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March 15, 2022
Dear Members,
Just in time for spring, we are excited to announced new self-guided walking tour brochures, now available at our Interpretive Center or by mail. Please read on for the details.
Please also scroll down for important reminders of our upcoming March events, including the 5th and final lecture of our Michael F. Crowley Lectures Series on Wednesday March 23 in person and via Zoom. Reservations are required.
Newport Irish Heritage Month is still in high gear, so we hope you will take advantage of these programs.
Finally, if you missed our last e-newsletter, please click HERE to learn about a lecture and reception opportunity on March 16 at 6pm at Providence College.
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NEW! WALKNG TOUR BROCHURES
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We are excited to announce the availability of new self-guided walking tour brochures. Three tours have been developed, each covering a different neighborhood of “Irish Newport,” and each can be walked in approximately an hour to an hour and a half.
- Tour #1 covers 14 places of Irish interest in the “Fifth Ward.” The tour starts and ends at our Interpretive Center at 648 Thames Street.
- Tour #2 starts at 465 Spring Street, “Old Stone House,” now O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, and proceeds north on Spring Street, ending at the Barney Street Cemetery.
- Tour #3 starts at “Hilltop,” now a B&B, at 2 Kay Street, at the intersection of Bellevue Ave. and Touro St. This tour proceeds south along Bellevue Avenue, ending at “Inchiquin” at 719 Bellevue, with 12 points of interest along the way.
Copies of the guides, each of which includes a map, may be picked up during public hours at the Museum’s Interpretive Center, which is open on a number of days during Newport Irish Heritage Month (see below article). The walking tour brochures may also be requested via e-mail at newportirishhistory@gmail.com.
A donation of $2 per brochure is requested to offset our development and printing costs.
Payment may be made in person at the Center by cash or check to “MNIH.”
You may also use the ‘Donate” page on our website to order and pay for the walking tour brochures (use the “Direct my Donation” field to place your order): https://newportirishhistory.org/make-a-donation/
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INTERPRETIVE CENTER OPEN 9 DAYS IN MARCH
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The Museum’s Interpretive Center, which operates seasonally between late-May and the end of October, will be open nine days during March, Newport Irish Heritage Month. Located at
648 Lower Thames Street, just south of Narragansett Avenue, the Center also welcomes private and group tours, by appointment.
The special March 2022 public hours are 12:00–4:00 pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the first three weekends in March (Fri. Mar. 4 is the first day). The list of days, parking info., map and directions, and covid protocols, may be viewed on the Home page of our website: https://newportirishhistory.org/
Learn about Irish immigration to the Newport area and of the contributions to the community by individuals of Irish descent from the 1600s to the present through various exhibits, including photographs, artifacts and more.
Admission to the Center is FREE for Museum members and by donation for non-members. For more information, please contact Interpretive Center Manager, Steve Marino, at (860) 995-7367 or at NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com
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NEW! HISTORIC CEMETERY SITE TOURS
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Tours of the historic Barney Street Cemetery, the final resting place of many of Newport’s early Irish immigrants, will be offered in March on three Sunday afternoons at 12:30 pm, weather permitting. The tours of approximately 30 minutes will be given by local historian and guide, Steve Marino. No fee, but Reservations are requested.
-Sun. March 6 – Sun. March 20 -Sun. March 27
To reserve, please click the below button for the “Historic Cemetery Tours” page on our website. There, you will find links to reserve for each of the three tours along with interesting historical information about the cemetery site, including links to videos.
Questions/Assistance with Reservations?
Contact Ann Arnold at (401) 841-5493 or tpm1@earthlink.net
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CROWLEY LECTURE MAR. 23:
NEWPORT’S FIRST IRISH MAYOR
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Michael F. Crowley Lectures
Fifth Program of the 2021-2022 Series ~ Our 20th Annual
The Life and Times of
Patrick J. Boyle,
Newport’s first Irish Mayor
Guest Speaker: Steve Marino
Wednesday, March 23, 6:00 p.m.
The Wayfinder Hotel
Newport, R.I.
and Live-Streamed via Zoom
made possible by a generous gift from:
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Patrick J. Boyle (1860-1923)
Photo courtesy of the Newport Historical Society
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When Patrick Boyle became mayor in 1895, many were surprised and few could imagine it was the start of a political career in Newport that would span over twenty years. How did the son of Irish Catholic immigrants, a Democrat in a solidly Republican town, manage this political feat? Join us as we explore the Gilded Age in Newport through the Irish eyes of Patrick J. Boyle.
STEVE MARINO taught history in Connecticut for 35 years and retired to Newport. He has been giving tours at Fort Adams since 2008. He is also on the Board of the Museum of Newport Irish History. Steve holds degrees from Williams College, Brown University, and the Hartford Seminary. This is Steve’s fourth presentation to our membership.
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Reservations required. Click a link below to sign up.
In-person guests at the lecture and reception to follow at the Wayfinder Hotel must be fully vaccinated, and a $5 per person fee/donation applies. No fee to participate via Zoom.
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“DANCING AT THE FORTY STEPS” RETURNS
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Please hope and/or pray for some “Luck of the Irish” that we enjoy favorable weather on Sun. March 27 for this much-loved, family-friendly community event. The outdoor gathering is held weather-permitting, and updates will be posted on our Facebook page and on this webpage: https://newportirishhistory.org/events-calendar/dancing-at-the-forty-steps/
Learn more about this commemorative event and view videos of recent past “Dancing at the Forty Steps” gatherings by visiting the above webpage.
Questions? Please contact event coordinator, Rick O’Neill at
(401) 374-5698 or riconeill@cox.net
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45TH ANNUAL NEWPORT IRISH HERITAGE MONTH
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Newport Irish Heritage Month, a month-long celebration of “all things Irish,” was established by the former Newport Irish Heritage Association (NIHA) 45 years ago. Founders included Rick O’Neill, Rick Kelly and the late Paul Crowley. The Museum of Newport Irish History was proud to pick up the reins and continue to compile the March calendar of events of Irish interest when NIHA disbanded several years ago.
The March 2022 Newport Irish Heritage Month calendar includes events submitted by the Newport Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, Fort Adams Trust, The Ancient Order of Hibernians, The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, The Museum of Newport Irish History, WADK, and others.
As you plan your March activities, please check out this online calendar, hosted by the Museum within the “Events” page of our website. Here is a direct link: https://newportirishhistory.org/newport-irish-heritage-month/
Questions, or to submit an event for the calendar, please write to us at NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com with “Irish Heritage Month” in the subject line.
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As March 31 marks the end of the Museum’s current Fiscal Year, the month of March also kicks off Membership Renewal Season. Nearly 70% of our memberships are Annual Membership (vs. Life), and these are due for renewal at this time of the year. The annual fee for an Individual membership remains $20, and a Family/Household membership $30 (applies to all those living at the same address).
Please, help us defray printing and postage expense by taking a moment to RENEW NOW online, by clicking the “Membership Renewal” button at the bottom of this e-newsletter.
If you prefer to pay by check, please send payable to “MNIH” with “Membership” in the Memo line to us at PO Box 1378, Newport, RI, 02840
If you are not sure of your membership status, please email Ann at tpm1@earthlink.net before making a payment and she’ll get right back to you.
Note:
Please do not send payments or other correspondence to our seasonal Thames Street Interpretive Center address. Thank you!
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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.
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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.
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