Joseph P. Kennedy II stepped down from hisEighth District seat this fall, leaving Rep.Michael A. Capuano (D-Somerville), to fill theposition. Boston's City Hall, which between 1930and 1993 was filled by mayors with Irish roots,now has Italian-American Thomas M. Menino asmayor.
Yet the Boston Irish are far from a dyingbreed. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.)and John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) still reign inMassachusetts, and the Boston financial elite hasan influential Irish contingent.
Now, many of the newer bars reflect not thestoried past of Boston's Irish life, butcapitalize on the mainstream intrigue in the newlypopular Irish culture.
In the Green?
The world of The Field, located in CentralSquare, although it proudly serves Guinness fivetimes more than any other beer, hardly mirrors theSligo.
With Oasis tunes serenading the patrons andwaitresses drinking Starbucks instead of Harp, TheField caters to a younger crowd.
"This is what an Irish bar is like in Irelandwhere people come and listen to rock music," saysAllan C. Murphy, one of the Field's bartenders.
Murphy described the clientele as a mix ofpeople--Irish people, professionals, Harvard andMIT students--who tend to be fairly young.
The Druid, located in Inman Square, creates asimilar atmosphere to The Field's, with a giantMarlboro heart pierced by a cigarette hanging fromthe ceiling.
Here, the Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis fighttakes center stage, rather than an Irish musicalsession.
Behind the Guinness
While Irish bars like The Druid and The Fieldplay on customer interest in Ireland, they stillcontribute to the Hub's thriving Irish pub scene.
But many of the more authentic Irish pubssymbolize something more than just a place to fillup a pint.
"It's like the sitting room for this culture,"Cunningham says.
He does not have to look farther than hishometown for a poignant example of how pubsconnect Irish-Americans to their homeland.
Cunningham, a native of Ballina, a 7,000-persontown in County Mayo, recounts the story of aBallina native who has lived in Boston for sixyears--but who is going back for soccer.
Ballina has advanced far into Irish's soccertournament, forcing the Ballina soccer player toaccumulate in excess of 30,000 miles back andforth over the Atlantic.
"While his whole life was here for six years,he still has an affinity to his people and histown," Cunningham says. "He will sacrifice allthat to go back to play for his home team."
While Cunningham does not travel over theAtlantic to cheer his friend on, the Bostoncontingent of Ballina, Cunningham included,gathers at the Kells in Allston for the playoffs,raising their voices and their Guinnesses insupport of their hometown stars.