Vol. 1, Issue 1 March 2020 BostonIrish.com Parade-goers enjoyed the sights and sounds of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade along Broadway in South Boston in 2019. This year’s parade in Southie starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 15. See more on Page 2. Photo by Steven Senne/AP * Annual Percentage Yield (APY) of WINcentive Savings is .10% APY and is accurate as of 1/1/19. APY is subject to change without notice. Must be a member in good standing of City of Boston Credit Union to open WINcentive Savings. Only one WINcentive Savings account Now you can build your savings allowed per member. Business and trust accounts or other non-consumer accounts are not eligible. 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For complete details please visit cityofbostoncu.com during the one year anniversary month (month 13) of account opening; keep balance in WSA account, (any roll-over balance that remains at the end of the anniversary month will be treated as a new deposit for eligibility into applicable prize pools for the subsequent first monthly, quarterly and annual savings period); Transfer funds into another savings product offered by City of Boston Credit Union; Withdraw all funds but keep $5 on deposit in WSA to maintain account; Close account. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. 617-635-4545 Federally Insured Cityofbostoncu.com by NCUA WELCOME TO BOSTON IRISH! By Ed Forry an accompanying loss of revenue and, sadly, large numbers of journalism jobs. The demise of our monthly You have in your hands the inaugural edition of newspaper is emblematic of those trends. a new publication that’s all about the community As the new year began, the companion website Bos- bearing that name. tonIrish.com was expanded and improved, with I am not sure what term fits best to describe this new additional news and features from our town as well as venture. It’s designed to be a magazine, but it’s larger from our collective ancestral homeland. The immediacy than the print magazines we’re used to seeing at local of this digital presence enables Boston’s Irish to connect news stands and bookstores. It’s more compact than a with current news on a daily basis. broadsheet like a daily newspaper, or the tabloid like Maybe it’s the obstinate Irish kid in me, but I still the Boston Irish Reporter, the monthly newspaper relish the tactile feel of holding my newspapers, books, that is its progenitor, and which succumbed to the magazines, and periodicals in my hand while reading times we live in last December after three decades of them. publication. As we move forward with this new venture, I invite Perhaps it’s best described as a periodical with a you to read through this inaugural edition of Boston circulation schedule of every three months or so. Irish and let me know what you think. You can reach Since first announcing the new publication early me at 150 Mt Vernon Street, Dorchester MA 02125. Or this year, I have been encouraged by the expressions email me at [email protected]. You can of support we’ve received from all sections of the stay in more frequent touch and also sign up for a community. For 30 years, the mission of the Irish Re- digital news alerts on breaking news and features by porter was to tell the stories of the Irish communities in For the most part, printed newspapers visiting BostonIrish.com. Greater Boston. A recent message from local non-profit and periodicals are a vanishing breed, Irish group said, “We are pleased to learn that there is as the ink-on-paper media industry has Ed Forry, formerly the Publisher of the Boston Irish still a print media that allows us to get the word out.” decamped to the digital world, with Reporter, continues in that role with BostonIrish.com and this new Boston Irish periodical. THE BOSTON IRISH CALENDAR OF CELTIC MUSIC AND DANCE March 2020 There will be Irish/Celtic music experienc- and Tom Morrow (fiddle) – has been a on March 4 at 7:30 p.m. Colleen Raney es a-plenty here in Greater Boston these next compelling exemplar of the instrumental (vocals, guitar, bodhran), Hanz Araki few weeks, as you might guess, highlighted and song traditions of Sligo and Leitrim. (vocals, flute, whistle), Erica Brown (vo- by the annual “A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic They’ve performed at events and venues cals, fiddle, guitar), and Matt Shipman Sojourn” production (See separate story in all over the world, represented Ireland (vocals, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki) this edition). in the Eurovision Song Contest, served are all individually accomplished per- • The month gets off to a fine start as cultural ambassadors to China (where formers who, together, represent vast at The Burren Backroom on March 1 as they held an impromptu session on the experience not only in Irish but Scottish, • The Chieftains bring their “Irish Dervish comes in for shows at 4 and 7 Great Wall), and, last year, received a English American, and Canadian folk Goodbye” tour to Symphony Hall in p.m. Originally formed in 1989 as the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award. Their traditions, but also in bluegrass and Boston on March 13 at 8 p.m. Paddy Boys of Sligo, the band acquired a key most recent album, “The Great Irish country. Moloney (pipes, whistle), Matt Molloy part of its identity with the arrival in Songbook,” features classic Irish songs Opening will be a recently formed (flute, whistle) and Kevin Conneff 1991 of lead singer and bodhran/bones sung by special guests like Steve Earl, local trio, Christine Hedden, Rebecca (bodhran, vocals) will be joined by player Cathy Jordan. Since then, Dervish Andrea Corr, Vince Gill, Kate Rusby, McGowan, and Lindsay Straw, which assorted “friends” for this latest – besides Jordan, its members are Shane Imelda May, and Rhiannon Gidden. presents the union of instrumental, go-round in their nearly six decades Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute/ The Backroom will welcome Jose- dance, and vocal components in whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola/ phine County, a Maine-based quartet traditional Irish music. Hedden (fiddle) of upholding the Irish music tradition (Continued on page 18) and, at the same time, pushing its mandolin), Michael Holmes (bouzouki) with wide-ranging musical interests, Online at BostonIrish.com boundaries through collaborations with Chinese and Spanish musicians, and popular and country music artists, Senator Collins moves breakfast St. Patrick’s Day parades among others. The tour title has invited speculation that the group is planning Yarmouth on Cape Cod: back to Convention Center Sat., March 7, 1 1 a.m. to bring down the curtain, but as they as that process has begun and cruise note, an “Irish Goodbye” can also mean By Katie Trojano Lawrence: season is in full-swing, we’ve decided a very extensive farewell. Sat., March 14, 1 p.m. to move the event to the Convention Tickets available through celebrity- The highly anticipated St. Patrick’s Center.” Newport, RI: series.org/productions/the-chieftains. Day breakfast in South Boston is just Sat., March 14, 11 a.m. a few weeks away and state Sen. Nick Collins said he’ll likely bring the event back to the Flynn Cruiseport in years Abington: Collins and his team are readying the Sun., March 15, 1 p.m. event for a familiar venue, the Boston to come. March, 2020 March, Exhibition and Convention Center. The breakfast kicks off St. Patrick’s South Boston: is published quarterly by: Day festivities in South Boston and Sun., March 15, 1 p.m. Boston Neighborhood News, Inc., The event, which was held last year at 150 Mt. Vernon St., Suite 120, Dorchester, MA 02125 the Flynn Cruiseport, is slated for Sun., precedes the annual parade that runs Scituate: [email protected] www.bostonirish.com March 15, at 9 a.m. through Southie. The event attracts Sun., March 15, 1 p.m. a large gathering of Massachusetts Mary C. Forry, President (1983-2004) The annual breakfast is a longstanding Worcester: Edward W. Forry, Publisher tradition that offers a dual celebration politicians every year and this March Sun., March 15, Noon. Thomas F.