The first Irishman to serve in the Boston Police Department faced widespread prejudice when he was appointed in 1851.
Boasting an almost comically Irish name, Barney McGinniskin reportedly announced himself from “the bogs of Ireland” when he first walked through the doors of the Boston City Police on November 5, 1851.
Although more than 50,000 of the 140,000 people who lived in Boston at the time were Irish, McGinniskin’s appointment raised eyebrows within the Boston City Police…