Irish Boston History & Heritage

Patrick S. Gilmore , the famous 19th century musician and bandleader, started the annual tradition of the New Year's Eve countdown in New York City on December 31, 1888.   In those days, what is now Times Square was simply known as the Long Acre, and was changed to Times Square in 1904 when the New York Times opened its offices there. In the late 19th century, the Gilmore Band - part of New York's 22nd Regiment -- was one of the nation's  most popular bands, performing indoor and outdoor concerts throughout the year.  Gilmore conducted many of the concerts nearby at Gilmore's Garden, which later became Madison Square Garden .  On this particular New Year's eve in 1888, the  Gilmore Band performed for the large audience that gathered up and down Broadway, and then Gilmore led the crowd in a countdown, firing two pistols at the stroke of midnight.  According to Gilmore scholar, the late Michael Cummings, Gilmore was born in Ballyg...

"On December 30, 1870, sculptor Martin Milmore was awarded the commission to build the Soldiers and Sailors War Memorial on Flagstaff Hill on Boston Common, winning over fifteen other proposals.   The cost was not to exceed $75,000. "Milmore and his brothers Joseph, Charles and James emigrated from Killmorgan, County Sligo to Boston with their widowed mother in 1851.   They apprenticed with local sculptor Thomas Ball and before long their artistic talents were recognized. Martin’s first major piece was the Roxbury Soldiers Memorial (1868) in Forrest Hills Cemetery, followed by the Charlestown Soldiers Memorial (1872) in Winthrop Square. "But Milmore’s masterpiece was the Soldiers and Sailors monument on the Common.   City officials laid the cornerstone in September 1871, and a few months later Milmore moved to Rome, Italy, where he spent the next five years modeling his designs. The shaft of the monument was made of white Maine granite, with pedestals a...

David I. Walsh , the first Irish Catholic elected as Governor of Massachusetts, had to plan a larger inaugural reception than originally envisioned because of public enthusiasm for his election, according to The Boston Globe . "So great is the demand for invitations to his inaugural that Gov-elect Walsh has evolved a new plan, which he believes will reduce disappointments," the Globe wrote in a story on December 10, 1913. "A reception will be held in the Hall of Flags immediately after the delivery in the House chamber of his inaugural address....Mr. Walsh intends to enter the Hall of Flags and shake hands with as many persons as care to meet him." Walsh served as Governor of Massachusetts from 1914-16, according to Mass.gov, and later became the state's first Irish Catholic US Senator, serving in Congress for over 20 years, starting in 1918. A statue to Walsh is featured as one of the stops along the Boston Irish Heritage Trail , created by th...

" On December 5, 1770, nine months to the day after the Boston Massacre, only Matthew Kilroy and Hugh Montgomery were found guilty of manslaughter for the killing of Crispus Attucks; the other seven soldiers were exonerated. At their sentencing on December 14, both men invoked a medieval English plea for mercy called “the benefit of clergy,” originally offered to clergy and later extended to felons facing a first conviction. The plea involved showing their God-fearing ways by reciting Psalm 51; both Kilroy and Montgomery did so and thus had their execution commuted. They were branded with an M for murder on their thumbs and were released back into their regiment. Years later, when Governor Thomas Hutchinson’s diaries became public, it turned out that Hugh Montgomery had admitted to his lawyers that it was he who yelled out the fatal call to "fire" that helped start the American Revolution." Excerpt from Irish Boston, 2nd edition, by Michael Quinlin Publishe...

“We would like to live as we once lived.  But history will not permit it.” President Kennedy, November 22, 1963 Half a century later, we allow ourselves to be captured in time. To imagine earlier days that must have been better days. It was the time of our life, our nation’s life, when idealism trumped cynicism, when grace and beauty took their rightful place in how we saw ourselves, how the world saw us. Televisions were black and white, just like the battle between good and evil. New frontiers opened up, old prejudices broke down. We felt that anything was possible. The Boston accent, summers on the Cape, boats swaying in the bay, clam bakes and ocean waves. The beauty of youth. It all seemed endless. Fifty years later, we hold our memories gently and remain wistful of that time interrupted. Even now, we carry the promise of possibility in our hearts - from Boston Irish Tourism Association

The City of Boston marks November 16 as Goody Glover Day in Boston, in tribute to Goodwife Ann Glover, an Irish women accused of being a witch by Cotton Mather and other Boston Puritan leaders.   Glover was an Irish indentured servant sent to Barbados by Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s.  Her husband died there, and by 1680 she and her daughter were living in Boston, employed as housekeepers by John Goodwin.  In summer 1688 four of the five Goodwin children fell ill.  The doctor concluded "nothing but a hellish Witchcraft could be the Origin of these maladies."  Martha, the 13 year old daughter, confirmed the doctor's diagnosis by claiming she became ill right after she caught Glover stealing laundry. Glover was arrested and tried as a witch. In the courtroom there was confusion over Glover's testimony, since she refused to speak English, despite knowing the language.  According to Mather, "the court could have no answers from her, but in the...

Local Catholic and Irish-American leaders gathered today at the Old Calvary Cemetery in Boston on the anniversary of the death of James Michael Curley , the larger-than-life political figure who dominated Boston and Massachusetts politics for half a century. Curley died on November 12, 1958, fifty-five years ago today. Attending the ceremony was Ray Flynn , former mayor of Boston and US Ambassador to the Vatican, who spoke about "the heart and vision" of Curley and his career "helping the poor and needy of Boston." Curley served four four-year terms as mayor of Boston, in 1914, 1922, 1930 and 1946.  He was Governor of Massachusetts from 1935-37, and also served as  US Congressman from 1911-14. Find out more about Boston's Irish history at IrishHeritageTrail.com .