Irish Boston History & Heritage

The Bostonian Society is commemorating the 241st anniversary of the Boston Massacre this Saturday, March 5, 2011 with a series of lectures, programs and a re-enactment. Click for a list of scheduled events . Irish immigrant Patrick Carr was one of the five victims in the Massacre, according to Irish Boston: A Lively Look at Boston's Colorful Irish Past .   Carr and the other victims are buried at the Old Granary Burying Grounds on Tremont Street, which is listed on the Boston Irish Heritage Trail . For year round information on the Irish community in Boston, including pubs, gift shops, festivals, parades, concerts and cultural activities,  visit IrishBoston.org For visitor information, go to MassVacation or BostonUS A.

Congratulations to Chicago native Karen O'Hara, who won an Oscar for her Set Decoration on the movie Alice in Wonderland , at the 83rd annual Academy Awards ceremony last night in Los Angeles.  Her colleague Robert Stromberg won for Production Design. Nina Metz of The Chicago Tribune did a good story on O'Hara, who has been in the business for twenty years, working on films like Silence of the Lambs, Spiderman and others. O'Hara also attended the Oscar Wilde: Celebrating the Irish in Film event which took place last Thursday, hosted by the US-Ireland Alliance .  The Wall Street Journal did a good story on the event, which featured Julia Roberts presenting an 'Honorary Irishman' award to actor Paul Rudd.

The Fighter - the Hollywood movie about Lowell boxer Irish Micky Ward - won two Oscar Awards at the 83rd annual Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood. Christian Bale won best supporting actor for his portrayal of Dickie Eklund, while Melissa Leo won best supporting actress for her depiction of Alice Ward, the mother of Dickie and Micky. Actor and Producer Mark Whalberg , suggested that there might be a sequel to The Fighter, according to the Boston Herald .  On Saturday, March 5, Irish Micky Ward is marching as the Grand Marshall in the 6th annual Cape Cod St. Patrick's Day Parade . For more information on Irish activities in Massachusetts, visit IrishBoston.org

Boston Irish Tourism Association is raffling off free tickets to see   Women of Ireland , hailed as o ne of the best new musical acts to come out of Ireland in recent years.  The group  is performing a special St. Patrick's Day show at the Lynn Auditorium in Lynn, Massachusetts on Saturday, March 12, 2011. To enter the contest, click here . Tickets to the show are $28 - $68 and can be ordered online or by calling the box office at 781 581-2971. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and doors open at 6:30 p.m.  For directions, click here . The full stage production showcases a new generation of Ireland's top female singers and musicians , performing a beautiful selection of Ireland's vast repertoire of traditional music and song.  The Irish Times described the show as 'excellent' while the Irish Examiner called it 'mesmerizing.'   For a full schedule of concerts at Lynn Auditorium, click here . For year round Irish music in Massachusetts, visit IrishM

Boston Omni Parker House has announced a special St. Patrick's Day lunch and dinner menu for March 17, 2011, at the hotel's famous Parker's Restaurant and its pub, The Last Hurrah. The menu is created by Executive Chef Gerry Tice , a veteran in Boston's culinary scene.  View the Parker House St. Patrick's Day menu here. For a list of St. Patrick's Day activities in the Boston area in March 2011, visit IrishBoston.org For visitor information, visit BostonUSA and MassVacation.com .

The Boston Irish Tourism Association has a complete list of St. Patrick's Day Parades , concerts and special events taking place throughout the month of March in Massachusetts . When you're in Boston, don't forget to check out the Irish Heritage Trail , a three mile walk through 300 years of Boston Irish history dating back to the 18th century. You can pick up a free copy of the map at the visitor center on Boston Common and the Prudential Center .  For a list of Irish pubs and restaurants in Boston, click here .  For a list of hotels close to the parades, concert venues and pubs, click here . To read about Boston Irish personalities, including sports figures, politicians, writers and musicians, click here . For a chance to win free tickets to see the Pogues, Saw Doctors, Women of Ireland, and many more acts, visit the Contest Page . For year round information on the Irish community in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

jfklibrary.org/presidentsdesk/ As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of President John F. Kennedy's first year in office, the J ohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum released an interactive digital desk to allow visitors to browse through the facsimile desk of President Kennedy and check out some of the historical documents. “I hope users will feel they are sitting at the President’s Desk themselves, and will be excited to bring history to life in this dynamic setting,” said Caroline Kennedy , President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. “My parents shared a love of history, and I know they would have enjoyed this exhibit themselves.” For more details about the desk, its historical significance, and the interactive module project, click here . The JFK Library is open year round and offers ongoing exhibits, lectures and educational programs.  For more details, click here . For details about the Kennedy Family and their Irish roots, click here

Join the Friends of the Milton Public Library for an afternoon of Irish songs and stories with noted Irish performer Tom O'Carroll .  The event takes place on Saturday, February 19, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. at the Keys Community Room in the Milton Public Library, located at 476 Canton Avenue in Milton.  The event is free to the public and refreshments will be served. For a full list of family activities at the Milton Public Library, click here . For more events on Irish music and culture in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org .

The Black Rose Pub in Boston is hosting a fundraiser on Sunday, February 27, 2011 for Irish musician Eugene Byrne , one of the iconic figures in the Boston Irish music scene for nearly 40 years. The event will help raise funds for health care and living expenses for Eugene and his wife Maura.  Eugene is suffering from an advanced stage of cancer.   Seven Irish bands and dozens of local musicians are donating their time and music to perform at the Rose, to help Eugene in his time of need and also to celebrate the rich and fruitful life of this gifted musician.  You can find more details on the event, who is playing and who is attending, on facebook .  Black Rose 160 State Street, Boston Begins 5:00 pm | Suggested donation at the door is $20 Contact Sean Cunningham: 978 973-9695 or  Paul Wilson: 617 451-7400 x 225 Eugenebyrnebenefit@gmail.com | irishconnection.com

Providence Journal sportswriter Bill Reynolds wrote a great piece in today's paper entitled: A Fitting Tribute for PC's Ray Flynn.  Flynn , former Mayor of Boston from 1984 to 1993 and US Ambassador to the Vatican during the Clinton Administration, is being honored this Saturday, February 19, 2011 at the Providence-Cincinnati basketball game, as one of the school's most gifted ballplayers.  Flynn and Vinnie Ernst, both class of '63, will have their names and numbers lifted to the rafters during half time, according to Providence College .

The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University in Boston is offering a film retrospective on Boston novelist Dennis Lehane this week  The Theatre is screening these award-winning films based on Lehane's work: February 14 - Gone Baby Gone February 15 - Mystic River February 16 - Shutter Island February 17 - Lehane discusses his films and his work with the award-winning HBO series The Wire.  Admission to the events is free but reservations are required. Located in the Washington Street theatre district in Boston's Downtown Crossing, the newly renovated and restored Modern Theatre is a 185-seat venue ideal for live shows, conversations and film screenings.  For a complete list if upcoming activities, click here . For year round cultural activities in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com

  Check out these Valentine's Day specials at some of Boston's leading hotels and restaurants.  You can see full details by clicking here. Back Bay Hotel & Stanhope Grille "St. Valentine's Getaway" Package Comfort Inn Boston "Love and Hugs and Kisses...Oh My!" Package Langhan Hotel Boston "My Sweet Valentine" Package Omni Parker House "Sweet Rendezvous Romance" Package Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel "Engage in Some Pillow Talk" Package  For a list of hotels in greater Boston, click here .  For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com

Boston’s newest Irish pub and restaurant - Four Green Fields - opens today  at One Boston Place in Downtown Boston. The pub is owned by Colin Breen, who operates the popular Four Green Fields Pub in Tampa Florida. The son of Irish immigrants, Breen's new pub in Boston was recently profiled by The Boston Globe .  Named for a song by the late Irish ballad singer Tommy Makem , referring to the four provinces of Ireland, Four Green Fields is dedicated to great food and plenty of draught beers, including an extra-special pint of Guinness.  The venue features a spacious first floor restaurant with an oyster bar, an upstairs lounge named for Irish-American boxing champ John L. Sullivan, and an authentic Irish Thatch Cottage. Larry Kirwan , founder and lead singer of the band Black 47 , said the pub's clientele will be drawn from the worlds of sports, entertainment, broadcasting, literature and all those interested in the art of conversation.  Kirwan is organizing

The Kennedy Library Forum in Boston, Massachusetts is presenting "Lyrics as Literature," a discussion about the art of writing lyrics as a form of literature.  The forum features songwriter Paul Simon, Irish poet Paul Muldoon , and writer Bill Flanagan .  PEN New England is co-sponsor of the event. The event takes place on Friday, February 11, 2011 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum , located at Columbia Point in Boston.  Simon is known worldwide for his work with Simon & Garfunkel and with his successful work as a solo artist over the last 40 years.  Muldoon, from Northern Ireland, won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2003. Prior to the forum, the Cafe is offering a special wine and cheese experience for purchase, at the Museum pavilion from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. For more information about visiting the John F. Kennedy Library year round, click here . For year round Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts, visit I

One hundred years ago this month, on February 5, 1911, Irish tenor John McCormack made his singing debut at Boston Symphony Hall , according to Irish Boston: A Lively Look at Boston's Colorful Irish Past . McCormack was roundly praised by the Boston Irish community for being a worthy purveyor of the ancient melodies of Ireland, and local music lovers from Boston's Brahmin community appreciated his talent too.  Between 1911 and 1936 McCormack performed at Boston Symphony Hall sixty-seven times, more than any other singer of that era. The Irish Music Collection at Boston College's John J. Burns Library has a strong collection of materials about John McCormack.  And the Archival Collection at Boston Symphony Hall has the programs from McCormack's concerts between 1911 and 1936, plus various newspaper clippings. For year round information on Boston's Irish community, visit IrishBoston.org .  For more about Boston's Irish history, visit IrishHeritageTrail.co

As part of its successful new Irish Theatre Festival , ArtsEmerson is presenting the Abbey Theatre production of Terminus from Tuesday, February 8 through Sunday, February 13, 2011 at the Paramount Theatre in Boston.  Tickets to the show are $25-$79 and can be purchased online . Written and directed by Mark O'Rowe, Terminus explores the lives of three people thrust into a fantasy world of singing serial killers, avenging angels and love sick demons.  The Irish Times described it as "An explosive, astonishing piece. For a full schedule of upcoming events by ArtsEmerson, click here . For year round information on Irish cultural events in Massachusetts and New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com

S everal of Boston's leading hotels are offering great weekend, dining and overnight packages in February to celebrate Valentine's Day. You can see full details at IrishBoston.org . Back Bay Hotel & Stanhope Grille "St. Valentine's Getaway" Package Comfort Inn Boston "Love and Hugs and Kisses...Oh My!" Package Langhan Hotel Boston "My Sweet Valentine" Package Omni Parker House "Sweet Rendezvous Romance" Package Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel "Engage in Some Pillow Talk" Package  For a list of cultural activities in greater Boston year round, visit IrishBoston.org  

American Idol singing sensation Siobhan Magnus is joining boxing legend Irish Mickey Ward to lead the 6th annual Cape Cod St. Patrick's Day Parade taking place on Saturday, March 5, 2011. The two-mile parade starts at 11:00 a.m. at School Street in West Dennis, crosses the Bass River Bridge and ends at Forest Road in South Yarmouth. For a map of the parade, click here . Magnus , a Cape Cod native who graduated from Barnstable High School, credits her parents for giving her a love of music and raising her in a musical household. Both Magnus and Ward will appear at the Grand Marshal Dinner/Dance taking place on Friday, March 4, 2011 at the Cape Cod Irish Village in West Yarmouth at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, available at the door, and are first-come, first-serve. For more information about the Cape Cod Irish Parade, click here . For St. Patrick's Day activities throughout Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edmund Morris is appearing at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston on Sunday, February 6, 2011, to discuss his scholarly work on President Theodore Roosevelt. The lecture, part of the JFK Forum series, takes place at 3:00 p.m.  Admission is free but registration is required. Morris will be discussing the final volume of his trilogy , Colonel Roosevelt, chronicling the last ten years of Roosevelt's life with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Mark Feeney of the Boston Globe. For year round information on John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, click here . For year round cultural activities in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts . For tourist information, visit BostonUSA and MassVacation .

Irish music and ceili dancing will take place on Super Bowl Sunday in greater Boston, thanks to Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, the Irish Musicians Association. The event is taking place this Sunday, February 6, 2011 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Canadian American Club at 202 Arlington Street in Watertown, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. Admission is $8 at the door.  "In prior years, when the Patriots played in the Super Bowl, the dance has been canceled," said fiddler Larry Reynolds , president of the Boston chapter of Comhaltas. "But the session is on this year and starts an hour earlier than usual." For a list of ongoing activities at the Boston Comhaltas branch, click here . For year round Irish music and cultural activities, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

  (Boston) -- Today the Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA) and Massachusetts state tourism officials released a schedule of the 2011 St. Patrick's Day parades and cultural events planned this March in cities and towns across Massachusetts.   Among the highlights:  Schedule of St. Patrick's Day Parades in Massachusetts and New Hampshire Dozens of Irish concerts, theater and literary events throughout March History and heritage events celebrating Boston's Irish history dating to the 18th century  Gift Shops and authentic Irish products Pubs and restaurants with live Irish music and Irish-style menus Hotels close to parade routes, cultural venues and heritage landmarks. Nearly 24% of all Massachusetts residents claim Irish ancestry, according to the US Census, making it the most Irish state in the nation.   For more information. Boston Irish Tourism Association / IrishMassachusetts.com Boston Irish Heritage Trail / IrishHeritageTrail.com Patrick S. G