Here we are already in the middle of the summer and it surely has been a hot one!
The Board of the Museum has been busy since the 2022 Annual Meeting, which was held in late May. For those who were not able to attend, please review the Annual Meeting Recap by clicking HERE.
Following the business portion of the meeting, we honored immediate past President, Mike Slein, for his years of dedicated service, and presented him with a special gift from the membership, inscribed as follows:
Mike, from your friends at the Museum of Newport Irish History, many thanks to you for your passionate leadership and never-ending good humor.
Sláinte
A photo of the gift may be viewed in the meeting recap.
As you are aware, in June the Board launched our 2022 Annual Appeal. Our members, once again, have been so very generous and thoughtful in their support of the appeal. I am always so amazed and thankful for the engagement of our members. Please click the below “Donors as of July 31” button to view a list of donors who have made a gift to the appeal thus far.
As I stated in the Annual Appeal request, I asked that you support our efforts “to revitalize the Interpretive Center and make it a centerpiece to understand the Irish in Newport County.”
With your support, the Interpretive Center will become a portal to tie in our other offerings, such as the Barney Street Cemetery, our lecture series, points of interest on the walking tours, and the website. To this end, we are in the beginning stages of developing a strategic plan.
We’ve also taken the initial step to engage an architect for a review of the Interpretive Center and are requesting proposals addressing our objectives. As an aside, one architect was, “…..impressed with the extent of your collection and the amount of pertinent display in a relatively small space.” As we progress, we will keep you informed. Without your support we would not be able to undertake these steps forward!
Again, I thank all our donors to the Annual Appeal, which will continue in the months ahead. All of us on the board are so grateful to all our members who remain engaged in our mission and invite you all to join us in looking to the future.
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
Please Note: Donors to the 2022 Appeal will received written acknowledgment of their gift by mail shortly. We apologize for the delay.
Important Lecture Series News
Most of you are aware of the devastating fire at the Wayfinder Hotel (formerly, the Mainstay), where we’d hosted our lectures since February 2018. The Wayfinder will be out of operation as a hotel and events space for the foreseeable future. We are so grateful that no one was injured in the fire and very thankful to the staff of the Wayfinder for their support of our past events.
We are very pleased to share that the Wyndham Newport Hotelat the Atlantic Resort, in Middletown, just over the border from Newport — also home to popularJohnny’s Restaurant — will host our lectures starting next month. Wyndham will provide us with plenty of room for future growth in audience size as we look ahead to a series less impacted, hopefully, by Covid.
So, please “Save the Date” for our first talk of our 21st annual series, featuring Dr. Elizabeth Stack, Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Museum (Albany, NY):
Monday, September 19 at 6:00 pm
Wyndham Newport Hotel
240 Aquidneck Avenue
Middletown, R.I. 02842
Our traditional reception to follow (cash bar) and the lecture and Q&A will also be live-streamed via Zoom.
Elizabeth is “back by popular demand” and in person, following her terrific virtual talk for us via Zoom last February (if you missed it, you can catch the recording HERE).
As always, reservations will be required and a modest fee will be charged for members attending the lecture and reception in person. Details will be mailed to all members of record and shared via e-newsletter and on our Facebook page. We will welcome your reservations at that time.
This is the perfect time to invite your non-member family and friends to attend our talks and become a member! Those who join to attend a lecture are not assessed the $5 per person lecture fee, just pay the 1-year Annual Membership fee of $20 Individual ($30 Family/Household). It’s our “welcome” gift to them. Questions/Suggestions/Comments:
Below are links to our most recent e-newsletters, including one mailed to the 30 or so of you who are on the Barney Street Cemetery volunteer team. If you’d like to be added to the distribution list for that group of members, please email us at 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
If you are unsure of your membership status — beforemaking 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.
