March 21, 2025

Dear Members,

We are delighted to share the names of the 3 very lucky winners of our "Luck of the Irish" raffle, whose ticket stubs were drawn before a large in-person and virtual audience after the last lecture of our 2024-25 Series, Wed., March 19, at the Wyndham Newport Hotel.

Please join us in congratulating:

$3,000 Grand Prize: Mary Fournier

$2,000 Prize: Joyce Fahy-Laundre & Glenn Laundre

$1,000 Prize: Lisa Finn

As shared in the letter all members of record received in November, along with a book of raffle tickets, "Luck of the Irish" is our major fundraiser for the 2024-25 Fiscal Year, which ends March 31.

Luck of the Irish has thus far generated approximately $16,000 in profit, after paying out the cash prizes and misc. expenses. In addition to the revenue raised by raffle-ticket sales, we received over $3,300 in non-raffle-ticket gifts from thoughtful and generous members.

We are very GRATEFUL TO ALL the 230+ Members and Friends of the Museum who purchased 1 or more raffle tickets and/or made an outright donation to the fundraiser!

* Click the "Supporters" button below to see the list*

While the raffle is over, there is still time to make a gift in any amount to the "Luck of the Irish" fundraiser and

help us reach our goal of $17,500!

If you'd like to donate online, please click the "Donate Now" button

by March 31. Be sure to type "Luck of the Irish" in the comment section so that we might properly direct your tax-deducible gift.

To make a gift by check, please make payable to "MNIH" with "Luck of the Irish fundraiser" in the Memo line and mail to PO Box 1378, Newport, RI 02840.

Thank you for your generosity!

☘️Please scroll all the way down for more March news ☘️

Photo of Mar. 5, 2023 tour by Charley Collins

On Saturday, March 22 at 1:00 p.m. we will offer a tour of the circa 1828 Barney Street Cemetery.

The tour of the final resting place of many of Newport's early Irish immigrants and the site of Rhode Island's first Catholic church is approximately 30 minutes long. Local researcher and guide Steve Marino will lead the tour. Learn the fascinating story of this site, which is central to the history of Newport's early Irish community.

The museum restored the cemetery in 1998-99 and continues to maintain it today, thanks to dedicated volunteers and the generosity of our members.

For details, including directions, please click the below button for the "Historic Cemetery Tours" page on our website. There, you will find links to reserve along with interesting historical information about the

Barney Street Cemetery site.

HISTORIC CEMETERY TOUR: ST. MARY'S

On Saturday, March 29 at 1:00 p.m. the Museum will offer a tour of the Saint Mary’s Cemetery, the final resting place of well over 1,000 Newporters of the mid-1800s through the early 1900s, including countless immigrants from Ireland and first-generation Irish Americans. This cemetery was established to serve R.I.’s first Catholic parish which, in 1848-1852, constructed a new church to house its growing congregation, fueled by immigration from Ireland. That church, dedicated in 1852 to “The Holy Name of Mary, Our Lady of the Isle,” stands today at the corner of Spring Street and Memorial Boulevard West. The St. Mary’s Cemetery was in operation soon after the church was completed. There is no fee, but reservations are requested for the tour of approximately 45 minutes, to be given by local researcher and guide, Steve Marino. Meet at the gate on Kingston Ave. near the intersection with Warner Street.

To reserve, click the below button  

 Questions/Assistance with Reservations?

Contact Ann Arnold at (401) 841-5493 (landline),

(917) 270-3372 (cell) or tpm1@earthlink.net

In celebration of the Newport Irish Heritage Month, the Museum of Newport Irish History Interpretive Center is open to the public on select days in March. The final three days are: Fri. Mar. 21, Sat. Mar. 22, and Sun. Mar. 23, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm, after which the Center will be closed until it opens for the 2025 Season Memorial Day Weekend.

Hosted by our knowledgeable and engaging docents, visitors to the Center will learn about Irish immigration to Newport County from the colonial era to the present and of the many contributions made to our community by individuals of Irish descent. The exhibits include maps, photographs, models, videos, and artifacts, including some from the construction of nearby Fort Adams, built with Irish immigrant labor. The newest exhibit spotlights the Newport-Kinsale Sister City relationship.

The Center is located at 648 Lower Thames Street, just south of Narragansett Avenue. Free parking is available on the street. Admission is free for Museum members and by donation for others.

NOTE: Private visits to the Center on alternative days/times may be arranged with adequate lead time to arrange a docent. To inquire, please write to NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com

On behalf of VFW Post 406 and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, we are pleased to share news of this local Irish history lecture, featuring Museum board member Dr. John F. Quinn,

Chair of the History Dept. at Salve Regina University.

From the Margins to the Mainstream:

The Rise of the Irish in Nineteenth Century Newport

• Wed., Mar. 26, at Hibernian Hall, 2 Wellington Ave, Newport
• Doors open 5:00 pm/Lecture begins at 6:00 pm
• Free admission, but reservations required as space is limited

RESERVE HERE:https://vfw406ri.org/newport-vfw-and-aoh-to-host-lecture-on-local-irish-history-wednesday-march-26

TALK OVERVIEW: In much of New England, Irish immigrants were treated inhospitably, to say the least. In many cities, "No Irish Need Apply" signs were common, but Newport was different. When the Irish arrived to work on Fort Adams in the early nineteenth century, they were treated respectfully but did not have much interaction with the rest of the community. Over the course of the century, the number of Irish in Newport increased steadily and they became more active in the city's affairs. By the Gilded Age, many Irish were flourishing. They were running a variety of businesses from nurseries to groceries to construction companies, and one Irish American, Patrick Boyle, was serving multiple terms as the city's mayor.

QUESTIONS: vfw406adjutant@gmail.com

We are pleased to share news of this lecture at Providence College featuring Dr. Scott Molloy, whose lecture is titled

"The Vanishing of Irish Rhode Island"

A lovely reception will follow the lecture.

NO FEE, but reservations are required.

For talk overview and to RESERVE:

https://prov.ly/murphy-healy-lecture-2025

Lecture Series made possible by a gift to Providence College from the late John M. Murphy Sr. ’19 Hon.

NEWPORT IRISH HERITAGE MONTH CLOSING EVENT

 Questions re. Dancing at the Forty Steps?

Contact Rick O'Neill at (401) 374-5698 or riconeill@cox.net

For photos and videos of past "Dancing at the Forty Steps" commemorative events, click the above graphic.

Museum of Newport Irish History

Established 1996

a 501c3 non-profit organization

Mailing Address:

PO Box 1378, Newport, RI 02840

Interpretive Center:

648 Lower Thames Street, Newport RI 02840

Email: NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com

Click Here for Museum Board of Directors Contact Info. and list of deceased board members, fondly remembered.

The MISSION of the Museum of Newport Irish History is to tell the story of the Irish immigrants and their descendants in Newport County and the surrounding area from the colonial era to the present. It also seeks to preserve artifacts and mementos relating to their experiences and facilitate

research on Irish history and heritage.