Tá! These 17 Towns Are Proudly The Most Irish In Massachusetts

Let the celebrations begin! St. Patrick's Day in the Boston area isn't just a holiday, it's truly an event. So, let the debate begin. What are the most Irish towns in Massachusetts?  It depends upon who you talk to and where you get your information. The U.S. Cenus Bureau certainly is helpful, but not updated on this stat since 2015. I also consulted Irish Central to gather more confusing data.

One thing is for sure, there is a reason we call the South Shore coastal area the Irish Riveria. Irish Americans continue to dominate here, according to the Census data. In fact, it's been the case since 1990. More Census facts: Massachusetts claims the highest percentage of Irish ancestry in the United States, coming in at 21.2%. What does all this mean? It means St. Patrick's Day weekend is a big deal, with parades, parties, and cultural celebrations. So, grab your scally cap and Kelly green Celtics shirt and enjoy the Irish heritage that lives in all of us, regardless of our ancestry. We are Massachusetts, after all!

If you break it down to size and percentage, Boston is the #1 most Irish big city in the country. Weymouth is the most Irish medium city in American, and Scituate is the most Irish small town. Do you have a favorite Irish Bar you like to go to to celebrate? Ta! Have fun celebrating St. Patrick's Day and whether you live in one of the most Irish towns in Massachusetts or not, we can all share in the love of all things Irish. These 17 towns are proudly the most Irish in Massachusetts, according to the sources named above. (By the way, 16 of the top 17 are all south of Boston!)

47.5%

Did you know this beautiful little town was built on seaweed? The Smithsonian did an article on the most Irish town of Scitutate and how immigrants launched a booming industry here, in mossing. Scituate is situated halfway between Boston and Plymouth and has a population of about 20,000. Nearly half of the town claims to be of Irish decent. That's a lot for a little town! Sláinte Scituate! You are the most Irish town in Massachusetts. 

46.5%

The big town/little city just about 13 miles south of Boston. And even though we call it the Town of Braintree, it's technically a city. And there are plenty of Irish Bars to be found here, and St. Paddy's Day celebrations.

45.8%

This Plymouth Country town is actually the smallest by land area in the country. And Hull is also the 4th smallest in Massachusetts, by land. But when you consider people, Wikipedia reports that Hull's population density is nearly four times that of Massachusetts as a whole. Lots of summer residencies here, because of Nantasket Beach, which back in the day was the place to go, especially for kids! Who could forget Paragon Park?

46.5%

You'll find this pretty small town where Cape Cod Bay meets the Massachusetts Bay. Marshfield includes the areas of Marshfield Hills, Ocean Bluff-Brant Rock, Cedar Crest and shares the Green Harbor with Duxbury. You'll also find Marshfield along the Irish Heritage Trail on the South Shore.

https://ssirishtrail.org/the-trail/

44.9%

This Norfolk Country town is tiny. As of 2020, the Census reported a total population of 4,777. And to think over 44% are Irish! Avon recently celebrated a birthday, too.

44.9%

About halfway between Boston and Cape Cod lies the sweet little town of Pembroke, in Plymouth County. It's home to several Irish Dance companies, the Pembroke Country Club and the Grand Ole Fish Fry.

44.6%

Milton is a town just outside of Boston. It's fairly hilly and nestled between the Neponset River and The Blue Hills. According to Wikipedia, the top ancestry here is overwhelmingly Irish, followed by Italian, English, and West Indian. The Dropkick Murphy's Ken Casey was born and raised here.

44.5%
The lovely little Plymouth County town of Abington is about 20 south of Boston. They were well known in the 19th and early 20th century for making boots and shoes. And from 1846 to 1865, Abington was a center of the abolitionist movement.(Wikipedia). They've doing doing a St. Patrick's Day Parade in this small town for 44 years. 

https://seeplymouth.com/event/st-patricks-parade-abington/

44.3%

Fun fact: Whitman is known to be the place where the chocolate chip cookie was invented! Nothing Irish about that, but interesting. Ruth Graves Wakefield was said to have invented the cookie at the Toll House Inn on Bedford Street, which burned down in 1984 and was never rebuilt. But we all know, the cookie lives on.  Whitman is also home to a couple of favorite Irish Pubs, O'Tooole's and McGuiggan's.

https://kofcwhitman.com/upcoming-events/irish-night

44.2%

This historic little town of about 15,000 saw a huge immigration of the Irish in the 19th century, along with many from the British Isles. And from the late 1920s to the early 1940s the area of West Hanover was known at "Little Poland" because so many had immigrated from Poland, Lithuania, and Scandinavia. Today, you will find several Irish dance academies in Hanover, and of course St. Patrick's Day celebrations

43.4%

Weymouth is a bustling little city of about 58,000 people. It's one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts and is also has the highest percentage of those with Irish heritage for a medium sized city in the U.S.  It's been nicknamed "Suburban Southie" because so many South Boston residents have migrated here, and because of the Irish Catholic culture. Weymouth even has a holiday to celebrate all those with Irish Heritage.

43.0%

In the town of Walpole, you don't have to go far to find the Irish spirit. There are Irish dance academies, Irish pubs, even an organization called Friends of Saint Patrick. Walpole is uniquely positioned nearly equal distance to Boston and Providence. About 30 minutes to each city (without traffic, of course). The former mill town now is a bustling with about 27,000 people. A couple of famous Boston Bruins are from Walpole, former player and manager Mike Millbury, and current player Chris Wagner. Former Red Sox manager Joe Morgan also grew up here.

https://www.friendsofsaintpatrick.org/

42.2%

This Norfolk County town has about 12,000 residents. Farming, cottage trade and shoe producation was big here in the early days. The small town even has a couple of Irish bars, Donahue's and Lucky's 777.

https://www.holbrookma.gov/

41.4%
Duxbury is a South Shore town  on Cape Cod Bay. It's about 35 miles south of Boston, and the  historic town is renowned for its cranberry bogs. Some of the most influential men in the early days of settling received grants in Duxbury and became its first leaders, like Captain Myles Standish and John Alden.  Shipbuilding was a big industry and then Duxbury became a sought-after summer resort town. Today there are many more year round residents.

41.2%

A Plymouth County town of about 12,000, Norwell runs along the North River. Shipbuilding brought many to live and work here in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Award winning actress Jennifer Coolidge grew up here. The Tinker's Son is an authentic Irish pub located on Main St. in Norwell.

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40.8%

An inland town on the South Shore, the picturesque mall town of Hanson, has a population of about 11,000.And to think 40% are Irish! Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice's humble beginning started here. It was originally a farming town, bog iron and quarrying. Mills also popped up along the rivers during the nineteenth century. Today the residential town has some farming and cranberry farming. Singer Kristen Merlin, from The Voice, grew up here.

https://www.hanson-ma.gov/

17.4%

People of Irish descent are the largest single ethnic group in the city of Boston. Boston leads the U.S as the largest city with the highest percentage of Irish ancestry. It is followed by Pittsburg and Philadelphia, PA. But it's South Boston's legenday St. Patrick's Day Parade that is world famous!