December 6, 2022

Dear Fellow Members,

All of us on the Board hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and that you and your family will enjoy a beautiful holiday season ahead.

I hope to extend holiday greetings to many of you in person, at our 6th Annual Christmas Open House, this Saturday, December 10, beginning at 12 noon. Please scroll down for details.

Thanks and gratitude is an important theme in this newsletter, and on behalf of the board, I extend my sincerest thanks to all who have supported the Museum with its full slate of activities over the past year, through your priceless volunteer time and your generous financial gifts to the Annual Appeal, the Lecture Series, and other initiatives.

Please read on for a recap of the 2022 Annual Appeal, still underway. All who were members of record at the end of October received an update letter in the U.S. Mail with a listing of donor names up to that point. Since then, dozens of additional gifts have been received. Please scroll down for the latest update, including the total raised, a listing of donor names, and the many touching tributes that accompanied many of the gifts.

As you consider your year-end charitable giving, and if you have not yet had the opportunity, please consider a gift in any amount to the 2022 Annual Appeal. As you've read in our past communications, in the absence of our annual benefit gala, "Shamrocks & Seashells," which we've been unable to present since the pandemic, the Appeal has been essential in order to help defray the ongoing operating expenses of our Interpretive Center and to plan and fund enhancements (our "Refresh" project).

We are also pleased to share a recap of our Annual Lecture series, now in its 21st Season. Please scroll down for an overview of the first three talks in the series, links to information and recordings, and a tribute to the three generous lecture sponsors whose support made these presentations possible.

As we approach the close of 2022 and look with hope and confidence to the New Year, please reach out and share any ideas you may have to inform our plans for 2023 and beyond. With an ever-expanding membership and slate of initiatives, we remain eager to welcome additional volunteers to help in all aspects of our operations. If you have time and talent to share, I'd love to chat with you! As a membership-driven, volunteer-run organization, we look for ideas and inspiration from you, our members, now 900 strong.

Gratefully,

Deanna J. Conheeny

President, Board of Directors

djconheeny@gmail.com

(401) 847-7156 - residence

(401) 829-0098 - mobile

We extend a special welcome to our newest members, who joined since our e-newsletter of Nov. 3.

We hope many of you will have the chance to stop in and say "hello" to fellow members and enjoy refreshments during the open house on the 10th.

As noted above, our friends from the Ancient Order of Hibernian Men Singers will be on site to add holiday musical cheer between 3:30 and 4:30 pm, during which time we are expecting a "full house." If you prefer to visit during an uncrowded window, we suggest you stop in closer to mid-day.

When you stop in, pick up one of our gold-tone Celtic seal lapel pins (see below design), a great unisex stocking-stuffer, and just $5 per pin. Made in Rhode Island, too!

2022 Annual Appeal Update

Thus far, 237 donors have made one or more gifts to the Appeal.

We are truly grateful for each and every gift!

The total raised to-date: $30,670

Your gift in any amount will make a difference, and is also a wonderful way to honor your deceased or living loved ones.

Thank You to all those who have contributed thus far to the 2022 Annual Appeal!

Click the Button for a list of donor names, reflecting gifts through November 30.

List will be updated as additional gifts are received.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Every effort has been made to list your gift and memorial designation as you intended. Please send any desired corrections to: NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com
• When the 2022 Appeal is concluded, a donor board to recognize the names of all individuals, foundations, and organizations that have contributed to the appeal will be produced and displayed at our Interpretive Center and at special events, as we did for the 2020 Appeal
• Recent donors to the 2022 Appeal will receive written acknowledgement of their gift shortly.

History Lecture Series- Fall Recap

This fall, we presented the first of three talks of our 21st Annual Lecture Series at a terrific new lecture venue, the Wyndham Newport Hotel at the Atlantic Resort, in Middletown, just over the Newport line. After each engaging, informative and entertaining history talk and Q&A, members and friends enjoyed a reception with complimentary light hors oeuvres and a cash bar.

It was wonderful to welcome back so many members and friends, and we saw in-person audience sizes rebound closer to pre-Covid levels. Members from near and far who were not able to join us in person enjoyed the talks via live-streaming, made possible through the generosity of our event sponsors.

This fall, a total of nearly 600 either attended in person or registered to participate "virtually" via Zoom. We were also delighted to welcome twenty-five new members who joined in conjunction with the fall lectures. The 2022-2023 Series will now be on hiatus for a couple of months, but we'll be back early in the New Year with more events. Details to come!

We thank our three terrific speakers for making time in their busy schedules to present to our membership. Two of our guest speakers traveled to Newport from out of state, and all three speakers were impressed by the size and enthusiasm of our audience

THANK YOU

Speakers, program organizers and volunteers, our gracious venue host, and generous event sponsors, without whom the series would not be possible.

Below is a recap of the talks presented. Click the name of the lecture to read the talk overview and speaker's bio. Please visit the "Lectures" page on our website to enjoy the recordings of these and past lectures.

Sept. 19 - Dr. Elizabeth Stack

“Immigrant Activists: Irish Americans who Built a Better Society”

Lecture made possible by a generous gift from Virginia Pittsley,

given in Memory of her husband, Bill Pittsley,

and their son, Jay Pittsley

Oct. 18 - Raymond J. McKenna

“From Emyvale to Providence:

A Deep Dive Into a 19th Century Chain Migration”

Lecture made possible by a generous gift from

Margaret Armstrong Murray,

given in Memory of her husband, Vincent J. Murray

Nov. 14 - Dr. Kurt C. Schlichting

“Ethnic Enclaves:

Newport’s Kerry Hill Irish in 19th & Early 20th Century”

Lecture made possible by a generous gift from

The Fastnet Irish Pub

If you or your business are interested in sponsoring an upcoming Lecture, please reach out to us at NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com or phone Ann at (401) 841-5493 or (917) 270-3372 to learn more.

SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE CHARITIES

WHEN YOU HOLIDAY SHOP ONLINE

Did you know that you can easily support non-profits, at no cost to you or to them, when you shop on Amazon? 

Amazon will donate a small percentage of eligible purchases to a designated charity — including the Museum of Newport Irish History —through its AmazonSmile program.

Visit  https://smile.amazon.com and sign in with your Amazon credentials, then select “Museum of Newport Irish History Inc.” or another charity of choice. You can also click the below graphic.

Whether you choose to support the Museum or another non-profit through your Amazon holiday shopping, please remember to use the Amazon Smile portal to make your purchases. Think of the collective impact Amazon shoppers can have if a non-profit is designated each time they shop!

NOTE:

You can change the charity each time you use the Smile.Amazon.com portal.



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.

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.