The scene on Thurs., Oct. 20 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. Photo by Margaret Brett Hastings.

Some 400 well-wishers gathered at the Seaport Hotel on Oct. 20 to celebrate with the awardees at the second annual Boston Irish Honors event sponsored by the Boston Irish Reporter (Download complete program).

Dick Flavin was the master of ceremonies who, after a vigorous rendition of "Casey at the Bat," with Ted Williams playing the part of Casey, introduced the honorees:

State Sen. Tom Kennedy of Brockton; Kathleen O'Toole, who has served in law-enforcement posts locally and is now finishing up a stint as Chief Inspector of the Garda Force in Ireland; and three local families, the Corcorans, the Hunts, and the Mulvoys.

Boston Irish Honors event chairman Matt Power and BIR publisher Ed Forry. Photo by Margaret Brett Hastings.The sentiment receiving the most attention from the speakers was that the honorees all have a clear heritage that binds them; in this case, a sense of the values that those families who made their way quietly to America brought with them.

Event emcee Dick Flavin's welcomed the audience with these words:

"Stories are a fundamental part of the Irish existence. They are ingrained in us all and have been since that long ago time when occupiers deemed that literacy in Ireland would be illegal. Fat chance. All they managed to do was awaken an appreciation and a love for words, first spoken, and then written. The traditional Irish love of stories holds as true in America as it does in "that dear land across the Irish Sea."

The Boston Irish Reporter is filled each month with grand Irish stories, but this luncheon edition is especially rich. It tells the stories of three great Irish-American families, all of Dorchester as it happens, and of two individuals whose accomplishments have been many and who have set the bar high for the rest of us.

There is the story of the Mulvoy family: mother, father, four brothers, and a sister, from St. Mark's parish. They spread their wings and went on to achieve great things, both here and across the country. But always in their bones there is the old neighborhood, its rhythms and its lure. For all their accomplishments, they are still the Mulvoys of Dorchester.

There are the Hunts from Pope's Hill who, faced with an unspeakable tragedy in the family, found the strength not just to endure but to inspire. They have spent their professional lives dedicated to health care and their personal lives radiating love for their family and for those around them.

The Corcorans of Uphams Corner, raised in humble beginnings, achieved wondrous success in real estate that stretches all the way from Dorchester to Belfast. And they have become major philanthropists along the way.

A young girl from Pittsfield committed herself to a career in law enforcement; "police service" as she terms it. She began as a patrol officer in the Boston Police Department, broke through glass ceiling after glass ceiling here and across the sea. She is now Kathleen O'Toole, Ireland's chief law enforcement officer, a woman with an international reputation.

State Senator Tom Kennedy has his own story. Forty years ago he was a young seminarian when he fell from a ladder and in an instant everything changed. His dream of being a priest was dashed but, using his wheelchair, he could not be stopped from fulfilling his vocation of reaching out to those around him who need help.

These are great Irish-American stories. They represent the best that is in us. We should savor them.

All of us here have our own stories, of course. The truth is that everyone else does too, but we Irish like to think we have a corner on the market. All of our stories bear telling and retelling, perhaps with a dash of blarney thrown into the mix; not so as to distort them, understand, but enough to enhance the flavor.

After all, even the tastiest Irish story is best served with a bit of garnish.