A History of St. Patrick’s Irish Cultural Committee
Preserving Irish Culture in Lowell since 1983
“The purpose of the week is twofold; to put us in touch once again with our Irish heritage, and secondly to raise funds to preserve and protect Saint Patrick Church of Lowell, a significant National Historic Resource in the history of Irish immigration in America.”
Lowell is a City of many
cultures and traditions. All these blend to form a scene of different sights,
sounds and scents. In the blending there is an effort to work together as one,
live together as one, to be as one. To be like everyone else, to erase
differences, to be exclusively American may cause us to forget. However, we
should not forget what makes our culture distinct. We should not forget our
history which has shaped us. We should not forget the contributions our
forbears have made to the City.
Since 1831, at the time of our founding, Saint Patrick’s Parish has been celebrating our heritage and our faith by remembering our Patron, St. Patrick. The first Irish arrived in Lowell in 1822. We are told that they annually got together to recall the day by attending Mass and celebrating by making a series of toasts. As the years progressed parades were added, and special functions were held. We their descendants follow in that tradition.
The Irish set a day aside to celebrate being Irish. Was one day enough for any group to pause and reflect on their heritage and contributions to the formation and growth of a great city? Is one day enough to make us realize that though we are Americans, we are also products of a distinct history and tradition? In 1983, within the Irish community it was felt that more attention should be given to the sights, the sounds, the scents that contributed to the beautiful blend that is the City of Lowell.
Gathering at St. Patrick’s Church in the Acre, birthplace of the Irish in Lowell; Fred Sheehy, Jack Flood, Carol Evans, Arthur Cryan, Tom Conlon, Maureen McNiff, Tom Shanahan, John Donohue, and others began plans for a larger celebration. How do you bring more and more people in touch with history, heritage and Hibernia? What will unify all the Irish in the city in celebration? There would be music, art, history, folklore, and poetry, dancing within the context, which was distinctively the Acre – public expression of faith in God at St. Patrick’s Church. St. Patrick’s Day now became Irish Cultural Week. The first “week” took place in 1984.
The energetic committee of volunteers ensured that annual activities appealed to audiences of all ages. Initially, it began with mass in Gaelic to open the week, a parade and flag raising at City Hall – followed by a breakfast and Ceili celebration. As years passed more programs were added – art exhibits, neighborhood and cemetery tours, oral history sessions, large and small scale musical reviews, poetry readings, an annual forum, gaelic classes, children’s activities, film nights, book readings, genealogical seminars, trips to the Burns Library at Boston College, voyages to Ireland and more.
The Irish Cultural Committee has forged and maintained longstanding partnerships with the City of Lowell, Lowell National Historical Park, UMass Lowell, Middlesex Community College, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Knights of Columbus, the Lowell Fire and Police Departments, the Lowell Film Collaborative, Lowell Women’s Week, WCAP, TIARA, the Burns Library at Boston College and many other local businesses and volunteers.
Lowell’s Irish Cultural Week celebration has presented over 150 programs, most free of charge or at a nominal fee, to the Greater Lowell community and beyond. In turn, with funds raised, the Committee has donated roughly $250,000 to the preservation of St. Patrick’s Parish, ensuring that it remains on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. Our historian has developed and writes a wonderful blog on the history of Irish in the city, and we have built a strong foundation of followers on social media.
Since 1831, at the time of our founding, Saint Patrick’s Parish has been celebrating our heritage and our faith by remembering our Patron, St. Patrick. The first Irish arrived in Lowell in 1822. We are told that they annually got together to recall the day by attending Mass and celebrating by making a series of toasts. As the years progressed parades were added, and special functions were held. We their descendants follow in that tradition.
The Irish set a day aside to celebrate being Irish. Was one day enough for any group to pause and reflect on their heritage and contributions to the formation and growth of a great city? Is one day enough to make us realize that though we are Americans, we are also products of a distinct history and tradition? In 1983, within the Irish community it was felt that more attention should be given to the sights, the sounds, the scents that contributed to the beautiful blend that is the City of Lowell.
Gathering at St. Patrick’s Church in the Acre, birthplace of the Irish in Lowell; Fred Sheehy, Jack Flood, Carol Evans, Arthur Cryan, Tom Conlon, Maureen McNiff, Tom Shanahan, John Donohue, and others began plans for a larger celebration. How do you bring more and more people in touch with history, heritage and Hibernia? What will unify all the Irish in the city in celebration? There would be music, art, history, folklore, and poetry, dancing within the context, which was distinctively the Acre – public expression of faith in God at St. Patrick’s Church. St. Patrick’s Day now became Irish Cultural Week. The first “week” took place in 1984.
The energetic committee of volunteers ensured that annual activities appealed to audiences of all ages. Initially, it began with mass in Gaelic to open the week, a parade and flag raising at City Hall – followed by a breakfast and Ceili celebration. As years passed more programs were added – art exhibits, neighborhood and cemetery tours, oral history sessions, large and small scale musical reviews, poetry readings, an annual forum, gaelic classes, children’s activities, film nights, book readings, genealogical seminars, trips to the Burns Library at Boston College, voyages to Ireland and more.
The Irish Cultural Committee has forged and maintained longstanding partnerships with the City of Lowell, Lowell National Historical Park, UMass Lowell, Middlesex Community College, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Knights of Columbus, the Lowell Fire and Police Departments, the Lowell Film Collaborative, Lowell Women’s Week, WCAP, TIARA, the Burns Library at Boston College and many other local businesses and volunteers.
Lowell’s Irish Cultural Week celebration has presented over 150 programs, most free of charge or at a nominal fee, to the Greater Lowell community and beyond. In turn, with funds raised, the Committee has donated roughly $250,000 to the preservation of St. Patrick’s Parish, ensuring that it remains on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. Our historian has developed and writes a wonderful blog on the history of Irish in the city, and we have built a strong foundation of followers on social media.
