13th Annual Irish History Lecture Series Starts Wednesday

The Museum of Newport Irish History announces the first talk in its 13th Annual Michael F. Crowley Lecture Series, Wed., September 10 at 6:00 p.m. at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, 194 Bellevue Avenue, Newport. Reverend Robert W. Hayman, Ph.D. will present: “Rhode Island’s Struggle to Redeem Its Promise to Its Irish Civil War Volunteers.”

In the early 1800s the right to vote in Rhode Island was limited to men who possessed $134 of taxable property, an obstacle to suffrage for the many Irish immigrants who took up residence in the state in the years leading up to the Civil War. In the light of the service of the foreign-born Irish in the Civil War, the injustice of the situation became more apparent and it was finally at least partially corrected in 1888.

Rev. Hayman is the Historian of the Diocese of Providence and one of its archivists. He is a retired Associate Professor of History at Providence College, where he taught for thirty-six years and from where he received his doctorate of philosophy in history.

Lecture attendees should enter the Tennis Hall of Fame complex via the archway at 194 Bellevue Avenue where they will be directed to an elevator to the second floor lecture venue, which is fully accessible. Following the talk, a reception with light hors d’oeuvres will be held and a cash bar is available, courtesy of the La Forge Casino Restaurant.

Members of the community at large are warmly welcomed The lecture fee is $3 for Museum of Newport Irish History members and $15 for non-members, which may be applied to a 1-year membership in the organization.

Reservations are requested. To reserve, please contact Ann Arnold at 401-841-5493 or tpm1@earthlink.net

About the Museum of Newport Irish History

Founded in 1996, the Museum of Newport Irish History is a non-profit 501c3 organization with nearly 700 members. The organization sponsors numerous educational and social events throughout the year, including the popular Michael F. Crowley fall-winter Lecture Series.

The Museum operates an Interpretive Center at 648 Lower Thames Street, just south of Narragansett Avenue. Visitors to the Center will learn about Irish immigration to Newport County from the 1600s to the present and of the many contributions made to our community by individuals of Irish descent. The exhibits, which were designed by Northeast Collaborative Architects, Inc., include maps, photographs, video, and artifacts, including some from the construction of nearby Fort Adams, which was built with Irish immigrant labor. 2014 Season hours are 12:00 noon – 5:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, through October 26. Group visits at other times may be arranged by appointment. Admission is free for members of the Museum of Newport Irish History and by donation for others. Free parking is available in a small lot behind the building or on-street.

For more information about the Museum of Newport Irish History, please visit www.NewportIrishHistory.org or write NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com