St. Patrick Cemetery Tour - Saturday, September 27, 2014

 

St. Bridget Chapel, St. Patrick Cemetery, Lowell, MA

Please join us on Saturday, September 27 for our annual tour of St. Patrick Cemetery.  The tour starts at 10 am at the front office and takes approximately 1 hour.  The Cemetery is located at 1251 Gorham St. Lowell, MA. Wear comfortable walking shoes.

St. Patrick's Cemetery was started in 1832 by the pioneer Irish who settled in the Paddy Camps of early Lowell.  Those who could afford it were able to erect stones in memory of their loved ones which reflected their culture and  faith.  The earliest stones, made of slate, have some of the most unique iconography in any early Irish graves found in this country, a series of shamrock stones.  As the population grew and flourished, the slates were replaced by marble and later granite stones.  The tour will include stories of Irish Civil War veterans and the high crosses and sculptures from wealthy Irish business owners of the later 19th century.

The tour will follow the Irish in Massachusetts Conference being sponsored by UMass Lowell September 24-26.  Read more about it here: http://www.uml.edu/international-programs/Irish/Irish-in-Massachusetts/default.aspx