the business of Northern Ireland, so we are doing just that ...Welcome to the second Boston Tea Party."

The ceremony ended with the protestors singing an Irish anthem, "A Nation Once Again."












Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Boston Celtics : The Story Behind Their Irish Green Theme

-
Image
Bill Russell played for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1959 (This story was updated in March 2024) 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 is the team mascot 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 d...
Read more

Boston Mayors of Irish Descent, 1885-2021

-
Image
(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...
Read more

Visit these Public Memorials to John Boyle O'Reilly throughout Massachusetts

-
Image
  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...
Read more