About the Charlestown Irish Renaissance Project and Film
The Green Square Mile - the story of the Charlestown Irish is the story of the Irish in America.
Green Square Mile DVD and Book by Ed Callahan and Dan Casey
$25.00 for both with free shipping
The "Green Square Mile" documentary is the result of a Charlestown Historical Society initiative called the "Charlestown Irish Renaissance Project", and follows Charlestown's history from its settlement to contemporary times. With an Irish perspective, the viewer relives history through the eyes of local Charlestown residents and local historians.
Charlestown is one of Boston's oldest ethnic communities and the Irish presence here in Charlestown spans nearly three centuries and reflects the dreams and aspirations of a resilient immigrant population and their descendants, who endured incredible hardship to survive as a distinct subculture in 21st century America. The history of Charlestown's Irish community has never been documented or recorded. Until now. This documentary film presents a "warts-and-all" portrait of Charlestown's Irish community, while at the same time striving to project a realistic and positive picture of an ethnic neighborhood with strong survival skills and a promising future.
Over the past several years, the Society has exhaustively researched the entire history of the Irish presence here in Charlestown, producing a massive amount of historical data. This data reflects the fact, that in no small measure, the story of the Charlestown Irish mirrors the wider experiences of the Irish in America.