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February 26, 2023
Dear Members,
We all look forward to celebrating our proud history and culture during the 46th Annual Newport Irish Heritage Month in March. Of course, the highlight for many will be the 67th Annual Parade in Honor of St. Patrick on Saturday, March 11, here in Newport.
There is much in store for you next month, and the Museum is pleased to once again sponsor a full slate of March happenings. Shortly, you should all receive a flyer in the mail with an overview of our March offerings, a copy of which can be accessed by clicking HERE. A copy of the March 29 Lecture flyer will be included in the mailing, and that can be accessed by clicking HERE.
Please read on for a review of each of our happenings, including links to reserve. This information is also available on our website. And don't miss the link to the entire calendar of "All Things Irish" in March, toward the bottom of this e-newsletter. It's wonderful to see so many more events being offered by community organizations compared to last March, and, certainly, the prior two years, which were most impacted by the pandemic.
I hope to see many of you around town in March, and many of our out-of-area members "virtually," via Zoom, at the much-anticipated March 29 lecture by our friend, colleague and the Museum's immediate past president, Mike Slein.
Finally, on behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I extend a warm welcome to our newest members, who joined since our February 5 E-newsletter.
Sláinte,
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BARNEY ST. CEMETERY TOURS RETURN | |
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Mar. 20, 2022 tour by Steve Marino (in green shirt).
Photo by Larry Bartley.
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Our popular tours of the 1828 Barney Street Cemetery, the final resting place of many of Newport's early Irish immigrants, return in March. Learn the fascinating story of this site, central to the history of Newport's early Irish community.
The tours of approximately 30 minutes will be given, weather permitting, on two Sundays at 12:30 p.m. by local researcher and guide, Steve Marino. No fee, but reservations are requested.
-Sun. March 5 - Sun. March 19
The cemetery was restored by the Museum in 1998-99, and continues to be maintained by the organization, thanks to our dedicated volunteers.
To reserve, please click the below button for the "Historic Cemetery Tours" page on our website. There, you will find links to reserve for each of the two tours along with interesting historical information about the cemetery site, including links to videos.
Questions/Assistance with Reservations?
Contact Ann Arnold at (401) 841-5493 or tpm1@earthlink.net
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TROLLEY TOUR OF IRISH NEWPORT - Mar. 18 | |
One of the charming trolleys operated by Viking Tours of Newport | |
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We are delighted to host our annual Trolley Tour of “Irish Newport” on Sat. Mar. 18. Two tours will be offered. The first departs Ancient Order of Hibernian Hall, 2 Wellington Avenue, Newport at 10:00 am sharp, and complimentary coffee and pastries will be available at 9:30 a.m. The second tour departs the Hall at 12:30 pm.
The 2-hour tours, narrated by Mike Slein, include stops at various sites connected to the history of the Irish in Newport, including the Forty Steps on Cliff Walk and the Barney Street Cemetery. The tours include an introductory visit inside the Museum’s Interpretive Center.
Generously sponsored by:
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in memory of :
Karen Oakley
Tickets are free, but gratuities for the
trolley driver are gratefully accepted.
Reservations are required, and space is limited
(35 riders per trolley).
Note: If you’ve taken the Trolley Tour in past years, especially more than once, we’d ask that you allow our new members
and our friends in the community at-large to experience the tour, as space is limited. Thank you!
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Questions/Assistance with Trolley Reservations?
Please contact Larry Bartley at (401) 965-7276 or ljbjr@cox.net
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INTERPRETIVE CENTER OPEN 9 DAYS IN MARCH | |
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The Museum’s Interpretive Center, which operates seasonally between late-May and the end of October, will be open nine days during March, Newport Irish Heritage Month. Located at
648 Lower Thames Street, just south of Narragansett Avenue, the Center also welcomes private and group tours, by appointment.
The special March 2023 public hours are 12:00–4:00 pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the second, third, and fourth weekends in March (Fri. Mar. 10 is the first day).
The list of days, parking info., map and directions may be viewed at the middle of the Home page of our website: https://newportirishhistory.org/
Hosted by our wonderful volunteer docents, visitors will learn about Irish immigration to the Newport area and of the contributions to the community by individuals of Irish descent from the Colonial era to the present through various exhibits, including photographs, artifacts and more.
Admission to the Center is free for Museum members and by donation for non-members. For more information, please contact Interpretive Center Manager, Steve Marino, at (860) 995-7367 or at NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com
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NEW! ST. MARY'S CEMETERY TOUR - MAR. 26
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We are excited to announce a new tour of the historic Saint Mary's Cemetery to be offered on Sun. March 26 at 12:30 p.m.
The outdoor tour of approximately 45 minutes will be given by local researcher and guide, Steve Marino, weather permitting.
Explore 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 (est. 1828), which, in 1848-1852 constructed a new church in which 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.
Meet at the gate on Kingston Ave. near the intersection with Warner Street, shown in the above photo.
To reserve, please click the below button for the "Historic Cemetery Tours" page on our website. There, you will find links to reserve for the Mar. 26 tour, alsong with links and information pertaining to the Barney Street Cemetery tours, dicussed above.
Questions/Assistance with Reservations?
Contact Ann Arnold at (401) 841-5493 or tpm1@earthlink.net
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ANNUAL LECTURE SERIES:
"VIRTUAL TOUR OF IRISH NEWPORT"
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Fifth and Final Program of the 2022-2023 Series
~ Our 21st Annual ~
A Virtual Tour of Irish Newport:
Connecting the Dots
Special Guest Speaker:
Mike Slein
Wednesday, March 29, 6:00 p.m.
Wyndham Newport Hotel
240 Aquidneck Ave, Middletown, R.I.
and Live-Streamed via Zoom
Made possible by a generous gift from
Frank Furtado in memory of Barbara Carr Furtado
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Mike Slein
immediate past president of the Museum of Newport Irish History
Photo by Jennifer Carter
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Mike Slein is the immediate past president of the board of directors of the Museum of Newport Irish History and served in that position for eight years. His final project prior to turning over the Museum reigns to Deanna Conheeny was to develop three self-guided walking tours of “Irish Newport,” which are available as a set of three brochures. Each stroll is approximately 90 minutes in length, covering one to three miles, and was designed to highlight the presence and impact of the Irish in building our great city of Newport.
This illustrated presentation will borrow stops from each of the three walks which share common themes and show connections between Ireland, Irish culture, and Newport history and its people.
Mike’s presentation is inspired by his abiding love of Ireland, its people and its culture, honed by more than twenty extended stays in the “old sod.” He has toured every county, from one-night stops on perimeter circumnavigation trips to month-long stays in country homes with family and friends. His appreciation and love of Newport, its history and its people are as deep as its Irish roots are at the heart. The personal connections between Newport and Ireland are many and deserve recognition.
The walking tours, a “virtual” version of which you will enjoy from the comfort of your chair, are a fine complement to the story told at the Museum’s Interpretive Center on Lower Thames Street. The Center spotlights the Irish immigrant working class who overcame 19th-century prejudices and persecution, and through their hard work, built the City of Newport and its surrounding towns. The walking tours are a confluence of both the working class and the wealthy, influential Irish who contributed to so many of the prominent buildings and institutions throughout our city.
Mike hopes that these tours will remain living documents that may grow and evolve as people provide ideas and additional sites for inclusion. Copies of each of the three tour brochures will be offered to each in-person attendee of this special presentation.
(To read Mike's fascinating bio,pleasee click the above photo)
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Reservations required. Click a link below to sign up.
In-person guests at the lecture and reception to follow are asked for a $5 per person fee/donation. No fee to participate via Zoom.
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The set of 3 self-guided Walking Tours of Irish Newport. | |
"DANCING AT THE FORTY STEPS" RETURNS | |
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Please hope and/or pray for some "Luck of the Irish" that we enjoy favorable weather on Sun. March 26 for this much-loved, family-friendly community event. The outdoor gathering is held weather-permitting, and updates will be posted on our Facebook page and on this webpage: https://newportirishhistory.org/events-calendar/dancing-at-the-forty-steps/
Learn more about this commemorative event and view videos of recent past "Dancing at the Forty Steps" gatherings by visiting the above webpage.
Questions? Please contact event coordinator, Rick O'Neill at
(401) 374-5698 or riconeill@cox.net
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46TH ANNUAL NEWPORT IRISH HERITAGE MONTH | |
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Newport Irish Heritage Month, a month-long celebration of "all things Irish," was established by the former Newport Irish Heritage Association (NIHA) 46 years ago through the efforts of Rick Kelly, Jim Mahoney, Rick O'Neill, and the late Paul Crowley. The Museum of Newport Irish History was proud to pick up the reins and continue to compile the March calendar of events of Irish interest when, in 2017, NIHA announced it would disband.
While the highlight for many is the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade (Sat. Mar. 11), the Newport Irish Heritage Month calendar includes many more events, submitted local organizations, including Fort Adams Trust, The Ancient Order of Hibernians,
the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Museum of Newport Irish History, Redwood Library & Athenæum, Edward King House Senior Center, WADK, and many others.
As you plan your March activities, please check out this online calendar, hosted by the Museum within the "Events" page of our website. Here is a direct link: https://newportirishhistory.org/newport-irish-heritage-month/
Questions, or to submit an event for the calendar, please write to us at NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com with "Irish Heritage Month" in the subject line.
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Museum members featured in
these three March events:
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There are several March events of Irish interest sponsored by colleague organizations that feature Museum of Newport Irish History members, including past Lectures Series guest speakers. These three interesting happenings on March 16, March 22 and March 26, respectively, deserve a special mention: | |
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There is no fee for the March 16, 6:00 pm lecture and reception to follow at Providence College, by Museum Life member, past lecture series guest speaker, and Rhode Island's Historian Laureate, Patrick T. Conley. What a wonderful way to spend Saint Patrick's Day Eve!
Click the below button for details, contact information, and the link to reserve.
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Museum member and past Lecture Series guest speaker,
Marian Mathison Desrosiers, will discuss her biography of the late Justice Florence Kerins Murray, a lifelong Newporter and one of Rhode Island's most accomplished Irish Americans.
R.I. Historian Laureate, Patrick T. Conley, will make introductory remarks. Reservations required. For details, contact information and reservations, click the button.
Wednesday, March 22 at 5:00 pm
Talk followed by reception, book sales & signing
Redwood Library & Athenæum
50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport
Free
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“Mrs. Campbell! Mr. Shaw.”
Sunday, March 26 at 3:00 pm
Redwood Library & Athenæum
50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport
$10
This 70-minute play by Sandra Laub is described as a “romp”
with the famous Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and his muse and paramour, the gilded age actress,
Mrs. Patrick Campbell.
Featuring actors Sandra Laub and
Museum of Newport Irish History member, Mike Healy.
For more information, actor bios and link to reserve tickets,
please use below button.
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LAST, BUT NOT LEAST: MEMBERSHIP | |
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As March 31 marks the end of the Museum's current Fiscal Year, the month of March also kicks off Membership Renewal Season. Nearly 70% of our memberships are Annual Membership (vs. Life), and these are due for renewal at this time of the year. The annual fee for an Individual membership remains $20, and a Family/Household membership $30 (applies to all those living at the same address).
Please, help us defray printing and postage expense by taking a moment to RENEW NOW online, by clicking the "Membership Renewal" button at the bottom of this e-newsletter.
If you prefer to pay by check, please send your check payable to "MNIH" with "Membership" in the Memo line to:
Museum of Newport Irish History
Attn: Membership
PO Box 1378
Newport, RI, 02840
NOTE: If you are not sure of your membership status, please contact Ann at tpm1@earthlink.net or (401) 841-5493, before making a payment, and she'll get right back to you.
Please do not send payments or other correspondence to our seasonal Thames Street Interpretive Center address.
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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.
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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.
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