Author Archive

Lowell Week in Review: September 28, 2014

The Irish in Massachusetts A few weeks ago I got a look at the final schedule for this past week’s history conference at UMass Lowell.  Done in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, “The Irish in Massachusetts: Historical Significance, Lasting Legacy” I saw that the conference would cover history, literature and…

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Irish in Massachusetts History Conference

Congratulations to UMass Lowell which teamed up this past week with Queen’s College Belfast for a world-class history conference at the Inn & Conference Center.  Called “The Irish in Massachusetts: Historical Significance, Lasting Legacy,” the conference began on Wednesday night and ended Saturday morning with a tour of St. Patrick’s…

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Inventing Lowell on September 30 at 6:30 pm

While in Washington a couple of summers ago, I was sure to visit the Museum of American History which was hosting an exhibit on “invention in 19th century America.”  I’ve always found the intersection of history and technology to be a fascinating area and I wasn’t disappointed.  The exhibit featured…

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Rita Mercier gets it right

I commend Councilor Rita Mercier on her remarks this evening regarding crime in Lowell.  My notes from the entire meeting are available online but I want to single out Rita’s comments, partly because she and I haven’t shared a lot of common ground on issues, but mostly because she’s right.…

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Lowell City Council Meeting: September 23, 2014

My notes from tonight’s Lowell City Council meeting: Resignation of Erik Gitschier from Greater Lowell Vocational School Committee – City Council trying to schedule a joint meeting with the Lowell School Committee to select his replacement.  Special meeting on October 7, 2014 at 6:30 pm (council will begin its regular…

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Lowell History comes in many forms

Several years ago UMass Lowell began requiring its freshmen honors students to take a seminar their first semester that’s designed to introduce them to the city of Lowell.  It’s one of the many ways in which the University is striving to make closer connections with the city.  Last year, one…

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