Irish Boston History & Heritage

  Boston Irish Stepdancers On Saturday, July 30, 1950, the Greater Boston Feis was held at Malden Municipal Stadium in  Malden ,  Massachusetts, the first feis ever held in New England.  More than 15,000 spectators attended. The feis, described as an ancient Irish tradition in music and dance, sports, language and knowledge, was part of a cultural rekindling of Irish traditions taking place in Ireland and Diaspora communities after World War II and since Ireland became a Republic in 1949. Greater Boston Feis, program booklet, July 30, 1950 The bilingual program book, printed in English and Irish, was organized by the Central Council of Irish County Clubs, Inc, with  Richard J. Cardinal Cushing , Archbishop of Boston, listed as the event’s patron. Schedule of competitions Over 1,500 contestants participated in 72 different events, ranging from competitions in accordion, violin, harp, piano and Irish war pipes.     In addition, there were matches in...

  Portrait of Henry Knox by Charles Willson Peale, Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum Henry Knox, a  first-hand witness to American history and a hero in the American Revolution, was born in Boston on July 25, 1750, the seventh of ten children.  His parents, William Knox and Mary (née Campbell), were Ulster Scots immigrants who came to Boston from Derry in 1729, part of a large exodus of Ulster-Irish Presbyterians who were emigrating to New England beginning around 1717-1718. As a boy, Knox attended the Boston Latin School , then at age 12, he went to work as an apprentice and clerk at Wharton & Bowes Booksellers at the corner of State and Cornhill (now Washington Street). The bookstore was right next to where the Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770, and Knox came upon the impending massacre before it happened. According to witnesses, Knox implored British Captain Preston to withdraw his men, but the request was ignored, giving way to the fracas that left f...

Martin Milmore (1844-1993), considered one of America's most talented and consequential sculptors in the late 19th century, died at his home in Boston on July 21, 1883, at age 39. Born in Kilmorgan, County Sligo on September 14, 1844, he was the youngest of five brothers born to Martin Milmoe and Sarah Hart.  When the father died, Sarah and her five sons emigrated to Boston in 1851, where Sara's sister Ann was living.  They lived on Warren Street in the South End before moving to Hammond Street in Roxbury.  Martin showed an early inclination for art at the Martin Brimmer School on Common Street, where he was encouraged by his teachers and by Headmaster Joshua Bates.  It was here that one of Martin's teachers seemingly encouraged the family to change its name from Milmoe to Milmore, to align more closely with a popular Boston musician and bandleader at the time, Patrick S. Gilmore . After grammar school Martin attended Boston Latin School , graduating in 1860.  ...

On July 21, 1971, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring Captain Timothy Deasy for his contributions to Irish freedom, his military service with the Massachusetts Irish 9th Regiment during the Civil War, and for his political career in Lawrence, where he was elected to the City Council and also represented the city in the House of Representatives. The resolution was submitted by Representatives William H. Ryan of Haverhill and Thomas W. McGee of Lynn. Read the full resolution from the State House Library.   Born in Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland between 1839-41, Timothy Deasy emigrated to Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1847 with his family. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Deasy enlisted in the Ninth Massachusetts Regiment , composed of Irish immigrants and Irish-Americans from several towns in the Bay State. "He was promoted from the ranks for conspicuous gallantry and bravery to the rank of First Lieutenant, fighting through 32 engagement...

Eunice Kennedy, a leader in the field of intellectual disability, was born at the Kennedy family home on Abbotsford Road in Brookline, MA on July 10, 1921.  She was the fifth child of Rose and Joseph Kennedy’s nine children and their third daughter.   Read full  biography of Eunice Kennedy Shriver  and watch the video, Eunice Kennedy Shriver 100: A Legacy of Inclusion , produced on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of her birth by the National Park Service and Brookline Interactive Group. Eunice began her career as a social worker for women prisoners and juvenile offenders. In 1957 she headed up the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation, dedicated to improving the way society deals with mental retardation. Her camp for children and adults with intellectual disabilities inspired her to create the Special Olympics, which spread to 150+ countries. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan presented Eunice with the Medal of Honor for her life's work. Read about the Special Olympics ...

Top Row: Site of Copley Home,42 Beacon Street, Beacon Hill, and Copley Square, Back Bay.  Bottom Row: Copley's Portraits of Paul Revere, John Hancock and Henry Pelham. America's first great portrait artist, John Singleton Copley (1737-1815) was born in Boston on July 3, 1738. He was the son of Irish immigrants who emigrated to Boston in the 1730s. John's parents, Richard Copley and Mary Singleton from County Clare, were married in County Limerick before emigrating to Boston. Right after their son John was born, Richard Copley traveled to the West Indies and died shortly thereafter, leaving John’s mother to raise him as a widow. She worked at a shop in Boston that sold tobacco close to Boston Harbor. In 1747 Mary S. Copley married Peter Pelham, a colonial artist and an original member of the Charitable Irish Society formed in 1737. It was Pelham who helped to nurture his stepson John's talent, and by age twenty Copley had gained a reputation as a promising artist. His fi...