Rosary found at the dig site of the Irish settlement in Lowell’s Acre section on St. Patrick’s Church property.

Reconnaissance Excavation in Lowell, MA: Unearthing Irish History Start Date: May 17 7:00 PM

Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts

This event is open to the public

The Massachusetts Archaeological Society’s Northeast Chapter will host speaker Dr. Frank Talty at Kemper Auditorium. The meeting will begin with Chapter business and then the speaker will follow shortly thereafter.

A team of 30 Irish workers was hired in 1822 to work on the widening of the Pawtucket Canal in Lowell, MA. By 1830, a community of 400 Irish residents settled on the site where St. Patrick’s Church was constructed. This presentation will discuss the results of excavation in 2010 by UMass Lowell students and archaeologists from Queen’s University in Northern Ireland.

Dr. Frank Talty is Director of Academic Programs and Co-Director of the Center for Irish Partnerships at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.