Fenway Civic Association

With feature presentation: John Boyle O’Reilly: Life, Work, and Art – a panel discussion with Brian O’Donovan, Peter Drummey, and Patricia Gilrein

Join neighbors and Fenway representatives for this virtual annual meeting with remarks from elected officials followed by a lively discussion on the life of famed Irish American John Boyle O’Reilly. Facilitated by GBH’s Brian O’Donovan with Peter Drummey and Patricia Gilrein, this interview style presentation covers O’Reilly’s life, works, and singular place in Boston history as well as information about upcoming repairs to the O’Reilly monument in the Back Bay Fens.

Presenters:

Brian O’Donovan Executive Producer GBH	Peter Drummey Chief Historian Massachusetts Historical Society	Patricia Gilrein Art Collections ManagerCity of Boston

John Boyle O’Reilly monument, Back Bay Fens; Daniel Chester French, artist.“John Boyle O’Reilly Memorial; Allegorical figures representing Patriotism, Erin (Ireland) and Poetry,” photograph by Baldwin Coolidge, circa 1896From Photographic Views of Boston, Mass.; Photo.12.225, Massachusetts Historical Society

This meeting is free and open to all.  To register, scan the following code with your smartphone or register at: bit.ly/FCAMeeting

Brian O’Donovan – Brian is Executive Producer at GBH where he hosts the popular weekly radio program A Celtic Sojourn on GBH Boston. As Celtic Sojourn’s host for over 30 years, Brian O’Donovan has become the authority in showcasing new, emerging artists and bands in Celtic music. As a broadcaster, writer, producer, and presenter, Brian’s work has helped audiences build appreciation and knowledge of Irish poetry, music, and history. Born and raised in Clonakilty, West Cork in a family of 9, O’Donovan received his BA from University College Cork in 1978 before heading to England. He then journeyed to Boston and grad school at Emerson College. 

Peter Drummey – Peter is Chief Historian and Stephen T. Riley at the Massachusetts Historical Society. For over 40 years Drummey has assisted more than 50,000 researchers, prepared exhibitions, transcribed historical documents, and written manuscript collection guides and subject surveys, including Collecting History, a guide to landmark documents and artifacts in the Society’s collections.  In addition, he has contributed book reviews and bibliographic essays to professional and historical journals.Drummey has served as a technical adviser for documentary films and television programs with historical themes, including the HBO miniseries, John Adams; and as a commentator for BBC, C-Span, PBS, and commercial cable television programs on Charles Dickens in America, Thomas Jefferson, historian Henry Adams, the end of slavery in Massachusetts, the Boston Irish, and, most recently, the Gettysburg Address.

Patricia Gilrein – Patricia is the Art Collections manager for the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture. Her work includes managing the physical and intellectual care of the City’s existing collection, including sculptures, fountains, murals, and items associated with public buildings. Patricia also administers the Boston Art Commission. Patricia grew up in Western Massachusetts and lives in Dorchester. She has worked with collections of art and design in the US and the UK for nearly two decades. For the past 10 years, she has worked with Boston-area museums to lead several large-scale collections re-locations as well as storage design and improvement projects. Prior to moving to Boston, she assisted in establishing a physical archive and records management system for Coach in NYC. Patricia graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a degree in art history, and the University of St. Andrews with an M.A. in museum studies.

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Fenway Civic is a board-driven, all-volunteer, member-supported organization whose goal is to promote and sustain a vital, livable neighborhood.

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