The Irish Consulate in Boston has confirmed that Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins will make an official visit to the city on May 5, and will officiate in ceremonies in remembrance of the Irish Famine.

“Mr. Jimmy Deenihan T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, welcomed the news that President Michael D. Higgins will lead the official representation at this year's overseas Famine Commemoration, which takes place in Boston on Saturday, 5th May 2012,” the Consulate said in a statement
Deenihan said, "I am delighted that President Higgins is leading the official representation at the Famine Commemoration in Boston this year. Many Irish emigrants during the Great Famine, and indeed after that period, have settled in Boston and on the eastern coast of the United States of America and I know that the community in Boston are working hard to ensure that the Commemoration will be a dignified and fitting tribute to the victims of the Great Irish Famine.”
Full details of the Famine Commemoration are expected to be made public later this month. The schedule of related events is available on the BIR website, bostonirish.com
Most Irish organizations are planning commemorative events, including:
Sunday, May 6 2012
AOH Lawrence Event- Division 8 AOH and LAOH will hold a Commemoration of the Great Hunger on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at the An Gorta Mor Memorial in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery, 29 Barker Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts at 1:30 p.m. A host of County, State and National AOH and LAOH representatives along with other dignitaries are expected to be present. The memorial service will include an oration on the great hunger, a prayer service, and the laying of a wreath at the memorial. Light refreshments will be served following the service.
Division 8 A.O.H. President William J. Sullivan recently said: “It is fitting and appropriate that we pay tribute to the Irish of Lawrence and to the famine descendents who settled in Greater Lawrence. It is our turn to give back to those who gave so much. This monument stands as a testimony to their accomplishments and their lives!”

Irish International Immigrant Center/ Montserrat Aspirers Incorporated event- 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., 19th Annual Black & Green Event, “Hunger Then, Hunger Now, Hunger Here, Hunger There; The Famine in 19th Century Ireland; Hunger Today: Locally and Globally. Join us for an afternoon of performance art, thematic presentations, cultural exchange and community building Monserrat Aspirers Hall, 358-364 Washington St, Dorchester MA. For More information contact Ally Tzovaras at the IIIC at: 617.542.7654 ext. 43 or atzovaras@iiicenter.org
Charitable Irish Society and the Eire Society event- at Forbes Museum, 215 Adams Street, Milton, MA, 2 p.m. -5 p.m. “New England Responses to An Gorta Mor, 1845-1848.” The program will include tours of the Forbes Museum and two presentations: “Asneath Nicolson in Ireland” by Professor Maureen Murphy, Hofstra University, Biographer of Nicolson. “Captain Robert Bennet Forbes and the Voyage of the USS Jamestown to Cork in 1847” by Catherine B. Shannon, Professor Emerita, Westfield State University. Reception and refreshments, Members: $10, Non Members $15.00. Reservations required: 617 330-1737
Irish Cultural Center of New England events- May 12: “The Great Irish Famine: Remember Skibbereen. - The evening will begin at 5:30pm with a lecture, a meal and a viewing of the award-winning film The Great Irish Famine: Remember Skibbereen. Seamus Mulligan and others will conduct a conversation and Q&A. Location: ICC, Canton.
May 31: “The History of the Irish Famine and its Impact Today” - Professor of Irish Studies Joseph Lee from New York University will lecture on the Irish Famine. Professor Lee is widely recognized as a leading expert on 19th and 20th century history and politics, particularly Irish, British and European studies. Former member of the Irish Senate and current member of the Royal Irish Academy, Lee is also the author of numerous publications including three books on Irish history. The evening will begin at 6:00pm with a reception, followed by the lecture. Location: Downtown Boston.
Other events coming later this year include: Cohasset Historical Society event, Sunday, September 9, 2 p.m. - 4p.m.“The Wreck of the Brig St. John and Its Commemoration, 1849-2012: An Illustrated Lecture” by Catherine B. Shannon, Emerita Professor History, Westfield State University, at the Cohasset Historical Society, 106 South Main Street, Cohasset MA
October 2012- Brig St. John event, Cohasset Annual Commemoration for the victims of the Wreck of the Brig St. John, October 7, 1849 sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians at St. Anthony’s Church and Cohasset Central Cemetery, Cohasset, MA. Date to be confirmed.
Irish Cultural Center of New England event October 4: Famine Then and Now: A Look at the 1840 Irish Famine and the Current World Famines in West and Central Africa A panel of historians and nutritionists from Tufts University examine the causes of famines, both in Ireland and throughout the world, with particular emphasis on the similarities between the Irish Famine and the emerging current crisis in West and Central Africa More details to be announced.