Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Congressman Richard E. Neal, and city and state officials joined with County Kerry Dignitaries at the Wood Museum of Springfield History on Tuesday to honor the connections between Western Massachusetts and Ireland. The exhibition “Gone Now, to Springfield”, is open at the Wood Museum of Springfield History.
Today’s event included a reading of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Springfield Museums and the Blasket Centre. Mayor Sarno also presented a special proclamation to the last living person from the Blasket Islands, Mrs. Mairead Kearney Shea who is 102 years old.
The Mayor of County Kerry in Ireland Mayor Breandan Fitzgerald, County Kerry’s General Counsel Sighle Fitzgerald, our Massachusetts State Representatives Jake Oliveira and Brian Ashe, former State Representative and Irish Cultural Center Board President Sean Cahillane, Springfield Museums President Kay Simpson, Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau President Mary Kay Wydra, Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance representative Caroline Boland, and members of the Springfield Museums Board of Trustees Melinda M. Phelps, Esq and Patrick Sullivan all joined.
Mayor Sarno states, “It was an honor to welcome County Kerry Dignitaries and representatives to our beautiful City. Western Massachusetts, and Springfield have ties to Ireland, and many residents have connections to County Kerry. Many Irish immigrants made the nearly 3,000-mile journey in the mid nineteenth century and settled in Western Massachusetts. As Mayor Fitzgerald put it earlier, the story of the Blasket Islands and Irish perseverance can at times be a sad story, but ultimately it is a story of hope. Springfield has a proud and strong Irish population, especially from our Hungry Hill neighborhood. It was very special to have 102-year-old Mrs. Mairead Kearney Shea, the last living woman from the Blasket Islands, who immigrated here to Western Mass in the 1940’s, with us today and I was honored to present her with a special proclamation. May God continue to bless her.”
Mayor Sarno continued, “ Congressman Neal, who played a large role in securing the Good Friday Agreement, has been a pillar for the Irish-American population in the City of Springfield. A special thanks to the Springfield Museums, Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and Blasket Centre for your collaboration to make this event possible.”
The exhibition “Gone Now, to Springfield”, is open at the Wood Museum of Springfield History from September 10, 2024 until September 29, 2024. Learn more: https://springfieldmuseums.org/.