Irish Boston History & Heritage

  Courtesy of Irish America Magazine   Ireland's world-renowned tenor John McCormack, who entertained millions of people around the globe with his brilliant voice and authentic rendition of Irish music, died on September 16, 1945 in Dublin. He was born in Althone, County Westmeath, on June 14, 1884, McCormack. "He studied in Dublin and Milan and his career reached its height in the U.S. where he became a household name. Although an Irish tenor, McCormack preferred an operatic career. In America, following WWI, McCormack sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “The Star Spangled Banner” for President Wilson," according to Irish America Magazine. McCormack’s arrival on the music scene helped to increase the popularity of Irish melodies in the United States, especially the works of Irish composers such as Thomas Moore and Samuel Lover. McCormack also added credibility to Irish-American songsters like Chauncey Olcott and Ernest Ball, who co-wrote McCormack’s first hit “Mo

American naval hero of the Revolutionary War,  Commodore John Barry  died on September 13, 1803.  He is buried at Old Saint Mary's Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA.  Considered one of the true military heroes of the American Revolution,   Barry was born in Tacumshane, County Wexford on March 25, 1745.   At age 15, he emigrated to Philadelphia in 1760, and joined the American forces at the outbreak of the war.  Barry's ship, the Lexington, was the first to capture a British vessel under the American flag.  During much of the war, Barry commanded ships out of Boston Harbor, including the Delaware and the Alliance.  After the war,  President George Washington  assigned Barry to help create the United States Navy.   Barry settled in Philadelphia  and died there at age 59. He is buried at St. Mary's Churchyard on S. Fourth Street. John Barry Plaque on Boston Common Though Boston's Irish-American, naval veterans and local historians have long honored Barry for his distinct role d

  Frontispiece  Thomas Mooney of Dublin, a writer, lecturer, historian self-published a 1,7000 page book,  A History of Ireland From its first Settlement to the Present Time.   The sweeping study included chapters on Literature, Music, Architecture and Natural Resources, 200 biographical sketches of famous men, and 88 Irish melodies that included both musical notations and lyrics. The book was self-published in Boston in 1845 in two volumes, and was available for purchase from Patrick Donoghue, publisher of The Boston Pilot and in similar outlets in Providence, New York, Troy, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC. and Savannah.   Mooney had come to Boston in 1841 and was a welcomed speaker at the Boston Repeal Association and other local organizations.  "The cause of Repeal is the cause of truth and justice in Ireland," he said on his lecture tour. The Boston Post wrote that he  “appeared to striking advantage in the repeal uniform, with home-manufactured frieze c

Courtesy of Eire Society of Boston The very first symphony composed by an American woman was called Gaelic Symphony, Opus 32, a beautiful piece of music that evoked centuries of Ireland's ancient music.  It was written by pianist Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, who was born in Henniker, New Hampshire on September 5, 1867. Gaelic Symphony premiered on October 30, 1896 at Boston Music Hall, and was performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The musical composition instantly received critical acclaim, and was quickly sought by premier orchestras around the country, in Pittsburgh, Washington, Kansas City and Chicago.   Though mainly of Yankee stock - a distant relative, John Marcy, emigrated from Limerick to New England in the 17th century - Beach said she was drawn to the simple beauty of Irish melodies, according to the late George E. Ryan of the Eire Society of Boston, who wrote about Beach in the 1992 Eire Society Bulletin. Courtesy of Fans of Amy Beach Amy herself wrote, "I can ascr

Photo Courtesy of Digital Commonwealth On September 1, 1920, more than 100 dock workers at Charlestown Navy Yard boycotted British Ships in sympathy with the Boston Irish who were protesting against Britain's treatment of Ireland. Bostonians were upset about the hunger strike of Terence MacSwiney , lord mayor of Cork, Ireland, who had been sentenced to two years in prison by British authorities. He went on a hunger strike on August 12 to protest his imprisonment and was rapidly declining in heath. He died on October 20, 1920. Photo from Boston Globe, September 1, 1920 As longshoremen were loading the British ship Nitonian, there was picketing on the docks by two women, Mrs P. H. Savage and Miss Amelia Rosser, niece of General Thomas Rosser, according to The Boston Globe. The women were joined by Irish leader John P. McCarthy, an Irish leader, who exhorted the crowd, asking if they were going to handle British goods and telling them they must tie up British shipping.  "A lar