JULY 2011 VOL. 22 #7 $1.50 Boston’s hometown journal of Irish culture. Worldwide at bostonirish.com All contents copyright © 2011 Boston Neighborhood News, Inc. NABBED! Cultural Council’s grants help ensure that Irish traditions will endure Participants tout value of state program By Sean Smith SPecial to the Bir Even when she was a little girl, Lowell native Natalya Kay Trudeau knew that she wanted to play Irish music—to the point of fairly exasperating her clas- sical violin teacher. “I started out playing classical, but as I got better I tried to teach myself Irish music,” recalls Trudeau, now a high school student, who drew inspiration from her fiddle-playing grandfather. “I don’t think my teacher liked it very much when I’d come in with some jig or reel and ask him to Through a Massachusetts teach it to me instead of a piece Cultural Council grant, Ki- by Bach or Vivaldi.” eran Jordan, right, deepened Fortunately, Trudeau even- Emerald Rae’s understanding tually found a fiddle teacher in of traditional Irish dance and Laurel Martin, who helped her helped sharpen Rae’s dance to develop her childhood inter- teaching skills. est for Irish traditional music in Irish fiddle for Trudeau. In into a full-fledged passion. But the months to follow, Trudeau just when Trudeau thought would go beyond learning tunes things with Martin couldn’t get and develop a greater appre- any better, they did. ciation for regional styles of In this courtroom sketch, James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, left, and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, Last year, Trudeau and fiddle, particularly the County are shown during their arraignment in a federal courtroom in downtown Los Angeles, Martin were awarded a Massa- Clare style favored by Martin, Thursday, June 23, 2011. AP photo by Bill Robles chusetts Cultural Council Tra- influential musicians in Irish ditional Arts Apprenticeship tradition, and other aspects of grant, which enabled them to the music. set up a far more comprehensive Assessing ‘Whitey’s’ place and intensive program of study (Continued on page 13) when they write the history of the ‘Boston Irish Mob’ By Peter F. StevenS younger brother had somehow achieved that feat. rePorter StaFF Back to the phrase “Irish Mob” – specifically “Irish Mob.” Since the capture of James “Boston Irish Mob.” How accurate is it and “Whitey” Bulger on June 22, the phrase has fu- where is James Bulger’s historical niche in it? eled purple print accounts, reports from hyper- In his seminal book Paddy Whacked: The Untold ventilating television reporters and anchors, talk Story of the Irish American Gangster, the au- radio, and online sites with all the subtlety of a thor, journalist, and organized crime chronicler throbbing tooth. I’ll leave the Whitey-as-urban- T.J. English tracks the rise of Irish American myth or Nicholson-in-the-Departed-as-Whitey crime syndicates from the mid-1800s to the riffs to others who range from those who have present. English, in a BIR interview with this cashed in on the “Brothers Bulger” to those whose writer shortly after the book’s publication, said dogged, courageous reporting revealed the cor- that Bulger came to head the Boston Irish the rupt deal between Whitey Bulger and the FBI. “usual way” – through street-smarts, cunning, So absurd has it become that a fine columnist and ruthlessness. However, what always set actually offered that Whitey’s brother William Bulger apart, English contended, was a combi- should have “tried harder” to steer him away nation of intelligence, coldness of temperament, Rory McIlroy in the swing at the U.S. Open. AP Photo from the wrong path. and an almost uncanny ability to “play people” One has little doubt that the smile Whitey from fellow gangsters to FBI agents and other flashed in court the other day has several retired law-enforcement officers. McIlroy, hero in Belfast, law-enforcement types sleeping fretfully, if at all. While loosely organized bands of thugs They have every reason to wish that Whitey’s (Continued on page 5) dons US Open golf crown the iriSh emigrant clubhouse the following day. Edris Kelley: Last call for GALWAY – Rory McIlroy of Among the first to offer his Northern Ireland was the big congratulations was Taoiseach Tradition keeper ‘According to Tip’ story late in the month as com- Enda Kenny, who described the victory as “both emphatic and When it comes to matters mentators tried to grapple with Boston playwright Dick the dominance of his success in inspiring,” adding, “I’m sure this Irish, Edris B. Kelley, right Flavin’s humorous yet serious will be the first of many major avoids clichés. “We try to dispel the US Open golf champion- take on the political life of the ship held at the Congressional golfing achievements Rory will the stereotypes all the time,” late speaker of U.S. House of attain in what I’m sure will be a she says. “We’re working hard Country Club near Washington Representatives will conclude the third week of June. He domi- long and stellar career”. Later in to provide an understanding of its run at the Lyric Stage on the week Kenny said he wanted the substance of being Irish.” nated the media when he arrived Sun., July 3. at Belfast City Airport on Tues- Tourism Ireland to launch a big Profile, Page 6 day night, June 21, and when campaign in the US to bring he appeared at the Holywood golfers to Ireland. Story, Page 9 Page 2 July 2011 BOSTON IRISH REPORTER Worldwide at www.bostonirish.com BLACKTHORNE RESORT Located in the Irish Catskills GREENHILLS BAKERY • Hot Irish Breakfast • Irish Sausage Rolls • Brown Soda Bread & Raisin Bread • Round Bannock • Treacle Soda Bread Bigger and better than ever! • Irish Barm Brack Come and create new memories with us in our beautiful new building. Blackthorne offers the very best Irish music, activities and gourmet home-cooked GUINNESS BEEF STEW meals — all combined to make the best vacation you’ve ever had! Included IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE! in Mid-Week and Weekly stays: Horseback riding, go-karting, mini-golf, hay rides, pony cart rides, moonwalk, Haunted House tour, antique taxi cab rides, cotton candy, movie night, exotic animal shows, karaoke-masquerade party, Hot, Home-Made, magic shows, phenomenal Fireworks display every week, plus much more! Stick-To-Your-Ribs Book Now For: Lunch Specials Daily!!! • Irish Boiled Dinner • Guinness Beef Stew • Shephard’s Pie August 6: Catskill Mountain Feis Scones - 5 Flavors! Trifle Bailey’s Eclairs September 2-5: Baileys Sponge Cake Porter Cakes Labor Day Weekend Bailey’s Swiss Rolls Barry’s Irish Tea Blackthorne’s Celtic Festival Many Other Specials Every Day Camping and RV Sites Available Greenhills Bakery Open Monday - Saturday 780 Adams Street, 5AM to 6:30PM BOOK EARLY! Dorchester, MA 02124 Sunday 6AM - 2PM (617)825-8187 greenhillsbakery.com www.BlackthorneResort.com 348 SunSide Road – eaSt duRham, nY 12423 518.634.2541 Worldwide at www.bostonirish.com July 2011 BOSTON IRISH REPORTER Page 3 ON THE TOWN WITH THE BIR occurred 10 days before behalf of the lawmakers. the end of the war, the “It is my hope that John Memorial recalls Dorchester hero North Korean expended is posthumously awarded more firepower than at the Silver Star,” said any other time during Robert Fowkes on behalf the conflict. Disregarding of Lynch. Jack Marr the barrage of enemy fire, Jerry McDermott, state Jack Marr left his foxhole director for U.S. Sen. to tend to his wounded Scott Brown, spoke on killed in comrades, injuring him- behalf of Brown, thank- self in the process. He ing the Marr family for Korea died eight days later, July Jack’s military service. 25, 1953. Also present at the By michael caPrio Fifty-seven years lat- ceremony were two of SPecial to the Bir er, Robert thought that the 84 living Medal of When the young Jack something was off at the Honor recipients in the Marr was working at his Marr Co. office. “We have United States: Thomas family’s scaffolding com- photos on the wall of Kelley, who fought in the pany in post-WWII South all the Marrs who went Vietnam ar, and Thomas Boston, his specialty was through the company, Hudner, Jr., who fought climbing flagpoles, using down to the fourth, now in the Korean War. Both nothing more than two fifth, generation. We men are from Massachu- thin ropes and his own didn’t have anything for setts. prowess to reach the top. Jack,” Robert Marr said. Kelley called the dedi- Now, 58 years after his It was then that the cation “a long overdue death on a Korean battle- family decided that they recognition of a true field, it’s appropriate that Robert Marr recalled his older brother, Private First Class John L. ‘Jack’ would dedicate the flag- American hero.” his family has dedicated Marr, who was killed in Korea in 1953, during a memorial ceremony in South pole – an initiative aided Hudner spoke of the to him the flagpole at Boston on Tuesday afternoon. Photo courtesy Marr Family by nephew Daniel Marr character of men like the Marr Scaffolding Co. - and that it would occur Marr, who entered a headquarters. bers and lectors spoke of we would all agree that Dorchester near Uphams on Flag Day. “The flag difficult war to serve a At Tuesday’s flagpole war, sacrifice, and family he was an unsung hero.” Corner, attending Boston has already become a country that thought it dedication, which co- from a star-spangled stage Robert Marr, Jack’s Public Schools for much of staple, a landmark in had won lasting piece incided with Flag Day, at the point of the South younger brother, said he their young life and work- the community,” Robert only five years earlier.