Sailing: Newport, Rhode Island
NEWPORT GOES GREEN IN MARCH
IRISH TRAVEL & CULTURE MAGAZINE
SPRING 2022
Newport, RI, a magical year-round vacation destination, comes alive each March as the city celebrates St. Patrick’s Day and Irish Heritage Month. And no wonder: Rhode Island ranks 3rd in the nation in percentage of residents claiming Irish ancestry at 17.9%, according to the U.S. Census.
Newport’s Irish connections date back to the 18th century, when Irish philosopher George Berkeley settled in Middletown, RI from 1729 until 1732, with a plan to build a college to teach Indian children. In the 19th century Irish immigrants came to the Newport area, drawn by its bustling seaport and nearby coal mines. Irish stone masons built Fort Adams, a massive project (1824-1857) and returned during the Gilded Age (1870 to 1910), to build Newport’s famous seaside mansions. Today, Middletown, Narragansett, Charlestown, Scituate and Jamestown also have large Irish-American populations.
Fort Adams, Newport, Rhode Island
The Irish highlight of the season is the 66th Annual Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which takes place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 12. The two-hour parade kicks off at Newport City Hall, travels down Thames Street to Carroll Avenue through the Fifth Ward, and ends at St. Augustine’s Church.
Newport native and Parade Committee Chairman Dennis P. Sullivan, an organizer of the event for over two decades, says the family-friendly parade provides a chance for locals to meet up with each other, and also draws visitors from across the region to participate in the festivities.
The Rhode Island Highlanders Pipes and Drums, Newport, RI.
Credit: David Hansen
This year, Sullivan says, the parade’s most popular pipe bands - the Rhode Island Highlanders, and the AOH Newport Pipe + Drums Band - will proudly march. The parade was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic. This year’s parade is dedicated to the late parade volunteer Garrett M. “Gary” Loftus, while the Grand Marshal is local hotelier Robert “Rocky” Kempenaar II.
Depending upon weather, the parade draws from 25-50,000 spectators. Sullivan notes that the Newport Bridge has its heaviest traffic of the year, not on Independence Day, but for the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians, a fraternal group of Catholic Irish- Americans, has been in Newport since 1876, and boasts 500+ members. Its two-story building at 2 Wellington Avenue is said to be one of the largest Hibernian halls in the country.
The 62nd Annual Newport Saint Patrick’s Day Parade (Saturday, March 17, 2018)
And right down the street at 648 Lower Thames Street is the Museum of Newport Irish History, which offers interpretative exhibits of the city’s Irish history, as well as lectures, concerts and special events.
Since 2002, Newport has been paired as a sister city with Kinsale in County Cork, which is known as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland. Every couple of years a group of Irish chefs visit Newport to share their culinary treasures, followed by Newport chefs going to Kinsale in alternate years, according to Kathryn Farrington, vice president of marketing for Discover Newport.
In addition to Irish activities, Newport continues to bustle through the spring. There’s a Newport Foodies Stroll through March 26, followed by Newport Restaurant Week - April 1-10, Newport Daffodil Days - April 1-30, Newport Rhode Race - April 16, and the Newport Beer Festival on April 30.
Newport Cliff Walk during Daffodil Festival
In May, don’t miss the Newport Classical Chamber Series, Newport Oyster & Chowder Festival on May 21, and the Atlantic Cup Race on May 26. You can view a full listing of Newport events by visiting discovernewport.org.
DiscoverNewport.org | NewportIrish.com
EVENTS OF NOTE
MARCH
12 St. Patrick’s Day Parade
APRIL
1-30 Newport Daffodil Days
1-10 Newport Restaurant Week
8-May 15 Daffodil Days Blithewold
MAY
1-15 Daffodil Days Blithewold
14-15 Food Truck + Craft Beer Festival
21-22 Newport Oyster + Chowder Festival
JUNE
4 Int'l Polo Series Begins, Portsmouth
10-11 British Motorcars, Bristol
10-12 Black Ships Festival, Bristol
17 Newport Bermuda Race
17-19 Newport Flower Show
JULY
1-17 Newport Classical Music Festival
4 Fourth of July Parade, Bristol
10-17 Hall of Fame Open
22-24 Newport Folk Festival
29-31 Newport Jazz Festival
AUGUST
19-21 Coaching Weekend
SEPTEMBER
15-18 Newport International Boat Show
16-18 Newport Mansions Wine + Food Festival
29-Oct 2 Audrain Concours + Motor Week
OCTOBER
1-2 Audrain Concours + Motor Week
1-2 Norman Bird Sanctuary Harvest Fair
15 Food Truck + Craft Beer Festival
15-16 Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival
NOVEMBER + DECEMBER
Nov 4-13 Newport Restaurant Week
Nov 19-Jan 8 Holidays at the Newport Mansions
Nov 25 Illuminated Boat Parade
Nov 25-Jan 8 Christmas at Blithewold, Bristol
Dec 1-31 Christmas in Newport