Museum of Newport Irish History Closes for Season Oct. 31

The following is a news release:

The Museum of Newport Irish History Interpretive Center at 648 Lower Thames Street, just south of Narragansett Avenue, will close for the 2014 Season on Friday, October 31 at 5:00 p.m.

Those who have not had the opportunity to visit are invited to do so during the final days of public hours: Thursday, October 16 through Sunday, October 19, Thursday, October 23 through Sunday, October 26, and Thursday and Friday October 30 and 31. Hours are 12:00 noon until 5:00 p.m.each day. Admission is free for Museum of Newport Irish History members and children under 16 years, and by donation for non-members.

Free on-street parking is available and there is a small free lot behind the Center, accessible from Narragansett Avenue.The Interpretive Center opened to the public in the spring of 2011 and operates seasonally between May and October with special hours during March/Newport Irish Heritage Month. After October 31, the Center will be closed except for private and group tours, which may be arranged by contacting either Mike Slein at (401) 847-7201 or farmags@cox.net or Steve Marino at (401) 849-1658 or enzoteach@outlook.com

Visitors to the Museum of Newport Irish History Interpretive Center will learn about Irish immigration to Newport County from the 1600s to the present and of the many contributions made to the community by individuals of Irish descent. The exhibits include maps, photographs, video, and artifacts, including some from the construction of nearby Fort Adams, which was built with Irish immigrant labor (see related photo, below).

Founded in 1996, the Museum of Newport Irish History is a non-profit organization with almost 700 members. The organization operates the Interpretive Center and sponsors numerous educational, social and fundraising events throughout the year, including the popular Michael F. Crowley Lecture Series, the next presentation of which will be held Monday, October 27 (click here for details). The organization also restored and maintains the historic Barney Street Cemetery at the corner of Barney and Mt. Vernon Streets. It is the resting place of many of Newport’s earliest Irish residents and was the cemetery established to support Rhode Island’s first Roman Catholic parish, the forerunner of the current St. Mary’s at the corner of Spring Street and Memorial Boulevard.

To learn more about the Museum of Newport Irish History or to join, please visit www.NewportIrishHistory.org or write NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com.

The attached photo, from the Museum’s collections, has a Fort Adams connection. It depicts Bridget O’Farrell and Patrick Guerin on their wedding day in 1852. Bridget’s father, William O’Farrell, emigrated from Ireland to Newport in 1829, specifically to work at Fort Adams. Bridget was born in Newport in 1834, and afterwards O’Farrell and his family leftNewport and settled in Iowa, due to declining federal funding for the fort’s construction. Patrick Guerin was born in Limerick, Ireland, and he and Bridget were married in Iowa. The Guerin Family later left Iowa for California, to be involved in mining. The photo was donated to the Museum by Bridget’s great-granddaughter, Jeanne Baldwin, a Life member of the Museum and resident of California.