A
formal dedication for Corktown’s United Irish Societies Plaza will be
held Sunday, May 21. The plaza consists of three flagpoles flying the
flags of the United States, Ireland and Michigan, engraved brick
pavers, stones and plaques and landscaping
“Detroit 300
encouraged citizens and ethnic groups to accentuate their connection to
the city. UIS covers 29 (Irish) member organizations, so we decided to
become a Detroit 300 partner,” says UIS President Dennis Hayes.
While
UIS is best known for producing the annual St. Patrick’s Parade, the
group began to focus on the history of the Irish in Detroit as part of
their partnership with Detroit 300. They produced two history books —
available for purchase at the Gaelic League Irish-American Club in
Corktown— as well as a video recording of Irish Detroiters sharing
their histories. “The last thing was to have a lasting monument
of some sort, so that’s what we went about doing. It’s a simple plaza,
but it’s an improvement," Hayes says.
The dedication will
include mass at 1 p.m. at Most Holy Trinity Church followed by the
dedication to be held on-site at the plaza. Mass will be celebrated by
the Rev. James A. Moloney, the Archdiocese of Detroit’s director of the
Office for Propagation of Faith; Mike Kerwin, the chairman of UIS’
Detroit 300 Committee, will act as emcee at the dedication.
For more information, go to
www.detroitirish.org or call 313-963-5745.
Source: Dennis Hayes, UIS
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