February 5, 2023

Dear Members,

Welcome to 2023. It's always such a pleasure to think about all our valued and engaged members and the continued support you have shown the Museum. Although the Interpretive Center is closed for the season and we currently aren't doing any tours of the Barney Street Cemetery, the Board has been busy planning and moving forward.

•   Our 21st Annual Lecture Series continues with the first presentation of the calendar year via Zoom on Tuesday, February 21

at 6:00 p.m. In recognition of Black History month, our speaker, Maureen D. Brady, will present a talk titled, "Sarah Parker Remond: A Black Abolitionist in Ireland, 1859." Details and a link to reserve are below.

•   Irish Heritage Month will be arriving soon with a flurry of activities during the month of March, including an in-person lecture on the 29th, which will also be live-streamed via Zoom. We will be posting the calendar of all the scheduled events on our website's "Events" page. The Newport Irish Heritage Month calendar will include events sponsored by the Museum plus events hosted by other organizations in our community. We’ll let you know when it is available. So, plan on a busy month celebrating your “Irishness” – maybe I’ll see you dancing at the 40 Steps!

•   Our 2022 Annual Appeal has been an incredible success: $32,190. I am humbled by the breadth and depth of the support from our members. These funds will enable us to continue with our strategic planning, Interpretive Center refresh activities and, of course, keep the lights on in the museum and continue to offer interesting lectures. Thank you!

•   Big News: Work has begun to refresh our Interpretive Center on Lower Thames Street. We started by removing some of the exhibits, preserving others, and repainting the interior. Right now, we are in the middle of putting it back together. We are working with some interns from Salve Regina University and their work may lead to interesting new exhibits. We have also started to scan and archive our photo collection. I will keep you posted as to our progress.

•   And don’t forget we have our 3 brochures for self-guided Walking Tours of Irish Newport that you can order via the

Resource page on the website.

The Board also wants to welcome our newest members, who joined since our December 6 E-newsletter.

Sending warm thoughts and appreciation for all you do for the Museum.

Best regards,

Deanna J. Conheeny, President

NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com

Sarah Parker Remond in 1865

Fourth talk of our 2022-2023 Lecture Series

In commemoration of Black History Month

Tuesday, February 21 at 6 pm (EST)

A Virtual Presentation

via Zoom

Sarah Parker Remond:

A Black Abolitionist in Ireland, 1859

Guest Speaker:

Maureen D. Brady

Lecture is made possible by a generous gift from

Virginia Pittsley,

given in memory of her husband, Bill Pittsley,

and their son, Jay Pittsley

Sarah Remond was the free-born daughter of activist parents who owned successful businesses in Salem, Massachusetts, where she was born. When the Salem school board implemented segregation, Sarah was duly dismissed, persuading her parents to move to Newport, Rhode Island, to enable their daughter to attend a well-regarded private school for Black children. The family resided in Newport for six years (1835-41), and re-established their business while Sarah received an education during her formative pre-teen and teenage years. This educational foundation would prove invaluable to Sarah’s later life when she became a devoted abolitionist and dynamic agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.

In 1859, Sarah traveled to Ireland on a lecture tour, presenting to standing-room-only crowds, becoming the first African American woman to speak publicly in the country. Like her friend Frederick Douglass, her time in Ireland was transformative, changing the trajectory of her life’s work. She never returned to America, choosing self-imposed exile over socially-imposed inequality, achieving successes that would have been impossible in the land of her birth, while establishing herself as a civil rights activist, feminist, and international champion of justice.

Maureen D. Brady

There is no fee, but reservations are required

to receive the Zoom login information.

If you reserved after receiving the flyer in the mail

and received a confirmation, you are all set.



Questions? Please contact Ann at tpm1@earthlink.net

or phone (401) 841-5493

If you or your business are interested in possibly sponsoring a talk in our 22nd Annual Lecture Series, which commences in September 2023, please contact Ann at (401) 841-5493 or (917) 270-3372 to learn more.

Thank you for your interest!

2022 Annual Appeal Update

250 donors have made one or more gifts to the Appeal.

We are truly grateful for each and every gift!

The total raised to-date: $32,190

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 to the

2022 Annual Appeal!

Click the Button for a list of donor names, reflecting gifts through January 31, 2023.

As our 2022-2023 fiscal year ends shortly, we are in the process of wrapping

up the Appeal.

If you plan to make a gift in any amount please do so at your first convenience so we can ensure your name and any memorial designation is included in the final donor list.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• While every effort has been made to report your gift and memorial designation as you intended, please take a moment now and click the above link, find your listing, and review it for accuracy.
• Please send any desired corrections to: NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com
• As the Appeal is wrapping up, shortly we will produce a donor board to recognize the names of all individuals, foundations, and organizations that have contributed to the appeal, along with any dedication provided (gifts "in memory of" or "in honor of.")
• The board will be displayed at our Interpretive Center and at special events, as we did for the 2020 Appeal

E-News you may have Missed

• Christmas Greeting (Dec. 22) - click here
• December E-News (Dec. 6) - click here
• November E-News (Nov. 3) - click here

An Achieve of past newsletters may be found on the "Newsletters" page of our website, under "Rescources"

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

(please do not send mail to the Thames St. address)

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.