There was world renowned musician Yo-Yo Ma on center stage, playing an audacious solo of Danny Boy on his cello before 8,000 enraptured listeners. Mid-way through the performance and without missing a note he suddenly turned around to smile and nod at a pretty, proper Irish woman named Mary Walsh sitting behind him with her two sons, Martin and John, on either side. The mom and … [Read more...] about Boston’s Man of the People: Marty Walsh
Michael Quinlin
A Thousand Days of Grace
By Michael Quinlin, Contributor
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As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination Michael Quinlin reflects on Kennedy’s vision, his desire for a united Ireland, his love of poetry, and what his presidency meant to Irish Boston. President Kennedy’s thousand days in office marked an epoch in the Boston Irish story. One man stepping forth from a marginalized community that had struggled … [Read more...] about A Thousand Days of Grace
Boston Marathon: The Road to Recovery
By Michael Quinlin, Contributor
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Jane Richard is dancing again. Jane Richard, the tiny Irish step dancer from Dorchester, who lost her left leg in the Boston Marathon bombing in April, endured 12 operations on her leg last Spring, followed by months of physical therapy at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Jane’s nine year old brother Martin was killed by the bomb, and both her parents suffered … [Read more...] about Boston Marathon: The Road to Recovery
Believe in Boston: Reflections on the Boston Marathon
Following the unspeakable tragedy, the city of Boston showed amazing courage and resilience. Michael Quinlin writes of how the race served as an inspiration from the beginning. To prepare for the Boston Marathon you must approach it as a pilgrimage, a personal journey into your interior, a promise you make to yourself that you will triumph through sheer endurance and tenacity, … [Read more...] about Believe in Boston: Reflections on the Boston Marathon
The World Peace Jubilee & International Music Festival
For 18 days in the summer of 1872, Patrick S. Gilmore, an Irish-born impresario, led the largest concert in history. Some 20,000 singers and 2,000 musicians from around the world descended on Boston to participate in the World Peace Jubilee and International Music Festival, which ran from Bunker Hill Day to the Fourth of July, 1872. They performed in various ensembles and also … [Read more...] about The World Peace Jubilee & International Music Festival