St. Patrick’s Day arrives on Saturday. Here in Boston, that means celebrating the enormous contributions to our country and our city by Irish immigrants.
Immigration is a hot topic in America once again. There are valid concerns about security and the use of limited social resources. There is also a lot of scapegoating for our economic failings.
It was the same over 150 years ago, when the Irish began coming to America in large numbers.
JP has long been a neighborhood of immigrants, including notable Irish families such as the Hennigans and Curleys. Today, immigrants arrive in JP from Europe, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Somalia, and literally dozens of other places—still including Ireland. It gives us a wealth of ideas, traditions and perspectives.
On St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrate all immigrant contributions by celebrating one of them.