(BOSTON) – On St. Patrick’s Day, Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined her colleagues to welcome Ireland’s Minister for Education Norma Foley to the House of Representatives, and she celebrated the launch of the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail website.
During a speech given to the House of Representatives on Thursday, Minister Foley commented on the characterization of this year’s celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, sharing that the holiday is marked by feelings of unity and solidarity in response to losses from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Minister Foley also emphasized the unique and robust connection between Massachusetts and Ireland, citing Ireland’s economic ties to the Commonwealth.
Minister Foley’s remarks lend weight to the website launch of The South Shore Irish Heritage Trail, which will celebrate the cultural connections between the Commonwealth and Ireland when it opens in May.
For years, the Scituate/West Cork Sister City Project has worked to expand its efforts to acknowledge Irish contributions to Scituate beyond the town’s borders, in the hopes of connecting with the nearly 225,000 Plymouth County residents who are Irish-born or of Irish descent. To make these connections, plans for a South Shore Irish Heritage Trail emerged and solidified. The trail aims to both stimulate local economies through tourist visits and educate South Shore communities on the region’s ties to Irish heritage.
“As a member of a family and community with strong Irish heritage, I am grateful to Minister Foley for sharing her wisdom with the legislature and for emphasizing the Commonwealth’s robust ties to Ireland this St. Patrick’s Day,” said Representative Meschino (D-Hull). “I look forward to celebrating the excellent work being done on the South Shore to highlight these links between the Commonwealth and Ireland at the official trail opening in May.”
The trail, which includes sites in Weymouth, Hingham, Hull, Cohasset, Scituate, Marshfield, Duxbury, Kingston, and Plymouth, will officially open to the public on May 22, 2022 at 1:00 PM with a celebration at the Morrill Memorial Bandstand on the Cole Parkway, Scituate.
