South Shore Irish Heritage Trail

Take a detour from the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail and visit Boston College’s Burns Library. Thanks to generous donations from many Irish Americans, the Burns Library has an extensive collection of Irish literature, art and music. The collection continues to grow, so be sure to keep visiting!

Known for its fabulous stretches of sandy beaches and cooling ocean breezes, Hull, MA is the perfect place to escape this summer. Learn more about the rich and famous Irish Americans who historically called this their summer homes.

Donations to the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail foster discovery, preservation, education and publication efforts. Keep the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail going strong by donating today. Know that your interest and support are sincerely and deeply appreciated. See Plymouth

One of John Sullivan’s favorite spots along the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail is the Easter Rising monument in Scituate, MA. His other favorite spot is the Celtic Cross monument in Cohasset. This honors the ninety-nine Irish immigrants who perished during the wreck of the brig St. John, which ran aground in 1849. This is the same time as John’s great-great grandfather, Cornelius Sullivan, emigrated to Boston.

Learn more about each of the nine towns that make up the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail in Massachusetts. Plan your visit, and learn about the history of Irish Immigration to the United States.

South Shore Irish Heritage Trail Board Member John J. Sullivan, pictured here at the Cliffs of Moher, is a retired IT Executive in Scituate, MA. His family traces their roots to County Cork, County Kerry and County Sligo. He was introduced to the Trail through his involvement with Scituate’s sister city relationship with the West Cork Municipal District in Ireland, and now serves on the board.

The Maurice Tobin bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that crosses the Mystic River between Boston and Chelsea, MA. It was named for longtime Scituate, MA resident, former Boston Mayor, Governor of Massachusetts and United States Secretary of Labor under President Harry S. Truman.

Seven weeks after Easter Sunday is the Pentecost, which Ireland celebrates as a bank holiday on the first Monday in June, called “Lá Saoire i mí Meitheamh” (pronounced La-see-der ee me meh-hev).

Plymouth, MA has something for every history buff, from the Burial Hill monument honoring those who died in Plymouth Harbor in 1778, to the Plymouth Public Library, where you can find a vast collection of Irish works including poems, songs and writings. Visit Plymouth, MA as part of your tour along the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail. Plymouth

U.S. Senator Daniel Webster led a campaign to provide food aid to Ireland during the potato famine in the mid-19th century. Over 120 American ships brought food and funds to the starving Irish people. Today, Marshfield, MA honors Daniel Webster with the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary, as well as his seaside farm and homesite, which are preserved and open to the public. See Plymouth

Board member Vincent Quealy is a published author, writing “Reflections of an Irish Grandson.” While Vincent was born in Boston, MA, his grandparents John Quealy and Bridget (Meade) Quealy were both born in Ireland and emigrated to the United States in the early 1900’s, escaping the hardships of life in Ireland in the late 1800’s. Vincent writes about his grandmother’s choice to leave a beloved homeland and family behind. See Plymouth

Craic (krak) has many different meanings in the Irish language, but the phrase “What’s the craic” often means “How are you, what’s new?” It can also mean fun, or good. So calling a person or a party Craic, means it is a fun or lively good time. Plymouth

Vincent J. Quealy, Jr. has served on the board of the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail since 2021. He is a graduate of Boston College, Class of 1975. He lives in Scituate, MA with his wife, Joanie, and nearby their three children and five grandchildren. He is also associated with the Boston College Ireland Business Council and the Irish Pastoral Centre of Greater Boston.

Planning a trip to Plymouth, MA as part of the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail? Head to SeePlymouth.com or follow See Plymouth on all social media platforms to plan the perfect adventure!

See Plymouth | The Official Tourism Site of Plymouth County See all that Plymouth County has to offer. See Plymouth explores nearby things to do, lodging, and dining options for you and your family to explore during your visit.

May Day or Lá Bealtaine (pronounced Bell-tain) marks the halfway point between the Spring and Summer equinox, and is a celebration of the blossoming flowers and fruit trees. It is typically celebrated on May 1st, with the bank holiday falling on the first Monday of May. Traditionally, the evening before bonfires are lit with different types of wood, each with different spiritual meanings, often associated with the fertility of the cattle and the land for the coming year. SeePlymouth

Now through June 30th, The Hull Lifesaving Museum has on display twenty-eight works created by twenty-three artists of the U.S. Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP). These works include missions, training exercises, canines in service to the Coast Guard, protection of the marine environment and living marine resources, as well as daring search and rescue missions. COGAP members donate their work to the program, growing the collection to over 2,000 pieces celebrating the work of the Coast Guards’ 42,000 active duty members. See Plymouth

South Shore Irish Heritage Trail’s very own Brenda O’Connor is being honored by The Irish Echo, “The Oldest Irish American Newspaper in USA”. The Heroes of Irish America Awards honors the unsung heroes of Irish America, “ordinary folks, doing extraordinary work to build stronger communities.” Brenda is being honored for her work, along with the entire team, in creating the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail in Buffalo, NY on Friday, April 26th. SeePlymouth

Easter Rising, or the Easter Rebellion, was an insurrection in Ireland during the week of Easter in April 1916 to fight against British rule in Ireland. The goal was to establish an independent Irish Republic. See Plymouth

Join the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail for the Annual Easter Rising Memorial on April 21st at 1pm with honored guest Consul General Boston Síghle Fitzgerald. There will be a special presentation of the Remembrance of Women of the Easter Rising Exhibit of Artifacts Boston College Burns Library Collection. St. Mary’s Parish Center, 2 Edward Foster Rd., Scituate Ma. See Plymouth

The South Shore Irish Heritage Trail celebrates the Irish culture and history in America, and the rebels, soldiers, mossers and shopkeepers who made the South Shore home. SeePlymouth

Tír na nÓg (pronounced teer-na-nog), is a mythical island paradise of everlasting beauty, youth and joy. In Irish folklore, the Tuatha Dé Danann (pronounced Too-ah day Dah-nan) are gods who enjoy music, entertainment, feasts and poetry. While depicted as a beautiful place filled with flowers and green meadows, it is dangerous for humans who stay for periods of time in threes (three days, three years). See Plymouth

The Cohasset Maritime Museum offers collections of photographs, costumes and textiles that explore the seafaring history of this coastal town. Irish who immigrated to Cohasset found work and sustenance fishing for cod and mackerel. The museum closes for the winter season, but has begun digitizing many works that can be viewed on their online collection database until they open for spring.

A summer resident of Scituate, Maurice Tobin served as Mayor of Boston, Governor of Massachusetts and the United States Secretary of Labor under President Harry S. Truman. The Maurice Tobin Bridge, which crosses the Mystic River from Boston to Chelsea, was named in his honor. See Plymouth

The day after Easter Sunday is Luan Cásca, pronounced Loo-in Kas-ka. Easter Sunday is Domhnach Cásca, pronounced Doon-ah Kas-ka. See Plymouth

Beginning in Weymouth, the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail meanders through nine towns before ending in Plymouth. We invite visitors to come in groups, as families, couples, or alone. Begin or end the trail at any point. People can spend a day in one town or visit two towns in one day. or spend a week or more enjoying all the South Shore has to offer. However you decide to visit, Céad Míle Fáilte awaits!

If you missed the traditional Irish Calendar’s first day of spring, it’s not too late to celebrate in America the way the Irish would. In honor of the Scituate Maritime and Mossing Museum, we have a few great recipes to nourish the body and mind as the seasons change.

Nourish the soul and body on these long, dark, cold winter days. - South Shore Irish Heritage Trail The winter doldrums have set in and on the South Shore we have had rain, rain, rain interspersed with a snowflake here and there. As our minds contemplate Spring’s arrival,...

Wish your Irish friends and family a Happy Saint Patrick's Day by saying Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig ort! Pronounced “Byan-okht-ee nah Fay-leh Paw-rik ort”

Donations can be made in any denomination, in honor, memory or tribute to anyone, and as a one time or recurring donation. Donations to the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail foster discovery, preservation, education and publication efforts. Know that your interest and support are sincerely and deeply appreciated.

Town records show that by 1863, some Irish-born families had purchased property and were paying taxes. This impossible dream in their native land was fulfilled by so many that Brook Street in Kingston, MA became known as Dublin Road.

The Irish families that settled in Kingston, MA were farmers, schoolmarms, shipbuilders, laborers and maids. The Irish assimilated so well into the town that one family’s maid was so beloved she was buried next to their own gravesite.