Irish “Gathering” To Be Highlight of 2013

By Bill O'Donnell
June 4, 2012
Bill O'Donnell

By Bill O’Donnell
Irish “Gathering” To Be Highlight of 2013 -- The Irish government and its tourist agency are planning a mammoth party next year and are inviting some 70 million people of Irish heritage around the world to join in. It is hoped that the Gathering, modeled on the widely acclaimed Scottish event in 2009 called the “Homecoming, will bring over a quarter of a million visitors to Ireland.

An Appreciation: ONE OF A KIND

By Ed Forry
June 4, 2012

Thomas O’Connor wrote the book(s) on Boston’s Irish, the city’s history

By Peter F. Stevens
BIR Staff
The passing of Professor Thomas H. O’Connor last month marked the passing of a man and historian who was truly one of a kind. O’Connor’s work stood – and stands – as the bar for anyone who writes about history. He was that good. He also was generous with his time, his experience, and sage insights to this writer, and I’ve rarely enjoyed interviewing and simply conversing with someone more than with Professor O’Connor.

Hello, sheep lovers: Ireland is the place for ewe

By Ed Forry
June 4, 2012

By Judy Enright
Special to the BIR
The clerk in the upscale Connemara shop said, “Sheep sell. Items here with sheep on them fly out the door!”
She had seen me admiring a large display of ceramic mugs, coasters, magnets, cards, prints, and more – by Thomas Joseph, an artist in Co. Down, Northern Ireland. He has a lot of fun with the word “ewe” – using it in place of “you” (wish ewe were here, for instance) – and depicts sheep on surf boards, driving tractors, playing and doing other whimsical things that, of course, sheep don’t do.

In Canton, it's a weekend for wearing of the Green

By Sean Smith
June 4, 2012
Sean Smith

Boston Irish Festival begins Friday at ICCNE, Canton
Gaelic Storm, the irrepressible Celtic folk-rock quintet, headlines this year’s Boston Irish Festival, set for this weekend, June 8-10 at the Irish Cultural Centre of New England in Canton. Other performers slated to appear at the festival include The Prodigals, The Glengarry Bhoys, and The Screaming Orphans, as well as popular local acts such as The Gobshites, Devri, The Great Whiskey Rebellion, The Silver Spears, Erin’s Melody, and the Andy Healy Band.

Dr. Tom O'Connor, Boston Irish Historian, at 89; Burial Thursday, May 24

By Ed Forry
May 22, 2012

Thomas H. O'Connor, the University Historian and long-popular professor emeritus of history at Boston College who was widely considered "the dean of Boston’s historians" for his authorship of such critically acclaimed books as Boston Catholics, Civil War Boston and The Boston Irish, died at his Milton, Mass. home on May 20 after suffering a heart attack. He was 89.

Gastronomically speaking, the Irish have the right stuff

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
May 9, 2012

Let’s talk food – Irish food. In short, it’s great!

You may still be able to find a pub that serves dry, tasteless ham or cheese sandwiches on bland bread, but for the most part, food is fresh, locally sourced, and truly outstanding and not just in the high-end restaurants. Pubs have come into their own, too, and many serve fresh soups and stews, paninis, and other trendy sandwiches along with other pub fare.

Norfolk MA's 15 year old Melissa McCarthy is All Ireland dance champ

By Bill O’Donnell
May 1, 2012
Bill O’Donnell

Give The Little Lady A Big Hand—This Norfolk, Massachusetts, dancer doesn’t need much of an introduction to Boston Irish dance fans, given her appearances in Riverdance and Brian O’Donavan’s Celtic Sojourn and her talents as a gifted dance instructor, but now Melissa McCarthy, 15, has a new title: winner of the prestigious World Irish Dancing Championship held last month in Belfast. She bested girls in the age 15-16 category in the Waterfront Hall contest.

Irish president will preside over Famine events

By Ed Forry
May 1, 2012

President Michael D Higgins arrives in Boston for May 5 Faneuil Hall event
By the BIR Staff
Boston’s Irish community is preparing to welcome Michael D. Higgins, the ninth and current President of Ireland, on his arrival in the city on Sat., May 5, for a whirlwind two-day visit that will coincide with Boston’s designation by the Irish government as the official site of the international commemoration of the Irish Famine.

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