When Gaelic Athletic Games Were Played at Dilboy Field in Somerville, MA

GAA Games at Dilboy Field in 1964, photo from Irish Citizen Newspaper

Before moving to its permanent home at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) New England division played its games at Dilboy Field in Somerville.

These photos were taken from the July 4, 1964 edition of the Irish Citizen, a weekly newspaper published in the Boston area. They depict some of the scenes that summer including a match between Erin's Hope and Kerry.

GAA Games at Dilboy Field in 1964, photo from Irish Citizen Newspaper

GAA Games at Dilboy Field in 1964, Irish Citizen Newspaper

The GAA had been playing at Dilboy Field since at least 1932, when matches were reported in the Boston Globe and other local press. The league played in various other fields during that decade, including Smith Field in North Brighton, Russell Field in Cambridge, and Town Field in Brookline.

Dilboy Field became the field of choice around summer 1947, and the GAA played there on Sunday afternoons. The games were considered a mainstay of the area's Irish community. The GAA used Dilboy Field regularly until the Irish Cultural Centre opened in October, 1999, and since then the ICC has been the permanent home of the GAA.

Playing fields at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton

Learn more about the history of the Boston GAA, and follow the current GAA season.

Here is complete information on the Irish Cultural Centre.

Comments

The Boston Celtics : The Story Behind Their Irish Green Theme

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 designer i

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

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

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 th

Irish Boston History & Heritage

Search This Blog