Around the Town
One of the more memorable moments of Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s inauguration ceremony at Boston College’s Conte Forum on Jan. 6 occurred during a musical interlude featuring Yo-Yo Ma, the 59-year-old Chinese American cellist who lives in Cambridge. Many in... Read more
BY BILL FORRY
BIR EDITOR
On Jan. 6, the city and the region got its first extended glimpse of the political leader whom we’ve come to know, simply, as Marty. It was a good first impression and a reminder of why he won last fall: People want to like him.... Read more
Dr. William T. O’Connell of Duxbury, a podiatrist who was known to many as Dr. Bill, led an active life well into his 80s. He traveled extensively, touring Russia and South America, among other places while making 21 trips to Ireland. He skied into his... Read more
BY BILL FORRY
BIR EDITOR
A tight-knit group of neighbors and family friends will form the nucleus of the inaugural Team MR8, a squad of 100-plus runners who will run in April’s Boston Marathon in memory of Martin Richard, the eight-year-old Dorchester boy... Read more
BY ARTHUR MURPHY
SPECIAL TO THE BIR
Jack Shaughnessy grew up in Quincy, graduated from BC High in wartime 1944, served in the Navy, and afterwards worked with his brother Al in building a very successful crane and rigging business in South Boston. That... Read more
The year’s most indelible images, memories and emotions for the city — and certainly for Dorchester at-large— are connected to the April 15th terror attack on spectators and participants at the Boston Marathon. The bombings killed three and wounded... Read more
Peter O’Toole met his goal: “To be the event!”
BY PETER F. STEVENS
BIR STAFF
There was always that voice. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to speak with the legendary actor Peter O’Toole, who passed away last month at the age of 81, and I daresay... Read more
BY CLARK BOOTH
SPECIAL TO THE BIR
Clearing the decks soon to be draped in holly as the clock runs out on what’s been another banner year in sports – especially if you hail from New England!
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The scorecard for 2013 is stunning! A spectacular... Read more
For the last 26 years, Robert O’Neill has been the director of the John J. Burns Library at Boston College. Now, as he prepares to retire this month and head for the warmer clime of Arizona, he leaves a deep legacy. The library, under his and his staff’... Read more
The John J. Burns Library and The Center for Irish Programs at Boston College in collaboration with The John Boyle O’Reilly Society of Ireland, The Charitable Irish Society, and The Eire Society of Boston will be opening an exhibit entitled “John Boyle O’... Read more
“The Irish Immigrant Experience”
The effect on viewers was immediate…“Stop, I need to take a closer look!” The photo accompanying this article greeted visitors at a recent Irish festival. The 1939 study of Roxbury’s Emerald Isle Orchestra elicited many... Read more
The Boston Irish Reporter hosted its fourth annual Boston Irish Honors on Fri., Oct. 25, at the Seaport Hotel on the South Boston waterfront. The event, which marked the 23nd anniversary of the BIR, drew more than 300 persons to the mid-day luncheon.
In... Read more
Before the gloves came off late in the Boston mayoral race – City Councillor At-Large John Connolly pointing to negative mailers from an outside group trashing his upbringing and state Rep. Marty Walsh accusing the Connolly campaign of phone calls testing... Read more
It was the socio-political equivalent of a late-summer thunderstorm: low-levels of thunder and lightning followed within hours by a fast-clearing sky.
The clouds began gathering on the edge of the horizon back in late May after state Rep. Linda Dorcena... Read more
BY SEAN SMITH
After a one-year hiatus, the Irish Heritage Festival is set to return on Columbus Day weekend to Dorchester – in a new, albeit temporary, location. The free festival will take place on Sunday, October 13, from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., with music and... Read more
Current and past All-Ireland senior champion and prize-winning musicians will perform at Waltham High School when the annual Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann “Echoes of Erin” North America tour makes its stop in the Boston area on Oct. 12.
Throughout its more... Read more
Jane Richard: The Richard family— whose eight-year-old son Martin was killed in the Patriot’s Day bombing at the Boston Marathon— last month released this photo of seven-year-old Jane Richard, who is now using a prosthesis to replace part of her left leg... Read more
Aer Lingus has announced plans to expand round trip transatlantic service from Ireland to the US next year, including the addition of daily Boston flights to Shannon beginning on March 9, 2014. The airline announced the 2014 commencement of direct service... Read more
BY TOM MULVOY
MANAGING EDITOR
WATERVILLE, Ireland – “The wind is coming from the north and east, and that’s pretty unusual for us at this time of year,” said the fellow next to me on the putting green at the Waterville Golf Links at the southwest edge of... Read more
July marks a key moment for a man who had a huge impact on Boston and beyond
BY PETER F. STEVENS
BIR STAFF
The date July 9, 2013, marks the 147th anniversary of an event that eventually pushed a remarkable Irishman to Boston. On that summer day in 1866,... Read more
