January, 2026 The Éire Society of Boston wishes you and yours a healthy and happy 2026. A Chairde, Since 1937, the Éire Society has hosted, promoted, contributed to, and collaborated in countless events and initiatives which serve our mission to promote Irish culture. 2025 was no different and — if anything — was uniquely successful and exciting! In May, we held our annual Gold Medal Dinner & Award Ceremony. This past year’s honoree was Monica McWilliams, an Irish academic, peace activist, human rights defender and politician. In 1996, she co-founded the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition political party and was elected as a delegate to the Multi-Party Peace Negotiations, which led to the Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998. In the spirit of Dr. McWilliams life’s work, we were joined by the British and Irish Consuls General of Boston, and were treated to blessings from both Catholic and Protestant clergy. The occasion was a thrilling and elegant event. Planning has begun for the 2026 ceremony at which we hope to see many of you there! In June, we held our Annual Meeting, which has long been hosted by our dear friends Maureen and John Connolly at the Aisling Gallery in Hingham. As in years past, we were educated and entertained by fabulous presentations from Éire Society members. This year’s presenters were Donal O’Sullivan, John L. Sullivan, Esq., and John Foley, Esq. In rather timely fashion, all three gentlemen spoke to various facets of the Irish immigrant experience. Donal spoke about his own experience as an Irish immigrant in the 1980s and the work that he and many others did as a part of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement. John Sullivan discussed his recent journey along the National Famine Way. Finally, John Foley enlightened us on the current state of affairs for Irish immigrants in New England from his perspective as a longtime immigration attorney in the region. Later in June, members of both the Éire Society and Charitable Irish Society enjoyed a leisurely cruise down the Charles River, with the support of the Government of Ireland. It was a fun-filled event with Irish pride, fellowship, and of course, excellent craic! In December, the Society continued our tradition of hosting an annual holiday gathering. This year’s gathering was particularly special as Society members were treated to a presentation from Erskine Childers IV on his family’s history. His great-grandfather was a member of the original IRA during the Irish Revolution, his grandfather was the 4th president of the Republic of Ireland, and his father was a diplomat with the UN. Many thanks to Éire Society Vice President and Burns Librarian, Christian Dupont, who helped organize the event and allowed us to use the Burns Library as the venue. In addition to hosting our own events, Éire Society members also supported or were present at countless other events throughout the region. Those events included the Charitable Irish Society’s Silver Key Award ceremony, the Boston Irish Honors Luncheon, the Boston Irish Consulate’s holiday party, and many events and lectures hosted by the Burns Library and Boston College Department of Irish Studies. The Éire Society of Boston is also proud to have provided support for the 176th Anniversary Commemoration of the Shipwreck of the Brig St. John hosted by the Ancient Order of Hibernians of Plymouth, MA. We also provided support to our dear friends of the “Here Comes Everybody Players,” a local collective of artists and performers whose mission is to promote Irish culture through performance, drama, and music. While we have much to be happy about and celebrate this year, I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to recognize and remember the names of those cherished members whom we have lost this year. They include Bob O’Neill, Edris Kelley, Jeff Flagg, Paul Kingston and Robert Kelly, who were all cherished members of the Éire Society and the Greater Boston Irish community at-large. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a nAnamacha. Thank you for your support in the past. We are a volunteer, donation, and dues dependent organization and as such, cannot continue the work of celebrating and promoting Irish culture in America without your continued participation and contributions. Membership is the lifeblood of our Society, and we ask that you reach out to friends and family to consider joining. You can pay your membership dues, make contributions, or discover ways to participate at our website: www.eiresociety.org. Please send us your email, for current updates, to: tmackey@adrian.edu. We are in the middle of planning for another slate of exciting events in 2026 so stay tuned, as we hope to see more of you all in the New Year! We also ask that you recommend activities or programs that you would like to see for the upcoming year. Go raibh mile maith agaibh go léir! Athbhliain faoi Mhaise daoibh go léir! Thank you all very much! Happy New Year to you all! Is mise, Tom Mackey Officers: Board Members: |
