January 28, 2026

Dear Members

We hope your 2026 is off to a great start and you're staying warm in all this snow!

2026 will mark our 30th anniversary, and we’ll share more details as plans develop. For now, we’re focused on finishing the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year strong, with member events and our 3rd Annual "Luck of the Irish" raffle fundraiser.

A couple of weeks ago, we mailed a letter and a book of "Luck of the Irish" raffle tickets to all members. We’re thrilled by the enthusiastic early response to this fundraiser!

As mentioned in the letter, the drawing for $6,000 in cash prizes will be held on Monday, March 23, right after the final lecture of the 2025-2026 series. The event will be in person and live-streamed on Zoom.

You don't need to be present to win. We encourage all our members, local to Newport or far away, to support this most important fundraiser of our 2025-2026 Fiscal Year, which ends on March 31, 2026, as we close Newport Irish Heritage Month.

Thanks to everyone who bought raffle tickets or donated to the fundraiser! Click the orange button below for the list of all Luck of the Irish supporters so far.

This month, we announced the next talk in our 24th Annual Lecture Series. It will be on Zoom on February 25 at 6:00 p.m., with returning guest speaker and award-winning educator, Maureen D. Brady. Scroll down for details, including the link to reserve.

Please also "Save the Date" for the last talk in the 2025-26 Lecture Series, set for March 23, with guest speaker Dr. Sean O'Callaghan, who will give a talk on Ireland's Blasket Islands, after which we'll draw the names of the three "Luck of the Irish" raffle winners.

Finally, stay tuned for our March, Newport Irish Heritage Month schedule of Museum-sponsored events, coming soon!


Best regards,

Deanna

Deanna J. Conheeny, President

Board of Directors

NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com

(401) 829-0098 - mobile

Scroll all the way to the end so you don't miss any news!

James Hoban:

The Irish Immigrant 
Who Built the White House

Lecture made possible by a generous gift from

Margaret Armstrong Murray, given in Memory of her husband

Vincent J. Murray

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.

The 4th talk of our 24th Annual Lecture Series features returning guest speaker and award-winning educator, Maureen D. Brady. Learn the fascinating story of the Irish immigrant who designed and built the original White House. There is no fee to participate, but reservations required to receive the Zoom login info.


Click the below links for a full talk overview and

speaker bio and to reserve.

Maureen D. Brady

The 70th Newport St. Patrick's Day Parade, for many the highlight of Newport Irish Heritage Month, is set for Saturday, March 14, 2026. The Parade Committee has announced that this year's co-Grand Marshals will be Michael Behan and Tish Curtis Behan, Life Members of the Museum of Newport History.

On behalf of our colleagues and friends on the Newport St. Patrick's Parade Committee, we are sharing the opportunity to sponsor the parade and help defray the Committee's expenses to produce this beloved Newport tradition.

Please consider a donation of $10 or more for a listing in the parade commemorative booklet. Listing can be made in memory of a deceased loved one.

Join the Museum in demonstrating your support for the parade — part of Newport's Irish history for 70 years!

For details and a printable sign-up form to fill out and mail in with your check, please click the below button.

Questions: Please contact Parade Committee Chair and Museum member, Dennis Sullivan at (401) 846-5081 or Dennis@NewportIrish.com

~PARADE HISTORY BITE~ 
Modern era Newport St. Patrick's Day Parades began seventy years ago, but Newport was actually the site of Rhode Island's very first St. Patrick's Day parade, in 1842. That very first parade stepped off from the corner of Barney and Mt. Vernon Streets, the heart of the Irish immigrant community, as it was the site of the community's

first Catholic church and graveyard.

News you May Have Missed 

CLICK the newspaper graphic for

past Members' E-newsletters.

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.

Thank You to all our members with Annual (vs. Life) Memberships who have

paid their dues for the

2025-2026 Membership/Fiscal Year. 
Those who have not yet paid for the current membership cycle were mailed this letter

late last week, along with the Feb. lecture flyer.

 If you are unsure of your membership status — before making a payment — please email Ann Arnold at tpm1@earthlink.net or phone her at (401) 841-5493 and she'll get right back to you.

Note:

Raffle Ticket purchases are not applied to Dues payable.

!