September 14, 2022

Dear Members

Our first lecture of the 2022-2023 series is fast approaching, this coming Monday, September 19 at 6pm, in person and via Zoom. 

If you plan to join us, especially in person at the Wyndham Newport Hotel, please made your reservations NOW —  if you have not already done so  —   as we are trying to firm up the head count for our venue hosts.

Please read on for lecture details and the links to reserve, as well as information about our other fall happenings.

We extend a special welcome to our newest members, those who joined since our last e-newsletter of September 3. We hope to have a chance to meet you in person this fall!

For those who are new to our organization, thank you for

keeping in mind that reservations are required for most of our events. Should you have questions or need assistance, one of us will get back to you swiftly.

Best regards,

Your Board of Directors,

Deanna J. Conheeny, President 

NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com

(click here for board list and contact info)

Immigrant Activists:

Irish Americans who Built a Better Society

Lecture made possible by a generous gift from

Virginia Pittsley,

Given in Memory of her husband, Bill Pittsley,

and their son, Jay Pittsley

We are delighted to announce that the first talk of our 2022-23 Lecture Series  — our 21st Annual  —  will be presented on Monday, September 19 at 6 pm (EST), per the flyer members recently received in the mail.

Dr. Elizabeth Stack, Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Museum (Albany, NY), who presented via Zoom to our members from near and far to rave reviews last February, will be joining us in person at our wonderful new venue, Wyndham Newport Hotel, 240 Aquidneck Avenue, Middletown, R.I., just across the Newport border.

Dr. Stack's lecture will be live-streamed via Zoom for those who are unable to join us in person for the talk, Q&A, and cash-bar reception to follow.

As always, reservations will be required and a modest fee will be charged for members attending the lecture and reception in person (no fee for those attending via Zoom).

Dr. Elizabeth Stack, Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Museum

If you previously reserved and received your

e-confirmation, you are all set.  

Questions or need assistance with your registration?

Please reach out to Ann Arnold, Lecture Series Coordinator,

at tpm1@earthlink.net or (401) 841-5494,

and she'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Our Wyndham Newport hosts invite you to dine at their on-site restaurant, Johnny's, before or after the 6:00 pm lecture.

Their popular three-course $17 "Early Bird" menu will be in effect, from 3-6pm (regular dinner menu/pricing will be in effect the blanch of the evening). 

RESERVATIONS

are strongly encouraged

Click HERE for Johnny's website. When you click the "Menu" option, be sure to scroll all the way down to see each menu page graphic to click and view. "Early Bird" is on far-right.

Phone for reservations: (401) 847-2750.

This is a great time to invite your non-Member

family & friends to attend our talks and become a member! Those who join to attend a lecture are not assessed the $5 per person lecture fee, just pay the 1-year Annual Membership fee of $20 Individual ($30 Family/Household). It's our "welcome gift" to them. Questions/Suggestions/Comments:  

Please contact Ann at tpm1@earthlink.net

Historic Irish Cemetery Tours

Tours of the historic Barney Street Cemetery will be offered on the following Sundays at 1:00 pm: 

Sept. 25

Oct. 9

Oct. 30

These tours of the final resting place of many of Newport's early Irish immigrants and site of Rhode Island's first Catholic church, are approximately 30 minutes long, and will be given by popular local historian and guide, Steve Marino, who is also a member of our board of directors, a past lecture series speaker, and the manager of our Interpretive Center on Lower Thames Street.

Tours are given weather-permitting. A light rain won’t stop the tour, but torrential downfalls and high winds will result in a cancellation. No fee.

RESERVATIONS REQUESTED

(click below orange button)

Can't join us in person?  Click the below button for resources, including directions and links to videos and articles about this site, so central to the history of Newport's early Irish immigrants.

Photo by Jennifer Carter

Below photos are from the first tour of the Fall 2022 series, on Sun. Sept. 11.

Guide, Steve Marino, is in short-sleeved green shirt.

Photos by Tim May

Photos by Allan Millora

The Museum's Interpretive Center, which opened for the 2022 Season Memorial Day Weekend, will be closing on Sunday, October 30 at 5:00 p.m.   Especially if you are a new member and have not yet had the opportunity, we hope you will plan to visit soon.

Public hours are 12:00 noon to 5pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (closed Mon-Wed). The Center is staffed by Museum member-volunteer docents, the "face" of  our organization to visitors from near and far.

Visitors to the Center will learn about Irish immigration to Newport County from the colonial era to the present and of the many contributions made to our community by individuals of Irish descent. The exhibits include maps, photographs, artwork, models, video, oral histories and artifacts, including some from the construction of nearby Fort Adams, which was built with Irish immigrant labor.

• The Center is located at 648 Lower Thames Street, just south of Narragansett Avenue.
• Free parking is available on the street (no Newport resident parking sticker required during Center operating hours.
• Or leave your car and take the free "Hop on, Hop Off" trolley transportation via bus Route 67, which leaves the 23 Americas Cup Transportation Center. Get off at Bellevue & Narragansett and walk 2 blocks west to Thames Street.
• Click HERE for map and directions.
• Admission is free for members of the Museum of Newport Irish History and by donation for others.

Note: Private visits to the Center on alternative days/times and in the off-season may be arranged with adequate lead time to arrange a docent. To inquire, please write to NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com and we will get back to you swiftly.

Museum of Newport Irish History

Established 1996

a 501c3 non-profit organization

Mailing Address:

PO Box 1378, Newport, RI 02840

Interpretive Center:

648 Lower Thames Street, Newport RI 02840

Email: NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com

Click Here for Museum Board of Directors Contact Info. and list of deceased board members, fondly remembered.

The MISSION of the Museum of Newport Irish History is to tell the story of the Irish immigrants and their descendants in Newport County and the surrounding area from the colonial era to the present. It also seeks to preserve artifacts and mementos relating to their experiences and facilitate

research on Irish history and heritage.

Thank You to all our members with Annual (vs. Life) Memberships who have paid their dues for the

2022-2023 Membership Year.



We are still anticipating payments from

approximately 125 of you,

whose memberships lapsed as of April 1, 2022.

Thank you submitting payment at your first opportunity.

 If you are unsure of your membership status — before making a payment — please email Ann Arnold at tpm1@earthlink.net or phone her at 401-841-5493 and she'll get right back to you.