A screening of Jean Doyle's documentary about Newburyport's Irish community. This one-hour film tells the story of Irish families in our town from the mid-1800s through Bossy Gillis’ terms as mayor from the 1920s to the 1940s.
We will learn about Newburyport’s early Irish immigrants, who arrived during a decline in shipbuilding and a rise in the textile industry. The film discusses how these families were received, and how they bolstered their sense of community by building churches and schools. The film also focuses on notable Irish families: the Gillises and the Cashmans, and shows how feuding between the two families illustrates a divide between the so-called "shanty Irish" and "lace curtain Irish."
Jean Doyle taught at Newburyport High School for nearly 30 years and is the author of two authoritative volumes of modern municipal history.
Village Talks are offered by the Greater Newburyport Village for the enrichment of the community. Village Talks occur every third Wednesday of the month at the Newburyport Senior/Community Center, 331 High St., Newburyport. Talks are free and open to all.