John Ryan (J.R.) Gallagher
Social commentator, Explorer
by Kathleen Downey
John Ryan Gallagher, Photo credit: Meg Manion Silliker
He’s not dastardly like the 1980s TV villain and Texas oil baron J.R. Ewing of Dallas fame, with whom he shares an initialism. But J.R. Gallagher is delightfully devilish and a smidge irreverent—in a sweet kind of way. He’s also very funny, sincere, and comes across as a really good guy. But I didn’t get all of this from our encounter on the patio at Abe’s Bagels. A jaunt through J.R.’s online blog (http://johnryangallagher.tumblr.com/) reveals a young man in possession of a perceptive, if not slightly skewed, rich outlook on life. Meeting J.R. in person gives a corporeal identity to the social commentator whose musings are alternately confessional, banal, intriguing, witty, always entertaining, and infused with a large dose of all-things Newburyport told from a colorful, inimitably townie perspective.
Currently a student at Salem State College where he is a communications major, J.R. tells me that his goal is to work in Public Relations in the nonprofit sector so that he can promote charitable organizations. “I have a genuine interest in helping those without a voice who have no one to advocate for them,” he says. Presently, J.R. serves on the Board of Directors for I.C. Haiti, a humanitarian group founded by parishioners of the Immaculate Conception church to provide healthcare and education to Haiti’s poor. “We were already focused on our mission prior to Haiti’s devastating earthquake last January. But the quake intensified our efforts to meet the Haitian’s people intense, urgent need for ongoing assistance,” J.R. explains. He is excited about what will be his first visit to Haiti this September, where he says he can see first-hand how I.C. Haiti has made a difference and learn what the organization can do to further help the Haitian people.
In addition to being an ardent (at times, sardonic) blogger and a passionate humanitarian, J.R. is an accomplished musician. A former member of the Newburyport-based alternative-rock band Tiger Saw and current band member of The Divorced—he plays guitar and backup vocals—J.R. has performed at venues in Newburyport (with stops at The Grog) and along the eastern seaboard.
Via his blog pulpit, he likes to showcase the music of others and posts a weekly musical playlist of little-known, hip bands. But it’s his interviews with these bands and the probing, disarming questions that he asks, which often have no musical relevance, that reveal the creative, inner landscapes of the musicians whom he chats up.
An enthusiastic explorer of landscapes, both soulful and physical—and attuned to when the two blend—J.R. says that Newburyport offers some of the most enchanting landscapes that he has found. “Newburyport is a special city, even amongst other coastal cities. Cool stuff goes on here; we have eccentric characters, a unique history, beautiful scenery . . . it just doesn’t get much better than this,” he asserts.
As a Kelley School alumnus (“I realize how fortunate I am to have attended this wonderful little school,” J.R. tells me) and a former Fowle’s counter person where he worked with some of the “nicest people” (including the venerable Ruth, Fowle’s counter doyenne whom J.R. describes as a “totally awesome woman”), J.R. is grounded by and connected to Newburyport.
So it makes sense that his cat has Newburyport roots. J.R. is the smitten guardian of Olliecat, an all-black feline whom he adopted as an 8-week-old feral kitten from the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS). “Ollie was born outside and had been living in the woods until an MRFRS volunteer rescued him!” J.R. recalls for me, a bit of amazement evident in his voice. Now two-years-old, Olliecat has earned at least one blog post by J.R., though the impetus appears to have been an argument between the two—claws were involved—that led J.R. to feign contemplation about offering Olliecat to the highest bidder on Craigslist. Of course, J.R. crafted no such ad and offered his cat instead a contrite apology, concluding, “You are feral after all. Sorry, brotherman (sic)” – in a display of sardonic humor and insight that is classic J.R.
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Kathleen Downey is a contributing writer to Newburyport-Today if you are a “Townie” and would like to be interviewed by Kathleen, please let us know!
