Fiddler Isabel Oliart knows she’s in good company

By Sean Smith, BostonIrish Contributor
September 28, 2026
Sean Smith, BostonIrish Contributor

  Boston-area fiddler Isabel Oliart is one of countless thousands who can trace their interest in Celtic music directly to the late Brian O’Donovan, and her connection was a special one: Her father, Antonio, a Grammy Award-winning recording engineer, worked not only on O’Donovan’s weekly “Celtic Sojourn” broadcast but

Turning a J1 Graduate Visa into a New Career Path: Karla Curran’s Experience in Boston

By Rian Immigrant Center
September 28, 2026
Rian Immigrant Center

Karla had her heart set on the Rian J1 Graduate Visa program soon after graduating from the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. She heard about the program from a friend and knew it was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” she couldn’t pass up.

The Brothers Gillen of Charlestown: a missionary, a naval commander, and a ‘simple meter reader’

By Seth Daniel, Boston Irish Staff
September 24, 2026
Seth Daniel, Boston Irish Staff

The Charlestown neighborhood in 1950s Boston featured so many Irish American families from Donegal with the same last name that residents resorted to nicknames to differentiate between the many McLaughlins and Dohertys. But there were three brothers in one family who didn’t need nicknames: The Gillen boys made names for themselves.

George (aka “Brother”), Bob, and Maurice (“Moe”) all left St. Mary’s School and parish and found high achievement that was grounded in their Irish American values, and a shared commitment to helping others.

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