My View of Life on the Dock
Holy Cow Ice Cream +1 978-281-0313
Mad dash to the Holy trinity corner – St. Ann’s Church, Holy Cow Ice Cream, Yellow Sub, on Pleasant street :),
aka Burnham’s or bust. Yummy! Go scoop some up!
Since the parade in Boston is cancelled this year, here are a few Boston Globe St. Patrick’s Day stories from the past that mention Gloucester.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade: “Roars of 450,000 Rock Old Southie – Throngs in Deafening Tribute“
Among the marching groups, a message from Gloucester:
“…Typical of the pure fun of this Irish carnival was the green-clad junkie’s horse and wagon, topped with a dozen members of the Hibernian Student Assn. There was also the usual assorted nags, jockeyed by small boys in green derbies, and a number of other informal entries, like the man with the green-lettered sign, “Eat Gloucester Fish.”
Forman, Ian. “Roars of 450,000 Rock Old Southie,” Boston Globe. 1957 March 19. Front page, continued p.22
South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1968 featured Gloucester youth, St. Peter’s Bagpipe Band, as the bring it home musical act, – were you watching or marching?
“The last musical unit to bring up the parade was St. Peter’s Bagpipe Band of Gloucester. As the boy and girl pipers marched through the rain past the final reviewing stand, they lifted their water-soaked bagpipes to their lips and proudly skirled out “The Wearing of the Green.”
Davis, William. “‘Twas a ‘Soft Day’ for Boston’s Irish.” Boston Globe, 1968 March 8, p.19.
Local politics
“the political longshot from Gloucester…He credited Al Smith for his courage in the face of bigotry, starting a job that Jack finished last November.”
“About Time We Knew: Ben Smith is Irish,” Boston Globe. 1961 March 20
Nurses from counties Cork, Limerick and Donegal, invited guests, were “beautiful, young and single.” Because 1961.
A children’s medley performance at St. Ann’s made the St. Patrick’s Day roundup news. Do you recognize family surnames? (The Church is spelled St. Anne’s in this Boston Globe article.)
“The day of Ireland’s patron saint was fittingly observed here today, the Sunday school teachers of St. Anne’s Church giving an excellent entertainment, consisting of the operetta, “A Trip to Europe,” and readings, tableaux. The entertainment was under the management of Rev. C. W. Regan, assistant at St. Anne’s. The hall was packed with enthusiastic friends of the performers, who generously applauded the finished manner in which the various parts were rendered. The tambourine drill in the second part was a picturesque and pleasant feature…The readings by Miss Maggie Keefe and the tableaux also won high favor from the audience…”
Boston Globe 1892
Names mentioned: Jeannie Dooling, Eddie Fanning, Maggie Fanning, Michael Fanning, Etta Gibbs, Maggie Gibbs, Miss Etta Greenleaf, Hannah Harris, Lizzie Healey, Charles Hennessey, Maggie Keefe, Master George Kelley, Denis Moore, Miss Mary Murphy, Miss Sadie McAuley, Hugh McDonald, John O’Brien, Willie O’Brien, Nellie Nugent, Katie A. Roach, Miss M.E.J. Roche, Clara Smith, Katie Smith, Master Walter Smith, Miss Maggie Wells, Dora West, Clara White. Minstrelsy costumes were part of the program, boys were assigned roles dressed up as “four little curly headed (slur). ” 1892
“The annual St. Patrick’s Day entertainment of St. Ann’s Catholic parish was held last evening in City Hall auditorium. The hall was filled. overture was by Ralph Handran, pianist Helen Handran, violinist, and Helen Mitchell, drummer. Vocal solos by Mrs. George Adams, Mrs. James Cunningham and Joseph Buckley; violin solo Miss Lucille Rowe; reading, with music, Miss Irene H. Veno; address, “Christian, Citizenship,” Charles S. O’Connor of Boston; selection by the orchestra. There was community singing.”
My friend dropped off her scrumptious Irish soda bread so it feels like a pot of gold already.
What’s your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow this year?
St. Ann’s steeple glowing at sunset tonight.
Everything lined up timing-wise early morning the day after Thanksgiving. The sky was clear and bright and that too made for perfect moon-viewing. Despite the wind and bitterly cold temperature, it was beautiful to see. After watching the moon descend over St. Ann, I walked further up the harbor and found a few more moon photos.
A view that never disappoints-
Choppy harbor waters
Storm clouds clearing
Later that same afternoon
From rainbow to power outages, the wind and rain storm of October 30, 2017 had it all.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba4BCDslbpV/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba4DnLdlglm/
Brace Cove Panorama
You can question my haphazard route, but it’s hard to question the picturesque nature of where we live. Amazing. Home to Manchester from Gloucester, via Magnolia.
Good Morning Gloucester 