Reading More, Liking It Less – If you are an Irish citizen you would be forgiven if you took little solace in the bruised cliche that all publicity is good publicity. That is demonstrably untrue and especially so with two articles last month in major US publications that savaged the Irish economic crisis and its perps, and a second article that inflicted yet more damage on that country’s reeling Catholic Church.
By Ed Forry
Barney McGinniskin was the first Irish cop in Boston. He arrived in Boston’s North End from County Galway in the 1840s, and found work as a laborer, until finally, on Nov. 4, 1851, he was hired by the city and he put on the blue waistcoat of a Boston police officer.
BIR contributing editor Peter Stevens told his story in these pages in 2008: “Boston had its first officially appointed Irish cop. Not surprisingly, his presence soon ignited a political, social and cultural furor in the land of ‘Yankee icicles.’
Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration for all things Irish.
Saturday, March 5
Vincent Crotty of Dorchester and Chuck Sullivan of Milton present a joint exhibition of paintings as the inaugural show at Studio D, located at 11 Pearl Street, Savin Hill, Dorchester.
The death has occurred on February 6, 2011 in Ireland of Patrick
Crotty of Old Court, Kanturk, Cork. The father of noted Boston artist
Vincent Crotty, he is lying in repose in his residence. Reception
into the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Kanturk at 1:30 pm on
Wednesday, February 9, for Requiem Mass at 2 pm. Burial afterwards in
St. Patrick's Cemetery.
New Ensemble to Perform in Cambridge Jan. 20
By BIR Staff
Boston-based Irish dancer and choreographer Kieran Jordan will present her new collaboration, “The Sole Mates,” for one night only this month before the group hits the road in March for an 11-gig tour of Germany and Switzerland.
By Judy Enright
Special to the BIR
One of Ireland’s most appealing attributes, as we’ve said in previous columns, is that no matter how many times you visit, you can always discover something new.
By Bill O’Donnell
Kennedy ‘History’ Series Deserved Axe – The History Channel produced and planned to air an expensive TV miniseries allegedly depicting the Kennedy family saga, which, after considerable controversy about the accuracy of its content, the cable channel killed.
By Ed Forry
A group of local Irish Americans are gathering up again this year to host an afternoon of Irish music, dance, and merriment in April to raise funds to help victims of last years earthquake in Haiti.
“Irish Hearts for Haiti” is chaired by Winnie Henry of Milton and Pat “Doc” Walsh of Dorchester, and they have gathered a committee to plan the day-long event, now set for the Quincy Marriott on Sun., April 3, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.