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Irish Art, Statues and Rare Artifacts at the Massachusetts State House, along Boston's Irish Heritage Trail

 


The Massachusetts State House has a number of beautiful and rare works of art and artifacts relating to the Irish-American experience, and is a featured stop along Boston's Irish Heritage Trail.  

The incredible collection of art and artifacts is maintained and curated by the State House Art Commission. 

Here is just a selection of items worth seeing the next time you visit the Massachusetts State House. 

Irish Flags, 9th Irish Regiment
The flags of the famous Massachusetts Fighting 9th Regiment, which fought in all of America's wars, from the Civil War to the Korean War, is in the Hall of Flags at the State House. Mustered into service on June 11, 1861, the regiment was headed by Colonel Thomas Cass (1821-62), an Irish immigrant who organized the Irish immigrant regiment following the Battle of Fort Sumter in April, 1861, when President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteers to defend the Union. Today facsimiles of the flags are on display at Memorial Hall, the main rotunda of the State House, part of a 350 flag collection dating from the Revolutionary War to the present. The actual flags are in an environmentally controlled storage space in the State House, and can be viewed by special appointment.

Jeremiah O'Brien (1744-1818) created the "first act of Colonial piracy" in the Revolutionary War, when he, his four brothers and townsmen led an attack on the British cutter Margaretta on June 12, 1775 at Machias, Maine, defeating the ship and taking its munitions as bounty. Maine was part of the Massachusetts Colony until 1820. In 1937 a plaque created by John Paramino was placed at the Massachusetts State House commemorating O'Brien's "distinguished services for winning the first navel engagement in the War of the Revolution and of his subsequent exploits in said war as the first regularly commissioned naval officer and commander of the Revolutionary Navy of Massachusetts." It is located on the staircase next to the Hall of Flags.

Mary Kenney O'Sullivan (1864-1943) was a nationally acclaimed union organizer who lived in Boston for 50 years. She created the National Women's Trade Union League in New York City and traveled to many Massachusetts cities like New Bedford and to Lawrence, where she was a strong supporter of the 1912 "Bread and Roses" strike by the city's 30,000 textile workers. A plaque in her honor is featured in the Women's Portrait Gallery next to Doric Hall at the State House. It reads, "As leader of the WTUL, Mary O'Sullivan forged alliances between middle-and working-class women. A leader in Massachusetts reform circles, she focused her efforts on woman suffrage, housing for the poor, prohibition, and pacifism. However, her highest priority remained the advancement of working women."

An 8 foot 2 inch tall bronze depiction of President John F. Kennedy (1917-63), purposeful and confident in full stride, was created by sculptor Isabel McIlvain of Sherborn, and unveiled on May 30, 1990. Among those at the unveiling were US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, US Representative Joseph Kennedy II, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and other family members and friends. A wreath is laid at the JFK statue on the president’s birthday and inauguration date.  The statue is on the lawn of the State House grounds facing Beacon Hill.

On January 9, 1961, President-Elect John F. Kennedy delivered his now-famous "City on a Hill" speech at the Massachusetts State House before a joint session of the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Kennedy was welcomed to the Chamber by Governor John A. Volpe and Senate President John E. Powers of South Boston. During his nine-minute speech, Kennedy addressed the audience as a proud native son, mindful of his family's deep connection to the Commonwealth. A plaque with text from JFK's speech commemorates this historical occasion.

Irish immigrant Martin Milmore (1844-83) was a talented sculptor whose work during his brief life of 39 years remains relevant today.  He and his brothers, also talented artists, emigrated to Boston in 1851 with their widowed mother. Martin attended Boston Latin and apprenticed with noted sculptor Thomas Ball.  Milmore's bust of Senator Charles Sumner, made in 1863-65, was the first of several pieces he did on the famous senator.  This one employs classical clothing and style. In November, 1869,  Milmore was awarded a gold medal for the Sumner bust at an exhibition by the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics’ Association.”

Irish-American Governors
The first governor of Massachusetts with Irish ancestry was Governor James Sullivan, who served in 1807.  His parents were Irish immigrants and indentured servants who settled in New Hampshire in the 1740s.  The 20th century ushered in the first Irish-American Catholic, Governor David I. Walsh, elected in 1914, followed by a string of others Irish-American governors, including James Michael Curley, Charles Francis Hurley, Maurice Tobin, Paul Dever and Ed King. Their portraits can be found on the walls throughout the State House. In the 21st century, Deval Patrick, Charlie Baker and Maura Healey have all noted their Irish ancestry. 


Find more information and media coverage of the Boston Irish Heritage Trail. To learn about Irish cultural activities taking place in Massachusetts and throughout New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com. 

© Boston Irish Tourism Association
 


Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2024 at 12:36 PM

    I thought Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont, 1636-1700.01, was the first Irish governor of Massachusetts. He was from Coothill, County Cavan.

    ReplyDelete

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