Boston Public Garden plaque honors Michael Patrick Quinn of Charlestown, U.S. Marine Killed in Vietnam

-

 


On April 21, 1986, city officials led by Boston Mayor Ray Flynn and Veterans Services Director Tom Lyons, along with Henry Lee of the Friends of the Public Garden and members of the Paget family, placed this plaque on the bridge crossing the lagoon on the Public Garden, in memory of Charlestown native Second Lieutenant Michael Patrick Quinn, a US Marine who was killed in action in Vietnam on August 29,1969. 

Quinn worked summers on the swan boats on the Public Garden lagoon.  He graduated from Boston Latin School in 1964 and attended Holy Cross College in Worcester.  Read more about Lt. Quinn, who was awarded a Purple Heart, on the Wall of Faces. 

The Michael Patrick Quinn plaque, along with the Swan Boats, are being added to Boston's Irish Heritage Trail, a collection of public landmarks that chronicle the Irish experience in Boston from the 17th century to the present.  



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

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy's Rose Garden, First Stop on the Irish Heritage Trail

-
Image
Fountain outside the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Garden A beautiful rose gardened devoted to  Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy , mother of President John F. Kennedy , is the first stop on the Boston Irish Heritage Trail , a 3 mile walking tour cover 300+ years of Boston Irish history. T he  Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Garden is located  at Christopher Columbus Park on Atlantic Avenue in Boston's North End.  The  small enclosed rose garden is encircled by an iron wrought fence, with a granite fountain as the centerpiece.   The Garden was officially dedicated on July 22, 1987 by Rose’s family, including Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who called his mother “the greatest teacher and most wonderful mother that any child could ever have.” Rose was born on July 22, 1890 at 4 Garden Court in Boston's North End, at a time when the neighborhood was heavily Irish.   Her father, John "Honey" Fitzgerald, was a prominent businessman and newspaper publisher of  The Repub...
Read more