Senate President Murray launches new Letterkenny-UMass Medical partnership

By Staff
September 12, 2014
Staff

Letterkenny-UMass partnership announced: Senate President Murray,right, with Senator Stanley Rosenberg, center, and Letterkenny Institute of Technology President Paul Hannigan.Letterkenny-UMass partnership announced: Senate President Murray,right, with Senator Stanley Rosenberg, center, and Letterkenny Institute of Technology President Paul Hannigan.Senate President Therese Murray, who is in Ireland for a trade mission with Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, visited County Donegal today to announced the expansion of the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) to Letterkenny Institute of Technology. The UMass incubator initiative will also partner with the Derry-based Clinical Transitional Research and Innovation Centre (C-TRIC) in a partnership that will be announced formally on Monday in Northern Ireland.

Founded in 2008, M2D2 is a joint UMass Lowell and UMass Worcester initiative designed to accelerate the development and launch of new medical device companies. The opening of incubator space in Ireland and the North is the direct result of previous trade missions led by Murray.

“Massachusetts holds international recognition as a premiere research and development center for life sciences, biotechnology and medical devices,” President Murray said in a statement. “This exciting collaboration will offer assistance to Massachusetts-based companies looking to break into the European market while also attracting European companies that want to launch clinical trials in Massachusetts. Our shared goal is to create an environment where research, innovation and commercialization can all take place and this is a big step forward for innovators and entrepreneurs in Massachusetts and beyond.”

Mayor Walsh knows all about Connemara’s picturesque beauty

By BIR News Room
August 29, 2014

By Judy Enright

There was a very large billboard in Carna, Co. Galway, this spring celebrating Boston’s Irish Mayor Marty Walsh. The Connemara area will be thrilled to have him visit this autumn.There was a very large billboard in Carna, Co. Galway, this spring celebrating Boston’s Irish Mayor Marty Walsh. The Connemara area will be thrilled to have him visit this autumn.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh has already taken Connemara by storm and he hasn’t even touched down on Irish soil for his first “official” visit. This spring, we came across a huge billboard applauding Walsh’s mayoral run at an intersection in Carna (Connemara, Co. Galway) where his father, John, was born.

Connemara is just one of many areas Walsh plans to visit when he lands in Ireland later this month and it’s an area he knows well from childhood visits to his grandparents’ home in Rosmuc.

Isn’t Walsh a lucky man? You could scarcely find a more varied or picturesque area of this stunning country to visit than Connemara – and he has familial roots there to boot.

Connemara really has it all – bogs, mountains, seashore, a fjord, wonderful hotels, lodges and B&Bs, great fishing, golf and many other sports, delicious food, friendly people, so-called green gold (Connemara marble), colorful towns, tourist attractions, including the first transatlantic radio station, and Connemara ponies – what more could anyone want?

Dot’s Anglin making mark with Irish baseball team

By Sophie Gayter
August 29, 2014
Sophie Gayter

For Nathaniel Anglin, a teacher at The Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester, baseball has always been more than just a sport. “I’ve been playing baseball my whole life, basically from the time I was able to swing a bat,” said Anglin, who plays first base or pitcher. “I played college ball, but after my sophomore or junior year I kind of knew at that point that major league ball wasn’t going to happen.”

Early fall concerts slate: Lots going on

By Sean Smith
August 29, 2014
Sean Smith

Greater Boston’s early fall Irish/Celtic concert slate includes a rare duet appearance by Beoga members Niamh Dunne and Sean Og Graham and a concert by new “super group” The Alt, both at The Burren, and a performance by one of Scotland’s most enduring and popular bands, the Tannahill Weavers, at a new location for the notloB Parlour Series.

• The Somerville-based Burren welcomes Dunne and Graham as part of its “Backroom” series on Sept. 10. The two are an integral part of Beoga, regarded as one of the most inventive and exciting groups to emerge in 21st-century Ireland.

Backstage at ‘The Lion King’: Tending to the fetching jungle

By R.J. Donovan
August 29, 2014
R.J. Donovan

Sue McLaughlin, with three of the many puppets and masks she tends to backstage at Disney’s “The Lion King,” playing the Boston Opera House September 9 - October 12. Photo by Selena MoshellSue McLaughlin, with three of the many puppets and masks she tends to backstage at Disney’s “The Lion King,” playing the Boston Opera House September 9 - October 12. Photo by Selena Moshell

Somewhere in the depths beneath Boston’s Opera House lies a home and hospital for the extraordinary puppets that come to life nightly in Disney’s “The Lion King.”  One of the guardians of this theatrical ménage of giraffes, hyenas, and gazelles is the company’s Puppet Assistant, Sue McLaughlin. 

A native of Milford, NH, Sue has been working her magic with “The Lion King” for 16 years.  She was initially hired as a dresser with the original Broadway company, working closely with the Scar and Zazu puppets.  More recently, she has been applying her professional touch with the national touring company, which plays the Opera House from Sept. 9 to Oct. 12.

McLaughlin studied theater at Hofstra University and has a master of professional studies in art therapy from Pratt Institute.  Originally pursuing an acting career, she eventually found her calling backstage, building an impressive list of credits at Lincoln Center where she was part of the wardrobe department for prestigious productions of “Carousel,” “The Heiress,” and “A Delicate Balance.”  

We spoke by phone about her work with “The Lion King” during the show’s Washington, DC, run.  Here’s an edited look at our conversation.

IFEST TOP TEN

By BIR News Room
August 29, 2014

• Genealogy masterclasses: iFest gives Boston’s large Irish American population a unique opportunity to explore their heritage through a series of exhibitions, lectures, and workshops. Genealogy expert and author John Grenham of “Who Do You Think You Are?” on the TLC network will give attendees the tools to trace their roots during genealogy master classes and talks on family histories.

Ray Flynn, a Natural For Honors

By Bill O'Donnell
August 29, 2014
Bill O'Donnell

  Ray Flynn, a Natural For Honors – At a recent birthday party celebrating former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn’s 75th birthday, City Councillors Bill Linehan and Stephen Murphy announced they will lead a move to recognize the South Boston native for his life of public service. What a grand idea and one that Bostonians and others should, and I am sure will, get behind. (Disclosure: I worked at City Hall during the Flynn years)

Eight ways to help Ireland build a strong, happy future

By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR
August 29, 2014
Joe Leary, Special to the BIR

For many Irish Americans the key to a strong future for Ireland is the strength and creative energy of its educational system. A highly educated population and work force not only attracts inward investment but it also generates innovation, new ideas, and happier, more informed lives for Irish people.

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