Whitey McGrail, a well known and loved part of Southie in Boston, MA. Photo and the monument inscription below was supplied by Hugh McGrail:
This memorial to Whitey McGrail is located at Carson Beach, in South Boston. I guess Whitey was a somewhat controversial character in South Boston.
He used to walk the boardwalk of Carson Beach, in his fancy outfit and greet one and all. This is a very popular beach, and includes Castle Island, which has Fort Independence situated on it.
The following poem was inscribed on the stone, to the side of the monument:
MY BEST FRIEND ON THE DAY I LOST MY BEST FRIEND I WEPT FROM CITY POINT TO THE LOWER END HE WAS ONE HELL OF A GOOD MAN MY WHITEY MCGRAIL IT BROKE MY HEART TO SEE HIM GO FOR THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER YOU KNOW THE "WHITEY STORIES" ! HEARD AS WE SAID GOOD BY MAN, HE WAS ONE HELLUVA GUY I'LL MISS THIS POLITICIAN, THIS BANKER, PRANKSTER, AND LOVABLE HAM HE MADE ME STAND TALL, HE MADE ME PROUD HE MADE ME WHAT I AM HE WAS SOUTHIE PRIDE, HE WAS WHITEY I'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL THESE LAST DOZEN YEARS HE PICKED ME UP, DUSTED ME OFF, AND QUELLED MY FEARS GOOD BYE WHITEY, TAKE YOUR REST AMONG MY PEOPLE YOU WERE THE BESTWHO AM I? I AM SOUTH BOSTON
Also, notice on the bottom of the memorial. The following words are inscribed:
SO. BOSTON TOWN GREETER
Greg McGrail supplied the following info on Whitey:
Broadway play..............
"DIRTY DAY"
Reviewed by Irene Backalenick
Presented by Imua! Theatre Company at the Currican
Theater, 154 West 29th St.,
NYC, March 28-April 11, 1999
What is fascinating about “Dirty Day,” a new
off-Broadway piece, is its historical
background.
In 1985 “Whitey” McGrail, a well-liked tavernkeeper,
was gunned down in his own
South Boston bar. And now his son, actor-playwright
Brian McGrail, has written a play
based on the actual murder. McGrail himself played the
lead in its original California
production, and, this time around, plays the villain.
Though his father’s murder was the impetus for this
slice-of-life play, McGrail goes on
to grapple with broader issues of morality. He raises
the critical question of whether
morality is a luxury in an amoral world.
The story centers on Bobby McGrath (read Brian
McGrail), who leaves college after
his father’s death to take over the family business in
South Boston. There he is beset
by friends and enemies who make inordinate demands
upon him as he struggles to
determine who is honest, who is trustworthy.
Unfortunately, we are as confused at times as Bobby.
The playwright does not offer
clear clues as to where culpability lies, nor does he
spell out what motivates each
character’s behavior. Further confusion results from
the actors themselves who rush
their lines and garble critical speeches.
Nonetheless, the all-male cast of four—which includes
Jack R. Marks, Derek Phillips,
and Kevin Anton, as well as McGrail—throw themselves
into the story with a will.
Performances are competent, in terms of their
interpersonal actions and displays of
passion. And fight scenes, under William
Mierzejewski’s direction, are particularly
effective.
“Dirty Day,” despite its flaws, rings with passion.
And, with its bloody, violent
moments, one gets an insight into a brutal world which
apparently still exists in South
Boston.
Last updated July 12, 1999