Winter Lecture Dates

The first snow of the year has fallen in our most beautiful community but the sun shines - though it is a bit chilly! If you're looking an indoor activity, spend some time listening to one of the Museum's lectures. You can view videos on our website by clicking here.

The museum’s Interpretive Center is closed for the season but we continue with two exciting new initiates to improve our members’ and visitors’ experiences. The Walking Tours are going online using QR Codes to guide users through Irish Newport. We are also working with a consulting firm to identify and create stories about how the Irish Lived, Prayed, Played, and Worked in Newport County that will be presented on an interactive digital display. The stories will include many of the archives including photos and newspaper articles collected over the years that are not currently available for viewing. These are big and thrilling steps for us!

Remember with the arctic blast rolling in to check on your pipes. We know from first hand experience. Right before Christmas, a pipe burst and water leaked into the Interpretive Center. Thankfully, the damage was very minimal. Thanks to our good neighbors, Townsend and Erin Goddard and Patrick Donovan, for the early alert and help with damage control. Our Board members, Steve Marino, Jim Ryan, and Rick O’Neill, responded to the call, assessed the situation and got the center secured. We plan to be ready to open for Irish Heritage Month in March!

I also want to mention that we lost a friend of the museum, Brad Waterson, who expertly restored the iron fencing around the Barney Street Cemetery. We are grateful for his efforts and the in-kind donation he gave us. We have a wonderful community!

I look forward to seeing you in 2025 and keeping you posted on our projects and activities.

Slainte,

Deanna

SAVE THE DATES:

WINTER LECTURES

Mon. Feb. 24 at 6:00 p.m.

via Zoom

Dr. Scott B. Spencer

University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music

Traditional Music and Irish-American Identity at the Dawn of the Recording Age

Sponsored by

Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Newport

MANY THANKS to the museum members and friends (listed below) who have recently purchased raffle tickets and/or made a charitable donation to the Museum of Newport Irish History!

Brian Arnold

Mary Ellen Atkins

Patrick T. Brady

Tom & Mary Ellen Bronson

Joe & Elizabeth Buckley

Francis Burke

Deborah Busher

Patricia Cassidy

Andrew Coleman

Deanna Conheeny

Anita Conway & Michael Murray

Karen & Bill Corcoran

Catherine DeSantis

MaryEllen Doherty

John Donahue

Bill & Donna Donovan

Liz Dougherty

John Ellis

Helen Finn

Mary & Richard Fournier

Joan & Tom Galvin

Jim Gillooly

Elizabeth & Michael Grimes

John Hendricks

Ginny Hanson

Robert & Angela Healey

Cindy & Adam Jilling

Marjorie Keefe

Rick & Joan Kelly

Susan Killebrew

Jack Killoy

Liam King

Patrick Kirby

Kathleen Kosinski

James H. Leach

Cheryl & Peter MacInnis

Steve & Mary Martin

Donna McCarthy & Ted Wrobel

Henry May & Catherine Nagle

Judith McGinn

Joanne Mollica

Kathleen & Robert Morton

Margaret Armstrong Murray

Joan & Barbara Murphy

Mary Murphy & Kurt Schlichting

Ann Marie Oakley

Kathryn O'Keefe

Rick & Barbara O'Neill

Sean O'Neill & Kimberly O'Connell

Pat & Bob Pellegrini

Gerald Pierce

Emily Murphy Prior

Jean Peterson & Walt Wasowski

James Ricci & Cheryl Kenney

Marilyn & David Roderick

Jo Ann Rosemont

Wick Rudd

Rev. Mark A. Sauriol

Jean Sherman

Jeffrey Staats

Dennis Sullivan

William & Jody Sullivan

Kevin Swiss

Mark Thompson

Harry & Debbie Winthrop

Consuela Woodford

This list reflects gifts received Dec. 12 - Jan. 18, 2025.

Click here to see the full list

If you would prefer your name not to be included on this list or to communicate a spelling error, email NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com.

We appreciate your support which will allow our volunteer board to continue working on the following initiatives in 2025:

- Telling the story of the Irish immigrants and their descendants in Newport County!

- Presenting informative talks and tours of the Barney Street Cemetery;

- Preserving artifacts and mementoes relating to Newport Irish Americans’ experiences;

- Facilitating research on Irish history and heritage.

We must note that raffle ticket purchases are not considered charitable contributions by the IRS, so ticket purchases are not tax-deductible. But are a vital source of revenue for the Museum.

So take a chance, fill in the raffle ticket that was mailed to all members last month and return it to PO Box 1378, Newport RI 02840.

Winners will be pulled on March 19, 2025 at the Wydham Newport Hotel. You may win $1,000 to $3,000!

Raffle tickets were mailed to members in November. You can also reach out to Kathy Papp at (401) 236-2624 or KathleenPapp@cox.net to secure a ticket.

Better yet, make a tax-deductible donation now by clicking here:

DONATE NOW

If you prefer to mail a check, you can make one payable to Museum of Newport Irish History and mail to:

Museum of Newport Irish History

PO Box 1378

Newport, R.I. 02840

The Museum of Newport Irish History's Tax ID# is 05-0493988

In 2025, we'll look forward to working with a consulting firm to develop 6 digital stories for the Interpretive Center. It will allow visitors of the Interpretive Center to explore the history of Irish immigration in Newport County in more depth by making collections not currently on display available.

The story of Newport’s Irish will also become more widely available when 3 paper-based walking tour brochures become available online.

There will also be two more lectures this winter - one in February and another in March.

YES, I'LL MAKE A DONATION TO SUPPORT IRISH HERITAGE IN NEWPORT

The Museum of Newport Irish History was established in 1996. Its mission 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.