March 17, 2026

☘️ Saint Patrick's Day greeting to all our members!

While the Saint Patrick's Day parades may be past in Newport and elsewhere, Newport Irish Heritage Month is still going strong. The Museum and other organizations are hosting wonderful programs you can enjoy throughout the rest of March.

For a reminder of all the Museum-sponsored March happenings, including two historic cemetery tours and "Dancing at the Forty Steps, please CLICK HERE,

If you plan to join us on March 23 at 6:00 p.m. for the final talk of our 2025-26 Lecture Series, in person or on Zoom, and have not yet reserved, please do so now.

And don't forget, our three "Luck of the Irish" raffle winners will be pulled following the March 23 lecture. There's still time to support this most important fundraiser of our 2024-25 Fiscal Year and enter for a chance to win. See the details below, including a list of all members and friends who have made a gift thus far to the fundraiser.

We'd also like to spotlight another Irish history lecture to close out Irish Heritage Month, presented by our friends at Providence College. 


👉Please scroll all the way down for 
more important information.

Questions? Please write NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com

OUR LECTURE SERIES CLOSING EVENT - MAR. 23

Fifth and Final Program of the 2025-26 Series

~ Our 24th Annual ~

Echoing Ancient Voices:

The Literary and Cultural Legacy of

Ireland's Blasket Islands

 Guest Speaker:

Dr. Sean O'Callaghan

Monday, March 23, 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

Francis J. Furtado 

in memory of his wife

Barbara Carr Furtado

Abandoned in the 1950s, Ireland’s once Irish-speaking Blasket Islands nurtured a distinctive culture. Dr. O'Callaghan's talk explores the lives of the Blasket Islanders through excerpts from the rich literature that emerged from this remote island community.


For the complete talk overview and speaker bio, click HERE

• Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
• Light hors d'oeuvres & cash bar available
• Winners of "Luck of the Irish" raffle to be pulled after lecture and Q&A conclude
• "Last chance" Raffle tickets will be sold 5:30- 6:00 pm

Click a link below to sign up.

In-person guests: $5 per-person fee

at the door, via cash or check to MNIH.

Zoom registrants: No fee

The above photo of a Blasket Island scene is by Giles Norman of 

Kinsale, Ireland, and is used with permission.

This is our most important fundraiser for the 2024-25 Fiscal Year, which ends in March. Gifts to the fundraiser may be in the form of raffle ticket purchases or donations.

More than 200 of you have already purchased raffle tickets and/or have made a tax-deductible gift to the fundraiser, and we are most grateful! (Tickets are $25 each or $100 for a book of 5)

Time is running out! Act now for a chance to win $6,000 in prizes on Monday, March 23. Send your completed raffle ticket(s) and payment today, or call us to participate.

For assistance with raffle ticket purchases, please, contact Kathy Papp at (401) 236-2624 or email NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com


Click below to see the names of all "Luck of the Irish" fundraiser supporters as of March 16.

The fundraiser will continue through March 31, which is the end of our 2025-26 Fiscal Year.

Raffle tickets not your thing? You can make a tax-deductible gift in any amount. To give by check, write "Luck of the Irish" in the memo line and mail it to:

Museum of Newport Irish History

PO Box 1378

Newport, RI 02840



You can also donate online by clicking the below button:

We are pleased to share news of this lecture at Providence College featuring Hasia Diner, professor emerita at New York University, past director of N.Y.U.'s Glucksman Ireland House, and a past Museum of Newport Irish History guest speaker.

Monday, March 30, 6:00 p.m.


Dr. Diner will speak on the topic of her most recent
 book of the same name:

"The Unlikely Alliance Between 
the Irish & the Jews in America"

The extraordinary untold story of how Irish and Jewish immigrants worked together to secure legitimacy in America.*

~A lovely reception will follow the lecture~

No Fee 
Reservations are requested for both 
In-Person or Live-Streaming participation

For talk overview and to RESERVE click this link:

prov.ly/5th-annual-murphy-healy-lecture


Location: '64 Hall, Slavin Center

Parking: PC's Wardlow Lot

GPS for Parking: 1 Wardlaw Ave, Providence, RI 02918

Questions: (401) 865-2895

*Note: Dr. Diner delivered a highly anticipated lecture to Museum members and guests on this topic in October 2024. This event set a record for the largest total audience—in person plus Zoom—of our lecture series in its 24-year history. If you missed the 2024 presentation, this is a rare opportunity to experience Dr. Diner's talk on "The Unlikely Alliance Between the Irish & the Jews" as a guest of Providence College.

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

Click the graphic and scroll through the entire calendar of "All Things Irish" in the Newport area during March. While the parade may be behind us, many event opportunities remain, including corned beef & cabbage dinner opportunities, music, and our own "Dancing at the Forty Steps."

🚨 ATTENTION: LAPSED MEMBERS

If you received a letter in the mail with the February Lecture flyer marked "3rd Renewal Reminder," our records show your membership dues for the current cycle (April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026) remain unpaid. HERE is a copy of that letter.

By renewing before March 31, 2026, you’ll help us finish the Fiscal Year strong and ensure our organization’s continued success. Your prompt support truly makes a difference—please renew today!

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our founding in 2026, there’s never been a better time to renew your commitment to the Mission of our organization.

• To renew online, click the "Membership Renewals" button at the bottom of this email.
• To renew by check ($30 Individual/$40 Family), please make payable to "MNIH" with "Membership" in the memo line and mail to the below PO Box address.
• Life Memberships are $300 Indiv./$400 Family 
  (a one-time payment)
• All membership dues payments are tax-deductible.

If you have a question about your membership status, please contact Ann Arnold at tpm1@earthlink.net or (401) 841-5493 -- before making a payment. She'll get back to you right away.

FRIENDS, IF YOU DON'T PLAN TO RENEW:

If you know you will not be renewing, we encourage you to give us the courtesy of a quick note—by mail, email, or a call to Ann at the above number—so we can promptly update our records and remove you from our mailing and member E-newsletter lists.

This simple act will saves us significant volunteer time and

organization expense, including postage and printing.

Please know we are grateful for your past support! 
We invite you to follow our progress on the website and Facebook page.

Our 2026 Annual Meeting and social, to which all members are warmly invited, is scheduled for the late afternoon of Sunday, April 26 at Hibernian Hall in Newport.

Details and registration instructions will be mailed to all members of record and will be posted on our Annual Meeting web page and shared via Member E-newsletter.

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.