Irish Heritage Night Brings Boston’s Immigrant Past to Life
The hope of Boston’s immigrants – and the heartache of those left behind – came through loud and clear at The West End Museum through the dramatic reading of a series of letters written in the 1890s. Specifically, the reading featured select correspondence from Katie McCarthy of Ballinlough, County Cork, Ireland, to her sister Nora in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The performance served as the centerpiece of the Museum’s 2019 Irish Heritage Night on March 28, which also honored Dr. Patricia Trainor O’Malley.
Live music from Irish immigrants Tony Keegan on bodhran and Sean Connor on fiddle greeted attendees and provided interludes during the reading. It reflected traditional tunes one might have heard in late 19th-century County Cork as well as on the voyage to America. Event co-organizer and Museum Board member Lois Ascher welcomed the capacity crowd with comments on the McCarthy letters and the night’s honoree.
A Haverhill-born author, professor, and historian, Dr. O’Malley has focused much of her scholarship on Irish immigrants. Her ancestors – the McCarthy sisters among them – hailed from the village of Leap, in Ballinlough, Cork County, Ireland. Some of them, like Nora, emigrated to the US in the late 19th century.
Dr. O’Malley holds a Master’s degree in Medieval Culture and a doctorate in Modern English History, both from Boston College. A full professor at Bradford College, she became Division Chair of Humanities and was awarded Teacher of the Year and First Chair for distinguished teaching. She has published several books in the “Images of America” paperback series by Arcadia Books, including two volumes of “The Irish in Haverhill, Massachusetts” and the hardcover “Haverhill, Massachusetts: A New England City.”
Dr. O’Malley first discovered the McCarthy letters in 1994 in the attic of her childhood home. She worked meticulously with them to help document the lives of Irish immigrants that resided in neighborhoods like the West End. Of the 23 ethnic groups that lived harmoniously in the bygone community, Irish immigrants and their descendants represented one of the three largest, the others being Jewish and Italian.
Theater educator and actress Brittany Daley performed the dramatic reading under the direction of Stephen Haley with Theater in the Open, who was a student of Dr. O’Malley at Bradford College. Haley introduced the performance by speaking about the importance and power of letters in general. Katie’s messages reinforced that concept as the passionate and intimate details within shed light on the unbreakable bonds between those in the new world and the old.
“I am glad you sent such a newsy letter. Everybody liked [sic] it”, Katie wrote in one missive. “I felt like I was with you while reading your letter. It was the longest letter I have ever read. All the neighbors ‘round the house come to hear it read.” Katie McCarthy’s last letter was dated Oct. 27, 1896, shortly before she died of tuberculosis at the age of 22. “Dear sister, and all of ye, it is hard for me to tell ye that it is in my deathbed that I’m trying to write this letter, rather than ask a stranger. I was anointed yesterday, so I guess I will never again rise.”
After the performance, Museum Executive Director Duane Lucia presided over a brief ceremony celebrating Dr. O’Malley. “We’re very honored to have your letters move through here,” said Lucia as he presented her with the official Irish Heritage Month Honoree certificate.
During a brief intermission, attendees had the chance to view Memories: Crossing the Water, a small exhibit in which Ascher curated a few letters, artifacts, and photographs from Dr. O’Malley’s family.
Event co-organizer Tom Schiavoni then introduced Christian Dupont, John J. Burns Librarian and Associate University Librarian for Special Collections at Boston College. Dr. O’Malley formally signed over the cache of McCarthy letters to the archives of the Burns Library.
The night concluded with remarks from Dr. O’Malley, in which she shared her perspective on the letters and Irish immigrants as well as her gratitude for the honor from The West End Museum. She also recognized a very special guest in attendance: her 95-year-old fourth-grade teacher, Sister Gervais, who grew up in the West End as Joe DiGregorio.
See a video of the dramatic reading here and subscribe to the Museum’s YouTube channel.