Newport Daily News – “Lecture to focus on Irish immigrant women working at Newport mansions”

October 25, 2021 by admin in Press

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The Rhode Island Catholic – “Museum of Newport Irish History unveils historical informational sign at Barney Street Cemetery”

October 21, 2021 by admin in Press

WhatsUpNewp.com – “Irish immigrant women in domestic service topic of upcoming lecture”

October 20, 2021 by admin in Press

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Reservations now being taken for Oct. 25 “Irish Bridget” lecture

October 8, 2021 by admin in E-Newsletters

Save the Date for the 3rd talk in the Series: Nov. 15

As previously announced, the second lecture in our 20th Annual Michael F. Crowley Lecture Series will be presented Monday, October 25 at 6pm at the Wayfinder Hotel and via Zoom. A flyer with the lecture description and speaker bios was mailed to all members of record and you are welcome to reserve at this time for: The Irish Bridget: Irish Immigrant Women in Domestic Service in America, 1840-1930,  With Spotlight on Irish Servants of the Newport Mansions A reception with light hors d’oeuvres will be held following the lecture and Q&A. Cash Bar In-person attendees must be fully vaccinated. The per-person lecture fee/donation is $5, payable at the door, via Check to “MNIH” or Cash. *exact change much appreciated* No fee to participate via Zoom. Our special guest speakers are: Margaret Lynch-Brennan, author of “The Irish Bridget: Irish Immigrant Women in Domestic Service in America, 1840-1930” and Leslie B. Jones, Director of Museum Affairs & Chief Curator of the Preservation Society of Newport County. Click the below button for the lecture overview and our guest speakers’ bios. Margaret Lynch-Brennan Leslie B. Jones Lecture Overview & Speaker Bios To register, select an option below: ATTEND IN PERSON ATTEND VIA ZOOM ‌ ‌ Dr. Lynch-Brennan will have a limited number of copies of her “Irish Bridget” book on hand for signature and sale following the presentation and Q&A. To purchase the book online, in advance of the lecture, click the above book cover photo. IMPORTANT LECTURE NOTE As we are not able to host as many people in person vs. our pre-pandemic lecture series, seats at the Wayfinder Hotel the evening of the lecture are prioritized for Museum members and special guests. If you have non-member friends who would like to attend the Oct. 25 lecture in person, please encourage them to join the Museum or arrange a gift membership for them on our website “Membership” page. Questions? Click HERE. Many more Museum members and friends, from near and far, will be able to join us via Zoom, which is open to all. Crowley Lecture Series Questions/Suggestions? Please contact Ann at tpm1@earthlink.net SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR NEXT LECTURE: Mon. Nov. 15 at 6pm Wayfinder Hotel & via Zoom Guest Speaker: Debra A. Mulligan, Ph.D. Professor of History Roger Williams University  DETAILS TO COME! N.Y. UNIVERSITY IRELAND HOUSE ZOOM LECTURE OPPORTUNITY OCT. 28 – 2PM Glucksman Ireland House at New York University will host authors Cian McMahon and Marcus Rediker in a conversation titled: “The Slave Ship and the Coffin Ship: Histories of Life and Death at Sea.” For details and to register for the October 28 online event, click the below button. Oct. 28 info. &  Registration With thanks to Museum member Mike Healy for sharing this virtual presentation opportunity with us. ‌ MEMBERSHIP – DUES REMINDER A number of our members with Annual (vs. Life) memberships remain lapsed in their dues for the current Membership/Fiscal year, which runs Apr. 1, 2021 to Mar. 31, 2022. If you have not paid your dues for the current Membership cycle, we hope you will do so at this time by clicking the below “Membership” button. Not sure of your Membership Status? BEFORE making a payment, please reach out to Ann and she’ll get back to you swiftly to confirm your status. Email her at tpm1@earthlink.net Thank you for your continued support of our Mission! FINALLY, IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…. In case you missed seeing/reading our e-newsletter of September 27, please click the below green button to access a copy. If you prefer to receive these notices at an alternative or additional email address, please send a note to Ann at tpm1@earthlink.net and the change will be made to your record. Please do not use the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom to communicate changes. Sept. 27 E-News Museum of Newport Irish History Mailing Address: PO Box 1378, Newport, RI 02840 Interpretive Center Location: 648 Lower Thames Street, Newport RI 02840 Email: NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com  Museum Board of Directors: Click Here 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. ‌ Visit our (NEW!) Website Membership Renewals

Irish cemetery historical informational sign dedicated & retiring Board members honored

September 27, 2021 by admin in E-Newsletters

Event recap and Save the Date for next Lecture

September 27, 2021 Dear Fellow Members. Saturday, September 18 was a glorious late-summer day here in Newport, and the town was bustling with activity, including a boat show and a food and wine festival. With that busy backdrop, the Museum hosted two back-to-back gatherings of great importance. We were delighted to see many of you at one or both gatherings, and we hope those who were not able to attend in person and may not have read the recap in the local media or on Facebook take a few minutes now to catch up on our special news. Please also read on for a couple important reminders. With gratitude for your continued support, Mike Mike Slein President, Board of Directors farmags@cox.net (401) 855-5097 – mobile HISTORICAL INFORMATIONAL SIGN UNVEILED AT BARNEY STREET CEMETERY Kyle Lepley, his mother, Carol Lepley, and Mike Slein (photo by Jennifer Carter) Museum of Newport Irish History members and friends gathered at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 18 to celebrate the unveiling of a new historical informational sign at the Barney Street Cemetery, located at the corner of Barney and Mt. Vernon Streets. The cemetery is the final resting place of many of Newport’s earliest Irish immigrants. The park-like setting on which it stands was the site of Rhode Island’s first Catholic church and oldest parish, established in 1828, the forerunner of today’s St. Mary’s Church on Spring Street, which was consecrated in 1849 to “The Holy Name of Mary, Our Lady of the Isle.” Museum board members Mike Slein and Carol Lepley spoke on behalf of the organization to the group of approximately thirty. Board President Slein recounted the story of the site, so central to the history of the early Irish in Newport. He also reminded attendees that the Museum of Newport Irish History restored the cemetery through an agreement with the Diocese of Providence and St. Mary’s Parish. When the restoration was completed, the cemetery was rededicated by the Diocese in March 1999, and the Museum continues to maintain and beautify the site with dedicated volunteers, many of whom were on hand. The new informational sign was made possible by a generous gift from Carol Lepley and the Lepley Family, given in memory of her husband Steve, a longtime member of the Museum’s board of directors who passed away in December 2017. Carol Lepley memorialized her husband in her comments and spoke of the importance of the cemetery site to the community, her husband, her family, and many members. (click HERE to read Carol’s comments). After the conclusion of the ceremony, the group reconvened at Ancient Order of Hibernian Hall on Wellington Avenue to continue the celebration and to honor Jack Curran and Peter Martin, two retiring members of the Museum Board of Directors, for their many years of dedicated service. Museum members, area residents and visitors are encouraged to stop by the Barney Street Cemetery to explore the site, view the new sign and the gravestones, many of which reflect the county and parish in Ireland where the deceased were born. All are also invited to visit the Museum’s Interpretive Center at 648 Lower Thames Street, which is open for the 2021 Season Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m., through October 31, and at other times by appointment. Please click the below green button to view a nice collection of photos taken at the sign dedication gathering and during the sign’s installation. Note: You do not need a Facebook account to view the photo album. (Photos by Jennifer Carter if not otherwise specified). PHOTO ALBUM ‌ RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS, CURRAN & MARTIN, HONORED FOR THEIR YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE ORGANIZATION Jack Curran, Mike Slein and Peter Martin (photo by Jack McCormack) As shared above, at the conclusion of the September 18 historical informational sign dedication at the Barney Street Cemetery, Museum members, including many members of the Curran and Martin families, reconvened at Ancient Order of Hibernian Hall on Wellington Avenue to continue the celebration and to honor Jack Curran and Peter Martin. In his comments to the sixty assembled, Board President, Mike Slein, honored Jack and Peter for their many years of dedicated service to the organization and congratulated them for their new status as “Emeritus” board members. Both men addressed the audience and were presented with a framed plaque, with thanks from the Board of Directors on behalf of the entire membership. Guests enjoyed the delicious hors d’oeuvres and the traditional Irish music provided by two local musicians, who were joined by one of the guests of honor, Peter Martin, on the harmonica. The cocktail reception, which was orchestrated by board member, Kathy Papp, ran from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and it was lovely start to a busy and festive late-summer Saturday night in Newport. Please enjoy these photos from the event. and congratulate Jack and Peter when you see them around town! Jack Curran, seated with family members, addresses those gathered following Mike Slein’s presentation (photo by Alex Littlefield). Peter Martin poses for a photo after receiving his plaque (photo by Alex Littlefield) JOIN US IN PERSON OR VIA ZOOM FOR OCT. 25 “IRISH SERVANT” LECTURE The second lecture in our 20th Annual Michael F. Crowley Lecture Series, will be presented Monday, October 25 at 6pm at the Wayfinder Hotel and via Zoom. A full lecture description and speaker bios to follow, but the topic will be Irish immigrants in domestic service with a spotlight on the Irish working in the Newport mansions. Our special guest speakers will be Dr. Margaret Lynch-Brennan, author of “The Irish Bridget: Irish Immigrant Women in Domestic Service in America, 1840-1930,” and Leslie B. Jones, Director of Museum Affairs & Chief Curator of the Preservation Society of Newport County. A reception with light hors d’oeuvres will be held following the lecture and Q&A. Cash Bar Margaret Lynch-Brennan Leslie B. Jones Museum Members will receive a flyer with details in the U.S. Mail and a follow up via e-newsletter. At that point, you will be able to make a reservation for the lecture, either in person or via Zoom. In-person attendees must be fully vaccinated. NOTE: As we are not able to host as many people in person vs. our pre-pandemic lecture series, seats at the Wayfinder Hotel the evening of the lecture are prioritized for Museum members of record and special guests. The per-person lecture fee is $5 (no fee to participate via Zoom). Should you have non-member friends who would like to attend the Oct. 25 lecture in person, please encourage them to join the Museum, or arrange a gift membership for them on our website “Membership” page. Many more members and friends, from near and far, will be able to join us via Zoom. Dr. Lynch-Brennan will have a limited number of copies of her book on hand for signature and sale, following the presentation and Q&A.  To purchase the book online, in advance of the lecture, click the above book photo. Lecture Series Questions/Suggestions? Please contact Ann at tpm1@earthlink.net MEMBERSHIP DUES REMINDER A number of our members with Annual (vs. Life) memberships remain lapsed in their dues for the current Membership/Fiscal year, which runs Apr. 1, 2021 to Mar. 31, 2022. If you have not paid your dues for the current Membership cycle, we hope you will do so at this time by clicking the below “Membership” button. Not sure of your status? BEFORE making a payment, please reach out to Ann and she’ll get back to you swiftly to confirm your status. Email her at tpm1@earthlink.net Thank you for your continued support of our Mission! IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…. In case you missed seeing/reading our e-newsletter of September 15, please click the below green button to access a copy. If you prefer to receive these notices at an alternative or additional email address, please send a note to Ann at tpm1@earthlink.net and the change will be made to your record. Please do not use the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom to communicate changes. Sept. 15 E-News Museum of Newport Irish History Mailing Address: PO Box 1378, Newport, RI 02840 Interpretive Center Location: 648 Lower Thames Street, Newport RI 02840 Email: NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com  Museum Board of Directors: Click Here 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. ‌ Visit our (NEW!) Website Membership Renewals

Newport Daily News – “Sign notes cemetery’s significance for Irish”

September 24, 2021 by admin in Press

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Newport This Week – “New Historical Marker at Barney Street Cemetery”

September 23, 2021 by admin in Press

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September & October happenings, including live Irish music

September 15, 2021 by admin in E-Newsletters

Our next Lecture: Oct. 25

September 15, 2021 Dear Fellow Members. It was a personal delight to see so many of you at the Wayfinder Hotel on Monday night for the first lecture of our 20th Annual Michael F. Crowley Lecture Series – a wonderful talk given by John Quinn and Keith Stokes. We are most grateful to John and Keith for their compelling presentation, “Shared Spaces: The Irish and African Heritage Experience in Gilded Age Newport,” and to Ginny Pittsley for so generously sponsoring the event in memory of her husband, Bill, and son, Jay. If you missed the talk, a link to the recording will appear on the “Lectures” page of our website in a few days. We are also grateful to you, our membership, for understanding that during these challenging times we are compelled to host far fewer in person than in pre-covid days. We were delighted to have so many members and non-members, from from near and far, enjoy the lecture ‘virtually’ via Zoom. We anticipate continuing to live-stream our popular lectures for the foreseeable future. Speaking of Zoom, a very special “thank you” to Museum board member, Dan Titus for all his technical wizardry on this event, our first lecture presented simultaneously to an in-person and virtual/Zoom audience. Now, on to upcoming happenings that we feel will be of interest to you, with a focus on “Live & Local” traditional Irish music! With gratitude for your continued support, Mike Mike Slein President, Board of Directors farmags@cox.net (401) 855-5097 – mobile Our friends from the Newport Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee will be hosting a fundraiser brunch for the March 2022 parade, dubbed “Green Eggs & Ham,” at Hibernian Hall at 2 Wellington Avenue, Newport, on Sun. Sept. 19 from 9am to 1pm (brunch donation $10 per person with family pricing available at the door). The brunch will be followed by complimentary, family-friendly, live music by the group “Shannachie” who will play from 1 pm to approximately 5 pm (the group’s name is the Irish language word for “storyteller”) Questions? Please write the Committee at dennis@newportirish.com Irish balladeer, Danny Ringrose, will return by popular demand to Hibernian Hall, 2 Wellington Ave., Newport, Thurs. Sept. 23 from 6-9 pm. Danny has shared the stage with Tommy Makem, Paddy Reilly, The Saw Doctors and Dublin City Ramblers. His appearance is part of AOH Newport’s new “3rd Thursday of the Month Irish National Music Series.” All are welcome! No cover charge, but donations to AOH Newport will be greatly appreciated in support of Irish heritage and culture and this terrific new music series. For more info: David Kerins at dpksen@aol.com As many of you know, local institution and Museum member, Rick Kelly, hosts the “Irish Hour” every Sunday at 8am on WADK, as he’s done for decades. Rick bring us the best of traditional and contemporary Irish and Irish-influenced music on WADK 1540AM. The recent storm knocked out the AM1540 transmitter, but you can still listen on 101.1FM or on-line at https://wadk.com/ Sleeping in? The show will be repeated at 6pm! We are also please to share that the long-running traditional Irish session at The Fastnet Pub, #1 Broadway, Newport, is again taking place. Check out the recently published article from The Newport Daily News. about the re-launch of popular session which had a nearly 15-year run each Sunday evening from 6-9pm, before the pandemic. It’s now back every two weeks! No cover charge. Note: If you are unable to read the online version of the article, click HERE for a PDF of the print edition. Looking ahead to October, please “save the date” for the next lecture in our 20th Annual Michael F. Crowley Lecture Series, Mon., Oct. 25 at 6pm. Logistical details to follow, but the topic will be Irish immigrants in domestic service with a spotlight on the Irish working in the Newport mansions. Guest speakers will be Dr. Margaret Lynch-Brennan, author of “The Irish Bridget: Irish Immigrant Women in Domestic Service in America, 1840-1930,” and Leslie B. Jones, Director of Museum Affairs & Chief Curator of the Preservation Society of Newport County. Museum Members will receive a flyer with details in the U.S. Mail and a follow up via e-newsletter. Members will have priority for limited seats at the in-person presentation we hope to host on Oct. 25. If necessary, we will again revert to 100% Zoom as in the 2020-2021 Crowley Lecture Series. Margaret Lynch-Brennan Leslie B. Jones Lecture Series Questions? Please contact Ann at tpm1@earthlink.net Finally, a number of our members with Annual (vs. Life) memberships remain lapsed in their membership for the current Membership/Fiscal year, which runs Apr. 1, 2021 to Mar. 31, 2022. We understand that many of you are accustomed to paying your dues at in-person events, but we have fewer opportunities to meet in person during these challenging times. If you have not paid your dues for the current Membership cycle, please consider doing so at this time by clicking the below “Membership” button. Not sure of your status? Please reach out to Ann to inquire and she’ll get back to you swiftly. Email her at tpm1@earthlink.net Thank you for your continued support of our Mission! Museum of Newport Irish History Mailing Address: PO Box 1378, Newport, RI 02840 Interpretive Center Location: 648 Lower Thames Street, Newport RI 02840 Email: NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com  Museum Board of Directors: Click Here 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. ‌ Visit our (NEW!) Website Membership Renewals

Newport Daily News – “Lecture Explores Irish, African Heritage Experience in Gilded Age Newport”

September 13, 2021 by admin in Press

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September Happenings – 20th Annual Crowley Lecture Series Kick-off

September 2, 2021 by admin in E-Newsletters

September 2, 2021 Dear Members, This is a follow-up to the September 13 lecture announcement and cover letter all members received in the mail last week. We’re also writing to invite to you to our September 18 happenings, the flyer about which began arriving in members’ mailboxes today. We hope to see many of you – either in person or “virtually” via Zoom – for the first lecture of our 20th Annual Michael F. Crowley Lecture Series, featuring special guest speakers, John Quinn and Keith Stokes. Dr. John F. Quinn Mr. Keith Stokes Shared Spaces: The Irish and African Heritage Experience in Gilded Age Newport Monday, September 13, 6:00 pm The Wayfinder Hotel & Virtually, via Zoom This lecture has made possible by a generous gift from Virginia Pittsley, given in memory of her husband, Bill Pittsley, and their son, Jay Pittsley. Please click the below buttons to access copies of the details about this lecture you received in the mail, and which is also posted on our website “Lectures” page: Talk overview & bios Cover Letter As touched on in the cover letter, we are not able to host as many members in person on Sept. 13 as we could have pre-pandemic. At this time, we have about a dozen seats available. If you would like to join us in person at the Wayfinder Hotel please reserve now. We can accommodate hundreds more via Zoom, which allows you to participate virtually from home, via a desktop or laptop computer, tablet or smart phone. To attend the lecture either in person or via Zoom please click the appropriate RED button, below. There is a $5 fee/donation requested of those who will be joining us in person; there is no fee to participate via Zoom. ALL are welcome to join us via Zoom, Museum members and non-members alike from the community at-large, both near and far. Feel free to refer friends to the “Lectures” page on our website for event info. and to reserve to receive the Zoom login information. Attend In-Person (limited availability) Attend via Zoom Those who are not able to join us “live” on Sept. 13 at 6pm, either in person or via Zoom, can enjoy the presentation later. We’ll post a video of the lecture and Q&A on the “Lectures” page of our website a few days after the event. Important Info. for ZOOM Participants ‌ SEPT 18: RECEPTION TO HONOR RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS Please join fellow members for our first social of 2020-2021, Saturday, Sept. 18 from 5-7 pm at Ancient Order of Hibernian Hall, during which we will honor these two retiring members of our Board of Directors and thank them for their many years of dedicated service: Jack Curran Peter Martin Click the below button to visit the Sept. 18 event webpage for details, contact info. for the event coordinator, Kathy Papp, and to reserve: Sept. 18 Reception Details & Reservations Reservations are requested by September 11. Tickets ($10) may be purchased online or by check, mailed to our PO Box and received by Sept. 11. ALSO ON SEPT 18: DEDICATION OF NEW HISTORICAL INFORMATION SIGN AT THE BARNEY STREET CEREMONY You are also warmly invited to join members of the Board of Directors and the Lepley Family for the unveiling and dedication of a new historical information sign at the Barney Street Cemetery. Through text and graphics, the sign discusses the importance of this site, central to the history of the early Irish in Newport. The new sign has been made possible thanks to a generous gift from Carol Lepley, given in memory of her husband, Steve Lepley, a member of our Board who passed away in December 2017. The ceremony takes place 4 pm on Sept. 18 at the corner of Barney and Mt. Vernon Streets, behind the Newport Historical Society headquarters. RSVP for this outdoor ceremony not required. Questions? Please contact Mike Slein at (401) 855-5097 or at farmags@cox.net Photo: The historic Barney Street/St. Joseph Cemetery. Restored in 1999 by the Museum of Newport Irish History, which continues to maintain and beatify the site, through the generosity of our members, including a dedicated team of volunteers, under the direction of Board Member, Jack McCormack. Museum of Newport Irish History Mailing Address: PO Box 1378, Newport, RI 02840 Interpretive Center Location: 648 Lower Thames Street, Newport RI 02840 Email: NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com  Museum Board of Directors: Click Here Visit our (NEW!) Website Membership Renewals