THE IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUM ANNOUNCES SECOND ROUND OF TRADITIONAL IRISH CULTURAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
IAHM Proudly Continues Program to Recruit Regional Irish Cultural Ambassadors To Partake in Rich, Regionally Diverse Irish Heritage Experiences
ALBANY, N.Y. - October 22, 2025 - Following the remarkable success of its inaugural Irish American Heritage Museum (IAHM) Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador Scholarship program (awarded July 2025), IAHM’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that additional donations and sponsorship funding has been secured to continue this truly unique cultural and heritage scholarship program.
The IAHM Regional Cultural Ambassador Scholarships provide multiple geographically diverse opportunities to participate in artistic and educational Irish programs throughout the United States. Recipients of this award, who are then IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassadors, are provided with unique opportunities to share their Irish knowledge and artistic talents with similarly interested individuals and groups in other regions of the United States, each with it’s own rich, distinct Irish-American cultural traditions. IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador scholarship recipients:
- Share their own Irish cultural talents;
- Exchange styles, art, and tunes with other Irish and Irish-American artists;
- Immerse themselves in the “trad” culture and life of another region; and
- Return home to share those experiences with their communities.
Each Ambassador will explore the regional impact of the Irish in America through music and arts education.
Earlier this year, the Irish American Heritage Museum named Katherine Kalinowski (Arlington, TX) as IAHM’s first Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador. An alum of O’Flaherty’s Irish Music Retreat, Katherine attended the preeminent Catskills Irish Arts Week as IAHM’s ambassador July 2025.
The Irish American Heritage Museum is proud to announce two, new IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassadors, Sean and Liam Bohan. Sean and Liam - from Riverdale, New Jersey - are alumni of New York’s Catskills Irish Arts Week. As IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassadors, Sean and Liam will represent IAHM - and the Northeastern US traditional Irish arts community - at O’Flaherty’s Irish Music Retreat in Texas, one of the United States’ preeminent and most successful immersive Irish cultural experiences.
“I thank the Irish American Heritage Museum for this wonderful opportunity,” said Sean. “As a sophomore in Babson College (MA) and newly involved in the trad session scene outside of New York, I am very aware of the regional differences between shared traditional Irish arts. At O’Flaherty’s Irish Music Retreat in Texas, I will be exposed to and will learn from entirely new teachers, tunes and trad/heritage communities. I am proud to be an IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador and IAHM member, and remain deeply grateful to the IAHM for this opportunity. I can’t wait to learn from - and play with - O’Flaherty’s world-class instructors and students.”
“I am thrilled to explore in an entirely new depth at O’Flaherty’s Irish Music Retreat my Irish heritage and Irish arts. I am so honored to be an IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador. Sean and I competed at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann with the Pearl River Ceili Band, led by our dear mentors and two prior O’Flaherty’s instructors Rose Conway Flanagan and Patty Furlong, and Margie Mulvihill. We already feel a deep connection to O’Flaherty’s, and look so forward to becoming a part of the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES) community.”
“For years, Sean and Liam Bohan have brilliantly represented Irish-American culture, heritage and music in New York State,” said Michael C. Clarke, IAHM’s Executive Director. “Each one - Sean and Liam - are absolute credits to their late father John (Drumlish, Co. Longford) and mom Joan (New York).” Michael added: “Based upon the fantastic response to the Museum’s call for applicants, IAHM’s Regional Irish Cultural Ambassadors scholarship program continues to encourage the spirit, interest and tradition of our rich heritage here in the United States. I am grateful for all of IAHM supporters who followed this program closely, who recognize the importance of preserving Irish heritage, and who have chosen to generously support its continued regional expansion.”
ABOUT IAHM’S REGIONAL IRISH CULTURAL AMBASSADOR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador Scholarship is designed to immerse recipients (“Ambassadors”) in Irish arts, heritage, culture, and community experiences in different U.S. regions. Through artistic exchange and cultural collaboration, Ambassadors return home enriched and ready to share their new experiences with their own Irish communities.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Applicants must be 18 years or older.
- Applicants must submit a 100-word description explaining why they would be a suitable IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador.
- IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassadors must fully participate in intended destinations’ classes and activities. Scholarships Include:
- Reimbursement for one full-time tuition to intended destinations’ classes/activities.
- Stipend for travel/lodging.
- Associate Membership to IAHM for the Ambassador and their family – $100 value.
- Guided tour of the Irish American Heritage Museum – Priceless.
Please follow IAHM’s social media accounts or call the Museum to be placed on IAHM’s mailing list to learn of upcoming IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador Scholarship opportunities.
The IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador scholarships are made possible by donations, alone. We encourage all to consider sponsoring IAHM Regional Irish Cultural Ambassadors. Those interested in contributing to IAHM’s Regional Irish Cultural Ambassador Scholarship award program, please contact IAHM’s Executive Director Michael Cornelius Clarke.
For more information on IAHM, including current exhibits and events, click here.
For more information on O’Flaherty’s Irish Music Retreat, click here.
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ABOUT THE IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUM
The Irish American Heritage Museum (IAHM) is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation created by the New York State legislature in 1986. The IAHM is located in Albany, which is the Capital of New York State. The IAHM is an educational institution which provides critical educational services to not only its membership, but to local school districts and educational institutions in both New York State and across the world. The IAHM fosters dialogue and exchanges of ideas between America and Ireland. Through this sharing, IAHM creates connections and community among all Americans in the context of both the appreciation and the study of the universality of the immigrant story in America.
In addition to exhibitions, IAHM hosts a robust series of programs, including traditional Irish music sessions and performances, lectures, cooking demonstrations, once a month traditional and folk (“Trad/Folk”) Irish performances, film screenings, and assorted one-person shows, plays, and busking experiences. To learn more, visit www.irish-us.org, follow IAHM on Facebook, and see programming on IAHM Eventbrite.
IAHM is home of the Flanagan Theater, a fabulous 60-seat performance space in the midst of the Museum. Irish and Irish Americans in the Northeastern United States at IAHM’s Flanagan Theater. At Flanagan Theater, world class Irish musicians and actors perform, presentations are given, as are lectures, literature readings and workshops.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Michael Cornelius Clarke
Executive Director
Irish American Heritage Museum
21 Quackenbush Square
Albany, New York 12207
OFFICE: (518) 427-1916
MOBILE: (917) 742-9916
michael.clarke@irish-us.org