Boston Irish Heritage Trail

Boston, Massachusetts

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Irish-American sculptors, poets, veterans, and politicians

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2 hours

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Boston Black Heritage Trail

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Timeline

1660

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1798

1877

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2007

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Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway

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Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, Atlantic Ave, Boston, Massachusetts

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Boston's North End. Her parents were John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, who later became mayor of Boston, and Mary Josephine Hannon. In 1914 Rose married Joseph P. Kennedy and they raised nine children, including President John F. Kennedy.

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2007 - Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway - The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is a linear park in downtown Boston, created from the demolition of the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway as part of the Big Dig project. It is named for the matriarch of the Kennedy family, who was born in the nearby North End. Officially opened in October 2008, the 17-acre Greenway stretches over one mile through several neighborhoods, including Chinatown, the Financial District, the Waterfront, and the North End.The Greenway’s design and planning were guided by the Boston 2000 Plan, which allocated 75% of the land to open space and public facilities. The park features landscaped gardens, promenades, plazas, fountains, and specialty lighting systems. Notable design contributions include Chinatown Park by Carol R. Johnson Associates and Chinese landscape architect Yu Kongjian, Dewey Square by Machado and Silvetti Associates and Utile, Inc., and the Wharf District Parks by AECOM and Copley Wolff Design Group.The Greenway is maintained by the non-profit Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, which oversees its operations, events, and programs. The park serves as a vibrant urban space, connecting various parts of the city and providing a green oasis in the heart of Boston.

Boston City Hall

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1 City Hall Square, Boston, Massachusetts

Kevin Hagan White, Boston's 45th mayor(1968 - 1983), presided over the city's downtown renewal and brought basic city services directly to residents with Little City Halls in outlying neighborhoods. He oversaw school desegregation, as well as America's bi-centennial in 1976. Later, he taught a course on politics and the press at BU.

James Michael Curley was also known as the Purple Shamrock, Rascal King, or simply Curley, a legendary Boston politician who was the son of immigrants. He served in elected office from 1900 to 1949 as the mayor four times, the MA governor, and a Congressman. His critics accused him of patronage while others loved him for his largesse.

In the 19th century, Boston City Hall represented the unfulfilled hopes of Irish immigrants seeking equality and opportunity. Their wish was ful-filled, when Hugh O'Brien, born in County Cork, became Boston's first Irishmayor (1885-88). O'Brien was followed by Patrick Collins, also of Cork (1902-05). In the 20th century Irish-American politicians held the mayor's seat for 85 out of 100 years; and continuously from 1930 to 1993.

Mayor John F. Collins sculpture sits on City Hall's south wall.

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2006 - Mayor Kevin White - With his jacket thrown over his shoulder and a spring in his step, former Boston mayor Kevin White appears to be in a hurry. This oversized statue depicts him walking away from City Hall and toward Quincy Market, which he renovated and expanded in the 1970s. White was one of the city's longest serving mayors, holding the office from 1968 to 1984. While in office, he fought to implement rent control and supported the desegregation of Boston schools. Along less serious lines, he also convinced the Rhode Island State Police to release the members of the Rolling Stones from jail so that they could make a scheduled appearance in Boston. Through his lifelike depiction, Massachusetts artist Pablo Eduardo has emphasized White's populist appeal. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

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1980 - Mayor James Michael Curley - During a political career lasting 50 years, filled with peaks and valleys, James Michael Curley achieved his status as a Boston legend. He began his political career as a ward boss in the South End, then a neighborhood of Irish immigrants. Beginning in 1914, he served four terms as mayor, though none of them consecutive. In between his terms, Curley was elected to the House of Representatives and the Governor's Office, and he also spent several months in jail for fraud. Though he never lacked enemies, Curley remained popular among his constituents, who benefited from the major public improvements he sponsored. Most notably, he renovated public spaces, created new jobs, and expanded access to healthcare and transportation. This tribute to Curley was funded by the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund, created in 1892 to beautify the City of Boston. Local artist Lloyd Lillie won the commission with two bronze likenesses of the former mayor, one standing wearing a campaign button and one seated casually on a bench. At the statue's unveiling, Mayor Kevin White (see above) claimed that the two statues illustrated "the duality of Curley's appeal" as both "a man of authority and a man with a genuine concern and compassion for the public he served." On the accompanying plaque, an inscription from Shakespeare's Hamlet acknowledges Curley's extraordinary personality, as well as his imperfections. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

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1969 - Boston City Hall and Public Spaces - Boston City Hall was a part of a major urban redesign effort in downtown Boston during the 1960's, a project which replaced Scollay Square with Government Center, which included City Hall and the City Hall Plaza. One of the most famous examples of so-called brutalist architecture, the design by Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles was the unanimous winner in an international design competition. The building is famously polarizing and remains controversial to this day. Praised by many working within architecture and related professions for its vision, it has equally been criticized by workers, neighbors and other Bostonians as an unfriendly eyesore. There have recently been proposals both to demolish the building and to declare it a landmark.

Boston Irish Famine Memorial

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Boston, Massachusetts

100,000 Irish refugees arrived in Boston, fleeing Ireland's potato famine (1845 - 1849). As part of the 150th anniversary of Ireland's famine, Boston businessman Thomas J. Flatley and others raised $1 million to create a lasting tribute to the Famine Irish generation. The memorial was unveiled on before 7,000 people.

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1998 - Boston Irish Famine Memorial - In 1845, a quickly spreading mold began to destroy potato plants in Ireland, unleashing what we now know as the Great Famine. Many of the poor in Ireland depended on potatoes as their primary food source, and about one-eighth of the population died from hunger or disease over the following years. Those more fortunate fled the country, with over 1.5 million Irish arriving in the United States. Boston was a favored place for the Irish start their new lives. This memorial was unveiled in June 1998 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Great Famine. The memorial includes eight narrative plaques about the Famine and two groups of figures, one deeply affected by the Famine, and the other looking healthy and well fed. Through these two opposed groups, sculptor Robert Shure has highlighted the significance of Ireland's class structure during the Famine. Poor farmers and rural laborers were far more likely to die from hunger and disease than the urban population of white-collar workers. Considered outside of its historical context, the sculpture encourages us to reflect on similarly unjust conditions that persist today. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

Granary Burying Ground

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Tremont St, Boston, Massachusetts

The Granary is a resting place for Boston's early settlers. Catholics could not be buried in the Granary, but there are numerous Protestant Irish and Ulster-Scots, including Governor James Sullivan, whose parents were Irish immigrants. Two signers of the Declaration of Independence are here: Robert Treat Paine, descended from the O'Neills of Tyrone, and John Hancock, whose ancestors came from Newry, County Down. Irishman Patrick Carr, shot by the British soldiers in 1770, is one of the five Boston Massacre victims buried here. William Hall, a president of the Charitable Irish Society, is buried in the Granary.

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1660 - Granary Burying Ground - The Granary Burying Ground is Boston's third-oldest cemetery and the final resting place of numerous heroes of the American Revolution, including Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and victims of the Boston Massacre, among others. The Granary Burying Ground is a site on the Freedom Trail.

Massachusetts State House

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24 Beacon St, Boston, Massachusetts

The Massachusetts State House holds various items of Irish interest going back to the 18th century. There's a plaque to Jeremiah O'Brien, a privateer who waged war against the British Navy during the Revolutionary War. It also has portraits of Irish-American governors, including James Sullivan, David I.Walsh, Maurice Tobin, Paul Dever and Edward King, and portraits of other Irish-American officials. In Memorial Hall, a Display of Irish Flags includes the original flags used by local Irish Regiments in the American Civil War, the 9th and 28th Regiments. Near Doric Hall is a plaque to Mary Kenney O'Sullivan, activist for women's and workers rights. A life-size statue (1988) of President John F. Kennedy is in the front lawn of the State House.

The Shaw Memorial depicts the state's 54th Black Infantry Regiment which fought valiantly in the Civil War. Created by Augustus Saint Gaudens who was born in 1848 in Dublin to a French father and Irish mother (Mary McGuinness of County Longford), the family sailed for Boston when Augustus was six months old. They settled in New York City, and Augustus later studied in Paris and Rome.

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1897 - Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment - The famous American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens spent over a decade creating this bronze bas-relief monument, which is generally considered one of his finest works. It commemorates the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first volunteer regiment of African-American soldiers, active during the Civil War. The Regiment was led by white colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the son of prominent Boston abolitionists. Shaw and his regiment are famous for their assault on Fort Wagner in 1863. Outnumbered, many of the troops, including Shaw, were killed and buried in a mass grave by Confederate soldiers. One of the soldiers who survived the assault, William H. Carney, received a Medal of Honor in recognition of his bravery. The 54th also reportedly included Frederick Douglass' two sons and the grandson of abolitionist Sojourner Truth. In the relief, an angel accompanies the men as they march down Beacon Street on May 28, 1863, leaving Boston to head south. She holds an olive branch, which symbolizes peace, and poppies, which symbolize death. Through this imagery, Saint-Gaudens alludes to both the soldiers' individual fates and the North's eventual victory. Other features of the relief are realistic, rather than symbolic. For example, each soldier's face is markedly distinct, endowed with a unique appearance and expression. Saint-Gaudens' respect for the soldiers is shown through his efforts to portrays them as individuals, not simply as a group. In 1982, the names of the African-American soldiers who died were added to the reverse side of the memorial. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

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1798 - Massachusetts State House - Completed on January 11, 1798, the Massachussets State House was widely praised as one of the most magnificent buildings in the country. Paul Revere overlaid the building's original wooden dome with copper. In 1874 the dome was again overlaid, with 23 karat gold leaf. The Massachusetts State House is a site on the Freedom Trail.

Boston Commons

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Boston Common, 139 Tremont St, Boston, Massachusetts

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is dedicated to "the men of Boston who died in the Civil War," unveiled before 25,000 people, many of them veterans. The memorial was created by Martin Milmore and his brothers James and Joseph, who came from County Sligo to Boston with their mother in 1851. The Milmores created numerous Civil War statues in Charlestown, Jamaica Plain, Cambridge, and Framingham and their classical work is found at the State House, Boston Athenaeum and Boston Public Library.

Born in County Wexford, John Barry (1745-1803) was a naval hero in the Revolutionary War, winning the first and last battle of the war against the British. George Washington named him to create the first US Navy, and Barry is widely considered the Father of the American Navy. This memorial, by sculptor John Paramino, was unveiled by Mayor James Curley in 1949. Vandals stole the bronze plaque in the 1970's and a granite replacement replaced it The original plaque was later retrieved by members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and is now at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

The monument to the five Boston Massacre victims of 1770 was opposed by some Bostonians, who considered the victims as rabble rousers. But John Boyle O'Reilly led the effort for the memorial, then wrote and recited a poem for the dedication in 1888. One of the five martyrs was an Irishman, Patrick Carr, who was the last to die. He is buried at the Granary Burying Ground. A cobblestone marker of the actual site of the Massacre is located in front of the Old State House on State Street.

Established in 1756, Central Burying Ground was Boston's fourth burial grounds. A variety of 'strangers' were buried here, including Irish Catholics and Freemasons, as well as British soldiers who died during the Revolutionary War. The Parks Dept. notes this is the city's only historical burying ground with Celtic crosses carved into the slate headstones, including one of James Landrigan (d. 1807) from Tipperary.

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1877 - Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument - Boston's most elaborate memorial, this work serves as the City's tribute to its citizens who fought on land and sea during the Civil War. Its design incorporates a number of abstract symbols. For example, four figures at the base of the column symbolize the cardinal directions of North, South, East, and West. Crowning the column is an allegorical female figure representing the Genius of America. Lastly, four bronze plaques located on the base show troops departing to and returning from war, while the other two pay tribute to the Navy and the Boston Sanitation Commission. Boston sculptor Martin Milmore created the monument, and Harvard president Charles W. Eliot penned the featured inscription. In honoring ordinary soldiers and sailors, rather than military leaders, this work set an important precedent adopted by the designers of subsequent memorials. Originally, the sculpture also included four bronze figures, each placed at a corner of the monument's base and representing Peace, the Sailor, the Muse of History, and the Soldier. These figures are in need of repair and were removed to prevent further deterioration. The memorial, among many others, is up for adoption in the Boston Art Commission's Adopt-A-Statue program, which raises the funds needed to repair and maintain works of public art. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

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1949 - Commodore John Barry Memorial - Known as "the Father of the American Navy," Commodore Barry commanded three ships during the Revolutionary War, including the Alliance, which won the war's final naval battle. In 1794, President Washington asked Barry to organize a formal United States Navy, and Barry went on to serve as senior captain when an undeclared naval war with France broke out in 1798. There are two copies of this memorial in existence. The first was commissioned by the City of Boston in 1949, but it was later stolen. A replacement was installed in 1977, funded by the Henderson Foundation. The stolen plaque was eventually returned, and it is now in the collection of the USS Constitution Museum nearby in Charlestown. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

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1888 - Boston Massacre & Crispus Attucks Monument - The Freedom Trail merges with the Black Heritage Trail on Oliver Wendell Holmes Walk in the Boston Common. Here, a monument commemorates the events of March 5, 1770, when British soldiers, later to be successfully defended by John Adams, shot down five Bostonians. Crispus Attucks is the best known of these five. He is widely hailed as a hero of the American Revolution, although little information about him can be verified. According to some reports, Attucks was of African and Native American descent and had fled to Boston after escaping his enslavers. Attucks' grave is located in the nearby Granary Burying Ground. At the column's base, a bronze plaque illustrates the infamous event. Its two central figures are sculpted in high relief, meaning that parts of the figures are three-dimensional and jut out significantly from the background. You may notice that one figure's hand is shinier than the surrounding bronze. It has been polished by visitors reaching out to touch it. A figure representing the Spirit of the Revolution presides over the monument. She triumphantly displays a broken chain to symbolize liberty, as well as an American flag. With one foot, she steps on the crown of the British monarchy, and next to her other foot, an eagle prepares to take flight. Her exposed breast and outstretched arm evoke the main figure in Eugene Delacroix's iconic painting Liberty Guiding the People, a powerful symbol of the French Revolution that the sculptor, Robert Kraus, would have known. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

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1756 - Central Burying Ground, Boston - The Central Burying Ground, established in 1756, is one of Boston’s historic cemeteries located on the Boylston Street side of Boston Common. It was created to address overcrowding in other burial sites in the city ². Notable individuals buried there include artist Gilbert Stuart, known for his portraits of George Washington, and composer William Billings. The cemetery also contains the graves of Samuel Sprague, a participant in the Boston Tea Party, and his son Charles Sprague, one of America’s earliest poets.

Public Garden

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Public Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Born in Queen's County (Laois), Cass moved to Boston and became a local businessman and School Committee member. When the Civil War broke out, Governor Andrew asked Cass to form a regiment of Irish immigrants - the 9th Massachusetts Volunteers. Cass led his men into battle, and was himself fatally wounded at the Battle of Malvern Hill. He returned to Boston and died in 1862. A granite memorial of Cass was initially unveiled, but was then replaced by this bronze memorial.

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1899 - Colonel Thomas Cass Statue - Although an earlier memorial to Cass was displayed shortly after his death, it received so much criticism that Boston Mayor Josiah Quincy secured funds for a new work in the colonel's honor. Sculptor Richard E. Brooks cast this bronze sculpture in 1899 and received gold medals for it at two World's Fairs, the Paris Exposition of 1901 and the Buffalo Exposition of 1902. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

Charles River Esplanades

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Esplanade Cycling and Trekking Path, Charles River Esplanades, Boston, Massachusetts

A native of Clinton, MA, David I. Walsh (1872-1947) was the first Irish Catholic to be elected Governor of Massachusetts (1914-16). He was Lieutenant Governor (1913-14) and a US Senator for over 20 years, and the state's first Irish Catholic senator. In 1919 Walsh was keynote speaker at a Fenway Park rally for Irish leader Eamon DeValera, which was attended by 60,000 people.

Born in Roxbury's Mission Hill, Maurice Tobin (1901-53) was the son of immigrants from Clogheen, Tipperary. He became the youngest state representative at age 25, and was viewed as a liberal crusader in an era of conservative State House politics. In 1937 he made a surprise run for mayor against his mentor, James Michael Curley, and won. Tobin defeated Curley again in 1941 and in 1944 successfully won his bid to become Governor of Massachusetts (1944-46).

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1954 - David Ignatius Walsh - After two statues of military heroes, we encounter a figure known for his pacifism. David Ignatius Walsh was the first Irish-Catholic governor of Massachusetts and also its first Irish-Catholic senator. As governor, Walsh fought to give women the right to vote and to reform the state's labor compensation system. As senator-an office he held for 26 years-Walsh served on the Committee of Naval Affairs and opposed American entry into World War II. He actively participated in America First, an antiwar organization, until the attack on Pearl Harbor changed his views. Although this sculpture appears intact, its granite base is in fact missing three bronze relief plaques depicting an eagle, the Massachusetts seal, and the Navy's insignia. The figure's clothes are heavily stylized, which is to say that their long, linear folds seem more decorative than representational. Above the figure is a Latin inscription ‘Non Sibi Sed Patriae’ that translates as "Not for self, but for country," the motto of the US Navy and also a fitting account of Walsh's public service. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

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1958 - Maurice J. Tobin - Born in Mission Hill, Roxbury in 1901, Maurice J. Tobin became the youngest elected Massachusetts legislator. At 25 years of age, he began his political career in the Commonwealth's House of Representatives. He later was elected Mayor of Boston, then became Governor, and finally was appointed Secretary of Labor under President Truman. During his tenure as Mayor, Tobin authored the Fair Employment Practices Bill, prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, creed, or national origin. He also advocated for workers' rights. Today, many Bostonians associate Tobin with the bridge named after him, which passes over Mystic River. This more personal commemoration shows Tobin dressed in a suit and clutching a briefcase, as if on his way to work. Seals representing Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the United States symbolize the three levels of government in which he served. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

Back Bay

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Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts

Born in Fermoy, County Cork, Patrick Collins (1844-1905) was Boston's second Irish-born mayor, following Hugh O'Brien, elected in 1885. He served from 1902 to 1905, and was the first candidate in Boston's history to sweep every ward in an election. Collins was also active in Ireland's land league movement and in Irish nationalism. After he died suddenly in office, $26,000 for his memorial was raised in just days by thousands of small contributions, a tribute to his enormous popularity.

Considered America's first great portrait artist, John Singleton Copley was born on July 3, 1737 in Boston. His parents - Richard Copley and Mary Singleton - emigrated from County Clare, and his father died shortly after. Copley learned to paint from his stepfather, Peter Pelham. Copley painted the leading citizens of his time, including George Washington, John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Copley Square Park was named in his honor in 1883.

First built in 1848, the Boston Public Library is America's oldest public library and the fourth largest in the USA. It was initially called The People's Palace, and the University of the People, a beacon of learning for immigrants and working families. The BPL's Irish collection contains over 13,000 items and many rare items. Among its important collections include materials on the 1798 Uprising; the formation of the Irish Free State; the Abby Theatre, Seamus Heaney. The Music Department has an important collection of Irish sheet music, while the Microfilm Department has various newspapers and papers of historical significance. The Photo Department has rare photographs from Civil War photographer Matthew Brady and many photos that capture Boston's Irish history. Among the statuary of Irish interest are a bust of Hugh O'Brien, Boston's first Irish mayor and a bust of John Boyle O'Reilly both by sculptor John O'Donoghue; the twin marble Lions in the foyer of the McKim building by Louis Saint Gaudens, heraldic seals above the McKim building entrance by Augustus Saint Gaudens, and a bust of George Ticknor by Martin Milmore.

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1908 - Patrick Andrew Collins - This bust commemorates the second Irish-born mayor of Boston, who died unexpectedly while in office. Collins immigrated to the US at the age of four and lived most of his life in Boston. His love for both his native land and his adopted country is shown through the two allegorical figures flanking the granite base. One wears a crown of laurel leaves and holds a shield, representing Liberty; the other wears a crown of shamrocks and holds a harp, symbolizing Erin, or Ireland. The inscription below reminds us of Collins' achievements following a modest upbringing: "upholsterer from 15 to 23," he went on to receive a law degree from Harvard and pursue a political career. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

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2002 - John Singleton Copley - A statue of the painter John Singleton Copley fittingly presides over the public square named after him. Copley was the most prominent painter in colonial America, and his work gave pause to those who considered the colonies unrefined in comparison to the cities of Europe. In fact, Copley became well known on both sides of the Atlantic and was elected into England's prestigious Royal Academy of Arts, an elite association of artists. As a portrait painter, Copley aimed to capture the personalities of his wealthy and influential subjects, and he often depicted them among objects or furnishings that revealed their interests and tastes. Here, sculptor Lewis Cohen follows the great master's example and shows Copley holding paintbrushes and a palette. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

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1895 - Boston Public Library - Built in 1895, the Boston Public Library was designed by Charles McKim of McKim, Mead, and White. Upon its construction, it was the first free public library in the world and a testament to the development of Boston as the cultural capital of the United States at the time.

Fenway Park

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4 Jersey St, Boston, Massachusetts

Poet, patriot, prisoner, journalist, sportsman and spokesmen for the Irish in America, John Boyle O'Reilly (1844-1890) was the most influential Boston Irishman of the 19th century. Born in County Meath, he was a printer's apprentice and a foe of the British Empire. In 1866 he was sentenced to a penal colony in Australia for crimes against the Crown, but made a daring escape on a New Bedford Whaler named Gazelle. He arrived in Boston in 1870, and for the next 20 years was recognized as a powerful spokesman for the downtrodden.

Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, was built by Charles E. Logue (1858-1919), an Irish immigrant who came from Co. Derry to Boston in 1881 at age 23. He quickly gained a reputation as a skilled carpenter and ambitious young man and started his own construction firm. He built a number of schools and churches for the Boston Archdiocese, but Fenway Park would become Logue's enduring landmark. Numerous Irish events have been held at Fenway, including Eamon deValera's monster rally in 1919, and several championship matches in Irish football and hurling sponsored by the Gaelic Athletic League.

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1896 - John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial

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1912 - Fenway Park - Aa baseball stadium located in Boston. Since 1912, it has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox.

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Aerial view of the city of Boston

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37-24, 24th St, Suite 102, Long Island City, NY 11101