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Local Amateur Historian John Canavan, Others to Speak at the Hibernian Cultural Centre

Contacts: Debra Donovan, Hibernian Cultural Centre & Fiddlers’ Green, (508)735-9345, fiddlersgreen2007@yahoo.com

John Canavan, local history buff, 774-535-2240, worcirish@aol.com

Web site address: www.aohworcester.com

Worcester, MA 10/11/07 — This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the re-internment of Worcester’s earliest Catholic settlers from the “Tatnuck Burial Ground” to the St. John’s Cemetery. There were no records of the nearly two thousand people and many of the names have been forever lost. Local researchers John Canavan, his son Thomas and Mary Ellen Radziewicz will talk at the Hibernian Cultural Centre on Thursday, November 1st about their efforts to learn more about those who once rested in the area’s oldest Catholic cemetery.

The Hibernian Cultural Centre’s Monthly Speaker Program brings in local and regional speakers to share stories and information which promote a greater understanding of Irish history, culture and its role in Irish America. Last year’s highlights included Sister Lena Devy LSA who spoke on the Issues of Immigration (Legal and Illegal) and Kevin O’Hara, author of the Last Donkey Pilgrim in addition to a performance of “The Halligan-Daley Hanging” by Elms College students. The Speakers Program is now entering is second year and attendance continues to grow.

In addition to the Speaker Program, the Cultural Centre offers the Irish and Greater Worcester community a number of high quality cultural events intended to educate and entertain people about the Irish history, cultural, and their important role in the area. These events include free weekly ceili dance lessons, music workshops, calligraphy workshops, and semi-monthly traditional seisiuns to name just a few. In addition, the Cultural Centre contains the Fiddlers’ Green Pub and Restaurant.

The “Tatnuck Burial Ground - 1835 to 1907 Rest in Peace ” will be at 7PM on November 1st at the Hibernian Cultural Centre, 19 Temple Street (off Green Street and across from St. John’s Church). There is no charge for admission (although donations are gratefully accepted). Additional information about any of the Centre’s events can be obtained by calling (508)792-3700 or at http://www.socialweb.net/Places/4922.lasso.

History of the Hibernian Cultural Centre

The Hibernian Cultural Centre has quickly become the premiere cultural venue for the Worcester area Irish community since its opening in 2005. The building was refurbished by the HCC and filled a void created in 2002 when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts took the former “Irish Club”, located on Millbury Street by eminent domain for the construction of the Route 146 Extension. The thriving Worcester Irish community was left without a home for many of cultural events through which it had ensured perpetuation of the Irish cultural to younger generations. For the interim years, the Irish community hosted its events at many local establishments that donated space. However, it was evident that the many once thriving Irish groups could not maintain their activities without a permanent home. The former Polish American Veterans hall, located at 19 Temple Street, Worcester was acquired and dramatically renovated.