‘EVERYTHING THAWS HERE EXCEPT OLD PAT’: On Dorchester Heights on March 17, 1776, many of Washington’s troops had ‘green bloodlines’

By Peter F. Stevens
March 2, 2017
Peter F. Stevens

Dorchester HeightsDorchester Heights

Whether one calls March 17th “St. Patrick’s Day” or “Evacuation Day,” the Irish can lay claim to both celebrations. Many men bearing surnames of “the old sod” were nestled behind bristling cannons that peered down from Dorchester Heights on that day in 1776. The redcoats, or “Lobsterbacks,” were fleeing Boston aboard Royal Navy vessels straining to haul anchor and hightail it out of the harbor – which lay directly under the Rebels’ heavy guns.

Commanding the Patriots was George Washington, who held a deep regard for Irish-born troops serving in his ranks. He placed such a high estimate upon their proven combat abilities that he honored that most cherished of Irish dates – St. Patrick’s Day – in an era when the Irish, especially Irish Catholics, were hardly a favorite of many colonists.

On that March 17, Washington was well aware that it was a holyday for the Irish, and that many Irishmen had fought at Bunker Hill and had just helped drag those cannon up the Dorchester slopes. He acknowledged both facts by ordering that the password of the day be “Saint Patrick.”

‘A Little Bit of Ireland’ features the soprano Mara Bonde Ricker

By R.J. Donovan
March 2, 2017
R.J. Donovan

“A Little Bit of Ireland,” Reagle Music Theatre’s annual musical celebration of all things Irish, returns to the Robinson Theatre in Waltham for three performances only on March 11 and 12.

Conceived and directed by Reagle’s Producing Artistic Director Bob Eagle, the revue features Reagle’s own Irish Tenors and adult choir, classic step dancing, the comedy of Harold “Jerry” Walker, the heavenly sounds of the Massachusetts Harp Ensemble (founded by Judith Ross), a cast of 100 plus a full orchestra, all of which makes the Reagle production one of the largest Irish shows in New England.

Following Trump as he awakes and gets ready

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
March 2, 2017

By James W. Dolan
Special to the Reporter

Did you ever wonder what Donald Trump goes through every morning to maintain his hairdo? I have been doing some research and believe I am the first to report the early routine of our 45th president as he begins each day.

He awakens each day to his preferred alarm – applause from a specially designed audio system in his bedroom. After sending a couple of tweets, he jumps out of bed and summons his bed, bath, and beyond staff to prepare him for the day’s activities.

Flying to Ireland? Let’s count the ways

Ed Forry
By Ed Forry
March 2, 2017

The competition for flights to Ireland this summer is really heating up.

The US government, under the “Open Skies” agreement with the EU, has given the go-ahead to Norwegian Air to launch new transatlantic flights from Ireland to the states. The low-cost airline will begin its first flights in July, using TF Green Airport in Providence. When that schedule is activated, there will be a half dozen ways to get from New England to Ireland by air:

• Aer Lingus, the Ireland-based airline, offers daily service from its traditional Gateway Logan to both Shannon and Dublin;

Liz Carroll, fiddle in hand, is ready for St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn

By Sean Smith
March 2, 2017
Sean Smith

Liz Carroll and Nic Gareiss fiddle and dance at “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn” performance at the Cutler Majestic Theatre on Dec. 9, 2009. Courtesy WGBHLiz Carroll and Nic Gareiss fiddle and dance at “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn” performance at the Cutler Majestic Theatre on Dec. 9, 2009. Courtesy WGBHMake no mistake, fiddler Liz Carroll is proud to have grown up in Chicago, and has always enjoyed playing in and around her hometown. But she’s more than happy for the opportunity to spend time in Boston.

“When people ask me, ‘Where are the best sessions?’ I answer, ‘Well, Chicago – but oh, those sessions in Boston…,’ ” laughs Carroll, whose past performances in the Boston area include the ICONS Festival, The Burren ,and “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn.”

She adds, “It’s such a vibrant scene. There are so many wonderful young musicians who come to the area – I think Berklee College of Music has a lot to do with that – and bring a lot of exciting, fresh perspectives with them. But the ‘old guard’ – like the local Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann chapter – has always done such a great job in keeping the music alive and well.”

Norwegian Air launching routes from Providence to Dublin, Cork, Shannon

By Matt O'Brien, Associated Press
March 1, 2017
Matt O'Brien, Associated Press

The low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle is promising to boost traffic at smaller airports on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean when it starts service to Europe this summer from Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.

Norwegian Air announced on Feb. 23 that it's opening new flight crew bases and plans to hire pilots and flight attendants at Rhode Island's T.F. Green Airport and Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York, about 60 miles north of New York City.
Year-round flights from those airports to Edinburgh, Scotland, begin in June, and to four airports in Ireland and Northern Ireland in July.

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