The Naval Service flagship, LE Eithne and the Irish sail training vessel, Asgard II were among a fleet of over 100 vessels taking part in or accompanying this year's Cutty Sark Tall Ships race across the Atlantic.
The Irish vessels arrived into Boston Harbour earlier this month en route from New York where they were the only Irish ships involved in the Fourth of July celebrations reviewed by President Clinton.
The LE Eithne received a very warm welcome from Irish-Americans in New York where up to 500 people a day visited the 81-metre ship, and it also proved to be a very big attraction in Boston.
The cream of Boston's Irish American community gathered at a reception on board the Eithne to celebrate the arrival of the Irish vessels in the United States.
Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Defence Mr Seamus Brennan attended the event along with assistant Irish Consul General Mr Joe Hackett.
The Eithne's commander, James Robinson DSM, had described the occasion as a very special one for Eithne as it marked its second voyage across the Atlantic. Only one member of the 90-strong crew was on board the original trip.
In addition to the international tall ships, the Irish vessel has been in the company of the aircraft carrier, USS John F. Kennedy while in America. Cmdr Robinson explained the significance of the Eithne's presence in the US:
"It's more than just sending a ship that people see, and think of Ireland. We co-hosted a reception with Enterprise Ireland in Boston, as we did in New York."
Cmdr Robinson has been commander of LE Eithne for the past 2 1/2 years and lives in Cork where the vessel is based. He received a Distinguished Service Medal for his role as commander of rescue operations after the Air India crash in 1985.
Another DSM recipient, LieutCmdr Mark Mellett, was also on board the ship in Boston. Lieut Cmdr Mellett received the medal for his part in Operation Brime, during which two tonnes of cannabis were seized en route to Ireland from North Africa, resulting in the break-up of a major international drug-smuggling ring.
