Making history at the Irish Pastoral Centre Boston. Twenty people including three American military members received American citizenship as Magistrate Judge Marianne B.Bowler who had a relation involved with The Catalpa ship swore them in. I was speaking about The Greatest Escape in Irish History as 2025 was the 150th anniversary of the voyage to rescue them.
Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler
The Boston Fire Department Honor Guard did a presentation of colors. The national anthem was performed by Pauline Wells. Musicians such as Niamh Healy were performing before the talk. Denis C.Riordan the District Director helped swear them in. There were speeches by Father Daniel Finn and Mark Porter.
3 members of the US military who became US citizens before my talk.
Then I was on and the response afterwards to this talk was phenomenal. This was a remarkable event. I couldn’t have asked for any more. People travelled from Rhode Island to give me music their son had written about The Catalpa Six. Friends and Boston historians attended. Some people who attended the talk in New Bedford also attended this one in Boston.
Mark Porter who came up with the idea for the event.
Roud of applause at the end of the talk (there were two other rounds of applause during it).
Some of the audience above waiting to get in for the talk.
With Martin Ward. What a journey both of us have had!!
My thanks to Mark Porter, Mary Swanton, Amy O’Carroll, Andrea Keenan and so many others who attended a packed out event. An absolutely magic evening. What a welcome! And what a way to make history really mean something! Outstanding evening!
With the legend himself Fr Daniel Finn
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