Boston's 30th Anniversary Irish Heritage Trail Expands with Fresh Landmarks
Stepping Through Time: Unraveling Boston's Irish Chapters
Explore the footsteps of Ireland's resilient pioneers in America's cradle of freedom, Boston. For three decades, the Irish Heritage Trail has intertwined significant landmarks telling stories of struggle, determination, and triumph.
The brainchild of former assistant parks commissioner Michael Quinlin, the trail was inspired by the popularity of other Boston history trails. Quinlin, fiercely proud of his Irish roots (his mother hailing from Northern Ireland, and his father, an Irish American), noticed Boston's abundance of Irish-related statues and landmarks yet lacking in promotion.
The trail, approximately three miles long, is a self-guided journey, tracing its steps through downtown Boston and Back Bay. It's more than just a trail; it's a journey past the city's past and present, with its expansion to include neighborhoods like Roxbury and Dorchester.
Boston, since the Colonial period, has been a stronghold for those of Irish ancestry. The 19th century witnessed a surge of Irish immigration, as The Great Famine forced many to seek solace in the New World. Boston, with its vibrant ports, became a major point of entry, fostering tight-knit Irish communities.
Michael Quinlin, now overseeing the trail through the Boston Irish Tourism Association, sees Boston as a reflection of Ireland – a mosaic of coastal land, rural areas, and a bustling urban center, the perfect breeding ground for political activism.
The initial trail focused on Boston's major public figures, notably the Kennedy family. However, over the years, Quinlin delved deeper, researching lesser-known yet equally noteworthy Irish figures connected to Boston through various avenues. One such focus is Irish art. Take, for instance, Dublin-born sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who designed the Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment depicted in the 1989 film, Glory.
Quinlin also sheds light on Irish women, previously overshadowed in Boston's historical narrative. The trail now includes stops honoring Boston activist Kip Tiernan, founder of the women's shelter, Rosie's Place, and intersecting with the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.
Though educational, the trail isn't without its charm. Boston-loved attractions like the Swan Boats and Fenway Park - built by Irish immigrant Robert Paget and the Charles Logue Building Company, respectively - are part of the trail.
To embark on this extraordinary journey, download the map of the Irish Heritage Trail from this website. With guided tours available by the Boston Irish Tourism Association and self-guided maps obtainable at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center, there's no better time to immerse yourself in Boston's vibrant Irish history.
Discover Boston's lesser-known Irish sites in its various neighborhoods, such as Charlestown, East Boston (Harbor Islands), South Boston, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Brighton.
Enrichment Data:
The overall trail: The Irish Heritage Trail, a three-mile walking route, highlights Boston's rich Irish-American history through significant landmarks. The trail begins at the Rose Kennedy Garden on the waterfront and ends at Fenway Park in the Fens. Major sites along the trail include:
- Rose Kennedy Garden
- Kevin White Statue
- James Michael Curley Statues
- Boston City Hall
- Boston Irish Famine Memorial
- Old Granary Burying Grounds
- Colonel Shaw Memorial
- Massachusetts State House
- Soldiers & Sailors Memorial
- Commodore John Barry Memorial
- Boston Massacre Memorial
- Central Burying Grounds
- Colonel Thomas Cass Statue
- David I. Walsh Statue
- Maurice Tobin Statue
- Patrick Collins Memorial
- John S. Copley Statue
- Boston Public Library
- John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial
- Fenway Park
Additional sites in various Boston neighborhoods:
- Charlestown: USS Constitution, Winthrop Square, Bunker Hill Monument and Museum, Bunker Hill Catholic Cemetery
- East Boston (Harbor Islands): Deer Island Irish Graveyard, Boston Logan International Airport
- South Boston: John J. Moakley Federal Courthouse, Castle Island, Dorchester Heights Memorial, Pleasure Bay, St. Augustine's Cemetery, Joe Moakley Park
- Dorchester: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, Edward M. Kennedy Institute
- Jamaica Plain: Forest Hills Cemetery, James Michael Curley Mansion
- Brighton: Harold Connolly Statue
- The Irish Heritage Trail in Boston, inspired by other history trails, helps uncover Boston's Irish history by featuring significant landmarks, such as the stop dedicated to Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the Dublin-born sculptor who designed the Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment.
- Along the trails, one can find a plaque commemorating Robert Paget, an Irish immigrant, who built the beloved Swan Boats attraction in Boston.
- In other neighborhoods of Boston, such as Charlestown, one can find the Bunker Hill Catholic Cemetery, a site rich in Irish history that is part of the extended Irish Heritage Trail.
