Emily Sweeney Speaks at the Bull Run

The Bull Run Speaker Series presents: Emily Sweeney, author of the new book “DROPKICK MURPHY: A LEGENDARY LIFE” at the Bull Run on September 17.

Boston Globe journalist Emily Sweeney will talk about her recently published biography of Dr. John “Dropkick” Murphy.

Her book chronicles for the first time the unbelievable life of Dropkick Murphy, a professional wrestler who put himself through medical school during the Great Depression and then opened Bellows Farm, a one-of-a-kind institution that served as both a facility where elite athletes could train as well as a secluded place where down-on-their-luck alcoholics could go to sober up discreetly.

The celebrities who frequented Dropkick Murphy’s farm were many, and numerous professional athletes would go there to focus on their training and work out in his state-of-the-art gymnasium. As a result, Bellows Farm featured an unrivaled and revolving cast of colorful characters who brought it to life. Drawing on years of research and interviews, author Emily Sweeney goes behind the scenes to reveal the untold story of Murphy’s life, his farm, and the legendary events that unfolded there.

Emily Sweeney is a staff reporter at The Boston Globe and author of the books “Boston Organized Crime,” “Gangland Boston” and “Dropkick Murphy: A Legendary Life.” A proud native of Dorchester, she appears in “Bloody Boston,” a two-part documentary special on the Reelz channel; “Stranger Than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger,” “Southie” and “The Departed,” a bonus feature on the DVD of the Oscar-winning movie The Departed; and the forthcoming Netflix series “How To Become A Mob Boss.”

• Doors open & Brunch is available from 10AM.
• There will be no Brunch Service once the program begins @ 12noon.
• Ticket price does not include Brunch.

Proceeds from this event directly benefit the Ayer Library and the Hazen Memorial Library in Shirley.