by Alana Loftus,
Special to BostonIrish.com

On the first Friday of every month, members of the Irish community gather at Boston's Irish Consulate in Copley Square. The August meeting on August 4 was a special one. Consulate General of Ireland, Laoise Moore, is set to return to Ireland at the end of this month. This marked her final, “First Friday” and her last meeting with many members of the Irish community.
The theme of the morning was not sadness but gratitude- people took their moment on the podium to commend Dr. Moore and thank her for all she has done since she was appointed in 2019.
After a short introduction from Moore, the floor was open to anyone who would like to speak to the gathering.
The first were Martina Curtin and Aoife Griffin of the Irish Cultural Centre, who stepped up to the podium with two agendas. The first was a presentation on behalf of the Board of Staff at the ICC to Laoise Moore- an original Vincent Crotty painting of Copley Square, to remind her of her home far away when she returns to Ireland. Curtin said, “To think of one word that describes Laoise, I would say ‘connector’. You have done an amazing job of connecting us all. This is not a goodbye, it’s an ‘until we meet again.’”
Griffin then announced the upcoming events at the Irish Cultural Centre, including a Boston Irish Beer Festival, a meeting and film screening with Mags Riordan, and the Boston GAA finals weekend. She also announced a new event, the Brian J. Donnelly Award for Leadership in Public Service, which will be presented to Jim Brett on September 21st at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston.
Then, she announced their First Annual ‘Back to School/Work’ Breakfast, at the Westin Copley Place, hosted by Mná Mheiriceá- an Irish women’s network.
A representative from the Town of Scituate’s Historical Society announced that they have acquired by donation, a small manuscript/journal kept by a man named Patrick O'Keeffe. The journal has entries in English and old Irish, dating back to June 1815. This piece of Irish history will be showcased in an interactive event in Scituate in November.
Maudy Dooher from the Ireland Funds extending an invitation to the 43rd Annual Ireland Funds Gala taking place on October 25.
Danielle Nicolo from Irish American Police Officers Association of Massachusetts spoke about bringing 300-400 Irish police officers to Boston for their upcoming National Conference of Law Enforcement Emerald Societies. He said he expects a number of former Gardai who will also attend.
A newcomer to the Irish Consulate meetings, Kevin Clancy, announced the opening of his new Irish goods store, ‘The Galway Girl’ in Duxbury.
The Irish Network Boston announced its new co-chairs- Jim Foley and Aoife Griffin. The first event of the season will be at Fenway Park at the Sept 24 Red Sox game. Also, IN/Boston will launch a "Thirsty Thursdays" initiative on the third Thursday of each month, rotating the location to promote different bars around Boston.
The morning was full of bright ideas and exciting events for the upcoming fall season.