THE IRISH HAD A SAYING-WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MiSSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MISSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!

You know, growing up in Boston was a joy in many ways. Especially when your Dad came from County Kerry and your Nana came from County Mayo. They were Irish born and Irish bred. And then my Dad married Nana’s daughter and our family came about. We are part of what was called the Boston Irish.

The war cry of the Boston Irish was “Wednesday Night, Mission Church.

Saturday Night, Hibernian Hall.” On Wednesday night, they’d go to Mission Church, formally known as the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, for the weekly Novena services and Masses conducted by Father Manton. His services would be broadcast live every Wednesday night by

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MISSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!

WHDH-AM 850, unless there was a baseball game that night. They would then broadcast the afternoon service. People would turn out in droves for those services, then they'd go down to the local coffee shop to get a donut and a coffee. They'd talk about the service, how work was going and the family life that they were having at the time.

On Saturday night, they’d go back to Roxbury, this time to Hibernian Hall to go to an Irish dance. They’d hear the Irish bands play dance music such as jigs and reels, not to mention the latest songs from the hit parade. Even though they were far away from Ireland, they felt a little bit of home whenever they congregated there.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MISSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!

In what is now a largely black and Hispanic neighborhood now, there were at one time 5 Irish ballrooms with recreational facilities and offices in them. People would congregate on weekends for dances and weddings and what have you. People would take the subway to Roxbury from all over town to enjoy themselves.

These dances enjoyed great publicity, thanks to Irish radio shows like The Irish Hour with Tommy Shields on WUNR. There were many fundraisers there for charitable causes as well as concerts. They were great times for all.

During the years of the blue laws, it was illegal to have a dance on Sundays. But they still had them. When the police came

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MISSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!

around to see what was going on, someone would get up on the stage and sing, so as to the throw them off. And wouldn’t you know it? Once the cops were gone, they’d be up for another Irish waltz.

Musicians like Joe Joyce had steady employment at that time. People would come from miles to hear them. On Saturdays, some of the musicians would play 2 or 3 weddings before their regular Saturday night gig, and then do another wedding on Sunday.

On Sunday mornings, still reeling from their Saturday night out, the people would go to Mass then out to breakfast at one of their nearby cafes. There, they’d talk about the previous night’s performers and how

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MISSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!

they did. After that, they’d go on joy rides to the beach or the mountains. Some would go out to yard sales and flea markets, too.

I know that my Mom and Dad would go out on dates to those dances on Saturday nights. It was better than hanging around the house and watching TV or listening to the radio. Sometimes, they’d go out to the movies and see what was new there.

As the 60s and the civil rights movement came along, there would be riots in Roxbury, ending the reign of the Irish ballrooms. Dances would move to church halls and Irish pubs. They were more intimate settings for Irish music and dance, but people would still come to these places.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MISSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!

It was about the change in demographics as the Irish moved out to the suburbs and started their own social clubs and festivals.

Irish music can still be found in these areas if you know where to look.

Here in Boston, we’ve been blessed to have Irish radio programs like The Irish Hour Radio Program on WUNR and the Irish Hit Parade on WROL every Saturday. Some Irish programs can be found in New York City, as well as a smattering of hour-long radio programs in various cities of the East Coast and the Midwest. Outside of these areas, there’s a dearth of Irish radio programming as most of the music is country or pop.

Of course, bluegrass and country music are bballrooms. Dances would move to

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MISSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!

church halls and Irish pubs. They were more intimate settings for Irish music and dance, but people would still come to these places. It was about the change in demographics as the Irish moved out to the suburbs and started their own social clubs and festivals. Irish music can still be found in these areas if you know where to look.

Here in Boston, we’ve been blessed to have Irish radio programs like The Irish Hour Radio Program on WUNR and the Irish Hit Parade on WROL every Saturday. Some Irish programs can be found in New York City, as well as a smattering of hour-long radio programs in various cities of the East Coast and the Midwest. Outside of these areas, there’s a dearth of Irish radio programming

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MISSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!

ased on Irish folk music and is very popular in the South and other parts of the country.

Some say that country music is more popular in Ireland than it is here in America, since the two genres are related to each other. Country music shows on RTE and local radio stations in Ireland are very popular and feature local country artists as well as worldwide talent. And on Irish radio shows here in the USA, a lot of Irish country artists are featured in the programs’ playlists.

Yes, life has changed for the Irish since their days of "Wednesday Night, Mission Church, Saturday Night, Hibernian Hall."

However, the Irish experience is still alive in Boston in many ways.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MISSION CHURCH! SATURDAY NIGHT, HIBERNIAN HALL!