Currently at the Museum!

Permanent Exhibit: The Irish in America.

For centuries, they left because they couldn’t stay, or because they wanted to go, or a combination of both. Community became very important to the new arrivals, and so Irish immigrants gathered together in slums near the port or traveled further to meet family members or neighbors who had made the journey earlier and could help give them a start.

They experienced prejudice, hardship, trials, and sometimes good fortune. In turn, some of them displayed prejudice, wrestling for position in often-ruthless cities. Many served their new country in the military, some became labor leaders, politicians, teachers, and innovators. Some achieved great fame, others infamy. Most would remain nameless, living ordinary lives, proud of their heritage, working hard, and becoming American. Today, these emigrants and their descendants, some 34 million Americans,  are spread across every state in the nation. Here, we tell their stories. The permanent exhibition will be installed shortly, and has been generously supported by grants from Assmbly Members, Pat Fahy and John McDonald III.

We tell the stories of the Irish in Founding America, Labor, the Military, Education and Religion, Politics, Culture and Sport, and Innovation. We have a replica thatched cottage and a tenement apartment to show you the conditons in which they lived, and a model Workhouse from the Great Hunger. Although this museum tells the story of the Irish in America, with a few changes, it could tell the story of almost any immigrant. It is the story of leaving home and family to build a life in a new place. It is a testament to the courage of those who faced the unknown and conquered fear and discrimination to become Americans.

The History of Saint Patrick's Day

This is March we are displaying our new exhibit which tells the story of St. Patrick from birth, to captivity, and his return to Ireland after his ordination; as well as the many traditions and celebrations around the world which celebrate him as Patron Saint of Ireland.

Past Exhibits:

The Great Hunger Collection

We are delighted to have several sculptures on loan from Quinnipiac University and Ireland's Great Hunger Musuem of Fairfield to display here. These moving pieces investigate the Famine and its impact through art, as the artists explored the impact of the loss of life, the leeching of the land, and the erosions of language and culture. We have written a new series of panels to accompany the artwork, giving the history of the Great Hunger, and the reaction to it at the time from government and philanthropists. The museum's exhibit and the art we display continue where time and living memory have left of, to establish connections between the past and present. Through art and depictions of the many and varied ways the Famine affected the lives of those it touched, the exhibit creates new insights into the memory of the Great Hunger and its impact on the world.

The exhibit will be on view until January 2024.

Rare 15th Century Irish Chalice on Exhibit

We are delighted to have this beautiful chalice on loan to us for a few months. Made of silver gilt in the late 15^th century, it was discovered in a cardboard box in a garden outbuilding in England - centuries after it was likely looted from an Irish church or monastery. The Irish American Heritage Museum is the first museum in the US to display this priceless artifact. It has also been seen at Villanova University, Georgetown Prepatory School in Maryland and Catholic University in Washington DC. It was recently used to celebrate mass by Bishop  Michael Burbidge, of the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC .

When King Henry VIII broke ties with the Catholic Church and founded the Church of England during his reign (1509-1547), he ordered a reform of religious life and institutions and the dissolution of monasteries in both England and Ireland. The exhibition of this chalice is a celebration of Irish art, history, and culture as well as of the survival of the Roman Catholic faith in Ireland through difficult times. Only a handful of chalices from its era still exist, suggesting it may have been hidden or buried after its removal from Ireland.

We had a lecture on the chalice and monastic life in Ireland to accompany this exhibition, delivered by Dr. Malgorzata Krasnodebska-D’Aughton, Senior Lecturer at the School of History in University College Cork, who has published on Irish illuminated manuscripts, and the cultural history of Irish mendicant orders. She and a team at the National Museum of Ireland are conducting scientific and Museum tests on the chalice and she will be able to update us on their findings. The talk is available on our YouTube channel.

The display case housing the chalice is custom made by Ethan Shaw, Ben Lamachia and Asher Gillman of EBA Studio, which works within the worlds of furniture, fine art and object design. The multidisciplinary creative studio was founded in Los Angeles in 2021. 

The Irish in the American Revolution.

This is a new exhibit which tells the story of the Irish and their descendants involved in the American Revolution. In fact, as much as one third of the Continental Army was made up of Irish and soldiers of Irish descent, with at least 16 of the army’s generals being Irish born. Read about the famous signatories of the Declaration of Independence, or the Father of the American Navy, and be delighted by tales of espionage and daring by Irish men and women in the pursuit of freedom. The American Revolution inspired both France and Ireland in their own pursuit of freedom, and Wolfe Tone credited George Washington with inspiring his United Ireland movement.

Soldiers Are We: The Irish in Military Service

This exhibit has not been on display for over seven years and we are delighted to take it out of the archives and hang it for Memorial Day and through Independence Day. The exhibit details both the many invasions that the Irish fought against in Ireland, beginning with the Norman Invasion, and then looks at their contributions in various American conflicts. It claims that the Irish have a unique capacity to overcome opposition and hardship, and celebrates their resilience over the centuries. 

The Women of the 1916 Rising.

We are delighted to have the fantastic Women of 1916 back on display in the museum for the first time cince 2018. This exhibit will remain on view through April, to mark Women's History Month, Irish American Heritage Month, and the anniversary of the Rising in April.

As Padraic Pearse said "When the history of this fight would be written, the foremost page in the annals should be given to the women of Dublin who had taken their place in the fight for the establishment of the republic." The integral role women played in the lead up to Easter 1916, their contribution to the events of April 24-30, 1916, and their lasting legacy in the fight for Irish freedom had been overlooked until recently. But women were very involved in all aspects of the Rising, from the planning through the gun-running at Howth, right down to Pearse's surrender, which was managed by nurse Elizabeth O' Farrell - who was airbrushed out of the official picture of the event. As Helena Molony stated: ‘When we walked out that Easter Monday morning we felt in a very real sense that we were walking with Ireland into the sun.’ This is their story. 

Samhain and Halloween

This exhibit explores the history of Halloween and its roots in the Pagan celebration of Samhain, how immigrant traditions were preserved and shared, and how Irish stories and authors inspired modern American Gothic writing.

James Connolly in New York.

This exhibit depicts the American odysseys (1902–1910) of James Connolly and his family. While in the U.S., Connolly became an organizer of the Industrial Workers of the World Union (IWW), an officer of the Socialist Labor Party (SLP), a founder of the Irish Socialist Federation (ISF), and editor of its paper, The Harp. After he returned to Ireland, Connolly, along with “Big” Jim Larkin, led the transport workers in the Dublin lockout of 1913, which foreshadowed the Dublin Easter Rising of 1916. Connolly was sentenced to death by firing squad for his part in the insurrection, which caused a change in public sentiment against Britain and the Home Rule Party, leading eventually to the formation of the Republic of Ireland.

Léiríonn an taispeántas seo odaisé Shéamais Ó Conghaile (1902-1910) go Meiriceá lena theaghlach. Le linn an tréimhse a chaith sé i S.A.M., d’oibrigh Ó Conghaile mar eagraí le Ceardchumann Oibrithe Tionsclaíocha an Domhain (IWW), oifigeach le Páirtí Sóisialach na nOibrithe (SLP), bunaitheoir Cónaidhme Shóisialach na hÉireann (ISF) agus eagarthóir leis an nuachtán The Harp. Tar éis dó filleadh go hÉirinn, ghlac sé agus Séamas “Big Jim” Ó Lorcáin ról ceannasaíochta i Stailc agus Frithdhúnadh Bhaile Átha Cliath in 1913, rud a bhí mar réamhchomhartha ar Éirí Amach na Cásca in 1916. Ghearradh pionós an bháis air trí scuad lámhaigh mar gheall ar a pháirt san éirí amach, rud a spreag athrú i meon an phobail in aghaidh na Breataine Móire agus Páirtí an Rialtais Dúchais. Ar deireadh, bunaíodh Poblacht na hÉireann mar thoradh.

The Irish and the Erie Canal

Perhaps no other topic in American history better illustrates Irish America's changing face than that of the Erie Canal. It is impossible to conceive of the Erie Canal without the Irish; for at every stage of the Erie's development they were at the forefront and integral to not only its construction, but also to the culture it created. From politicians to surveyors, engineers to contractors, laborers to boatmen, and from businessmen to recreational canal users, more than any other ethnic group the Irish embodied the Erie Canal. The story of the Erie Canal is the story of Irish America.

John Morrissey's Legacy: The Irish & Racing at Saratoga

One of the more dynamic characters of his time, John “Old Smoke” Morrissey made his way from undefeated bare-knuckle boxer to found the Saratoga Race Course and win elections to Congress and the New York State Senate. A poor, uneducated Irish immigrant, Morrissey became a leader in the Dead Rabbits street gang. He won fame as a fighter and fortune as the operator of a string of successful gambling houses. He then took Saratoga Springs by storm. He improbably resurrected thoroughbred racing during the Civil War and opened his famous Club House, the most glamorous casino the country had ever seen. Come look at the exhibit before heading up for a great day at the Track!

The Irish in American Labor

This exhibit explores how Irish immigrants often entered the workforce at the bottom of the occupational ladder and took on the menial and dangerous jobs that were often avoided by other workers. Many Irish American women became servants or domestic workers, while many Irish American men labored in coal mines and built railroads and canals. The exhibit also looks at the involvement of the Irish in the nascent labor movement though the Molly Maguires and the Knights of Labor.

Currachs and Culture on Ireland's Islands

A currach, sometimes anglicised as “curragh,” is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, although canvas is more usual today. The construction and design of the currach are unique to the west coasts of Ireland. It is referred to as a naomhóg in Cork, Waterford, and Kerry. The river currach was especially well known for its shallow draft and maneuverability. Its framework was constructed of hazel rods and sally twigs, covered by a single ox hide, which not only insulated the currach, but also helped dictate its shape.

A currach belonging to the Albany Irish Rowing Club is currently on display at the Museum as well as an exhibit about currachs and life on Ireland's islands.

Samhain

Learn about the  Celtic festival of Samhain and the Irish roots of Hallowe'en. Read about some of Ireland's most chilling ghosts and ghouls!

The Irish in the Adirondacks

One of the geographic areas in which thousands of Irish immigrants had a significant influence was indeed the Adirondack Mountains. The Irish and their descendants have a long history of helping to establish and develop the villages and towns and thus the culture and economy within the Adirondack Mountain Region. The vast wilderness region has always benefited economically from its natural resources. In the 1800s, it was home to mining industries, tanneries, lumber mills, and factories, attracting many Irish immigrants to areas like Port Henry, Witherbee, Lyon Mountain, Minerva, Johnsburg,  and Mineville. Later the Irish became very involved in the many hotels and tourism industries.

The Evolution of Irish Dance Costumes

The collection spans seventy years of costumes and shows how the dresses evolved over time. It highlights four generations of one family's enjoyment of their Irish heritage. The Kenny/Savage women have been dancing since the 1930's and their story is one of commitment to and love of the old Irish tradition. The exhibit has gorgeous costumes, including the simple kilt and brat (cloak) that Sheila (Kenny) Savage wore in Oldcastle Co. Meath in 1951 and which she brought with her to America when she immigrated in 1962. Her daughter Sheila, and granddaughter Kathleen, have danced here in Albany since their childhoods - with the Kathleen Lynch School, and the Boland and Farrell Schools too. Interestingly, a version of this exhibit was actually the first thing the Irish American Heritage Museum ever displayed, in our original home in East Durham in 1990, so we are delighted to have this newly updated version in our new home in Quackenbush Square. 

Celtic Art in Ireland

This exhibit tells the story of Irish art and architecture from the early modern period right up through to the Gaelic Revival of the early twentieth century. Featuring information about megatlithic tombs, early churches, The Book of Kells and the Book or Durrow, as well as artists like Daniel Maclise and collectors like Hugh Lane, theis is the perfect exhibition to celebrate St. Patrick with!  

Tragedy and Tribute: Art Illuminates Ireland’s Great Hunger

Using selections of artwork from the collection of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University, Tragedy and Tribute: Art Illuminates Ireland’s Great Hunger, visually tells the story of one of the worst environmental catastrophes in European history.  Through the use of artwork from the period, as well as contemporary works by artists reflecting on this time period, this exhibit looks to make this topic accessible to a wider audience like never before.

This exhibition focuses on the famine years from 1845-52, when blight destroyed virtually all of Ireland's potato crops for consecutive years. The crop destruction, coupled with British governmental indifference to the plight of the Irish, who at the time were members of the United Kingdom, resulted in the deaths of more than 1 million Irish men, women and children and the emigration of more than 2 million more to nations around the world. This tragedy occurred even though exports of food and livestock from Ireland continued and, in some cases, actually increased during the years of the Great Hunger.

Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum’s collection, the only one of its kind in the world, constitutes an incomparable direct link to the past of almost 6.5 million Irish and 40 million Irish-American people.

This exhibition is made possible through support provided by the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Emigrant Support Program, and will be on view through November.

De Valera in America.

We are currently displaying our exhibition about Eamon de Valera's campaign in America to secure American recognition for the Irish Republic declared on January 21^st, 1919. He spent eighteen months living in the most expensive hotel in the world, the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. From there he traveled across America throughout 1919 and 1920, publicizing his nation’s plight and raising more than $5 million for the cause of Irish independence.

While his compatriots were scrambling desperately in the War of Independence raging back home, de Valera was advancing the cause with packed speaking engagements from Madison Square Garden to San Francisco. His participation in American politics at the highest level had far-reaching effects on Irish-American groups as well as the Irish-American partnership, while his return home to a movement he no longer controlled and possibly resented, resulted in a bloody and tragic Civil War.

There will be a lecture to accompany the exhibit in December.

August / September: Irish Impressions

Photographs by Members of the Schenectady Photographic Society

This exhibit contains thirty images of Irish-Americans in the Capital District as well as various images taken in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is scheduled to run from Friday, August 2 through Sunday, September 29.

Founded in 1931, the Schenectady Photographic Society offers programs and activities for photographers from throughout the Capital District.

July: January in Clare by Neal Warshaw

This show is the result of a 3 week visit to County Clare during January 2019. During his stay, Neal sat in on nightly sessions in pubs throughout the county and in the homes of some of the wonderful local musicians. During the limited daylight hours and January weather conditions he photographed the County Clare land and sea with his own unique vision. For years, Neal has combined his love of traditional music with photography by photographing the traditional music scene, particularly sessions. This dual perspective gives his work insight into the music and the musicians. In recent years he has photographed the Catskill Irish Arts week, a traditional music wedding, festivals, bands as well as frequent sessions in the Capital region during which he alternates between playing Irish flute and making pictures.

June: Fr. Patrick Payton: Albany's Family Rosary Priest

To help celebrate the extraordinary life and work of Fr. Patrick Peyton, CSC, and recognize his intimate connections to Albany and its people, we are sharing the Father Peyton exhibit which resides in Attymas, County Mayo (Father Peyton's birthplace and childhood home) and has been generously loaned to the Museum. In 1942 Father Peyton began his work in Albany and from there his media programs and personal Rosary Crusades grew to reach literally millions of people around the world. His cause for sainthood in the Church is progressing and may be concluded with in the next few years. 

April: De Valera in America: The Campaign for American Recognition of the Irish Republic 

This exhibit charts Eamon de Valera’s campaign in America to secure American recognition for the Irish Republic declared on January 21^st, 1919.

In June 1919, de Valera was broken out of Lincoln Prison by Michael Collins. He stowed away on a liner bound for American and once there he checked into the Waldorf-Astoria using the title ‘President of Ireland.’ He spent eighteen months living in the most expensive hotel in the world. From there he traveled across America throughout 1919 and 1920, publicizing his nation’s plight and raising more than $5 million for the cause of Irish independence.

While his compatriots were scrambling desperately in the War of Independence raging back home, de Valera was supporting the cause with packed speaking engagements from Madison Square Garden to San Francisco. His participation in American politics at the highest level had far-reaching effects on Irish-American groups as well as the Irish-American partnership, while his return home to a movement he no longer controlled and possibly resented, resulted in a bloody and tragic Civil War.

March: Celtic Art

This exhibtion traces Celtic Art from its earliest inception with monuments like Newgrange, then religious art like the Book of Kells, through to the Celtic Revival of the late nineteenth century, which was tied to the movement for independence. A beautiful and informative exhibit.

February: Daniel O' Connell and Frederick Douglass

To celebrate Black History Month, the museum has a new exhibiton about Frederick Douglass in Ireland. 

In spring 1845, Douglass published his first book 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.' To avoid physical harm or being forcibly returned (by bounty-hungry "slave-catchers") to his bondage in Maryland, it was decided that, until things cooled down, he would leave the United States for a while, for a hastily and incompletely planned lecture tour of the British Isles.

The journey would transform the young man. Its impact upon him, particularly in Ireland, which was just experiencing the first year of the famine, would be dramatic, lasting and, in the end, liberating. Put another way, in Ireland, Douglass found his own voice. "I can truly say," he wrote home as he completed his travels there, "I have spent some of the happiest moments of my life since landing in this country, I seem to have undergone a transformation. I live a new life." While in Ireland, he met with Daniel O' Connell, the Liberator, who had secured Catholic Emancipation for the Irish at home, and Dr. Theobald Mathew, a temperance reformer. This exhibition traces their relationship.

November/December: Irish and German-Americans During World War I.

This new exhibit describes the experience of the two largest immigrant groups in America, as they struggled with their response to World War I. Deeply committed to America's initial policy of neutrality, as war became more inevitable, they found their hyphenated status was criticized. Irish and German- Americans cooperated in the immigrant press on the campaign for neutrality, and later the IRB contacted German diplomats to begin planning Roger Casement's trip to Germany to raise troops for Ireland. The Committee on Public Information urged loyalty and conformity from all Americans. Following the war, the idea of multiple identities and torn loyalties led to increased efforts to control immigration and American identity. Ethnic Americans would find themselves at the center of that debate as they strove to finally define their citizenship on their own terms. Debates about eugenics, racial hygiene, poverty, education, and suitability coalesced after World War I into a growing movement to restrict immigration. 

October: The Irish and Labor

“The Irish & Labor” exhibit examines the contributions of the Irish and the Irish America and in the United States as workers and in the struggle for workers' rights. The Irish played a major role in the industrialization of the United States by providing much of the unskilled labor involved in creating the new American infrastructure. This exhibits explores Irish involvement in canal building, railroads, the domestic field and also examines the Irish and Irish-American experience with child labor, discrimination and prejudice.

August: Thirty Years of Greg Montogmery's Art at Saratoga and The Irish and Horse Racing: John Morrissey and the Founding of Saratoga

The museum commemorated the 149th anniversary of the Saratoga Races with the exhibit "Across the Board: Thirty Years of Greg Montgomery's Art at Saratoga.” Montgomery’s series of Posters for the Travers Stakes race in Saratoga Springs has been the longest running series by a single artist for a single event in racing history. His use of clean colors, dynamic form, and unusual use of white space make his work unparalleled in the field of equestrian, sporting, and poster art. Montgomery also spoke about his work, the process that goes into creating the yearly Saratoga poster, and the evolution of his work at the museum.

The Irish and Horse Racing: John Morrissey exhibition tells the story of Irish American trailblazer John Morrissey (1831-78), who was the architect of the first thoroughbred race meet at Saratoga in 1863. This exhibit shows his growth from ruffin to participant in history. By revealing Morrissey’s aspirations, struggles, and successes the exhibit represents the rise from  disenfranchised, marginalized immigrant to powerful and influential citizen.

June - July: Robert Berry: Ulysses Seen!

Ulysses Seen at the Museum is a comic adaptation of the final chapter (Penelope) of the 1922 edition of James Joyce's epic novel, Ulysses. The artist Robert Berry is devoted to using "the visual aid of the graphic novel" to "foster understanding of public domain literary masterworks. "Ulysses Seen” uses the comic narrative to "cut through jungles of unfamiliar references" and to help readers "appreciate the subtlety and artistry" of Joyce's text.

This was complemented by our internationally acclaimed exhibit “Dublin: Then and Now” containing evocative photographs that portray life on the gritty streets of Dublin and in its “docklands” in the 1960s. This stunning exhibit showcased Marvin Koner’s black and white photographs from 1963 which expose a city struggling to modernize and, at the same time, hold on to its culture and traditions. The prints include portraits of dockers at City Quay, a rosary bead seller on the streets of Dublin, a poignant photo of a jarvey driver with pony and carriage used for weddings and funerals, and tenement life. An epilogue of images taken in the summer of 2003 highlights the changes of the last 40 years.

March - April 2018 - Walking with Ireland into the Sun: Women Revolutionaries and the 1916 Rising

In commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of the Easter Rising, the Irish American Heritage Museum takes a unique look at this seminal event in Ireland’s history by focusing on the role of women during the Easter Rising.  This exhibit profiles thirteen women, a number of different organizations, and the progressive nature of Ireland and the Proclamation of the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic.  It also examines the state of women’s rights and equality in Ireland throughout the 20^th century.

February 2018 - The Irish Currach

Currachs are heritage, culture, history, and athletics all in one.  A Currach, a traditional Irish rowing boat, is one of the most Irish symbols familiar to tourists all over the world.  Exhibit and related events were hosted in Febrauary 2018 by The Albany Irish Rowing Club.

Irish and the Erie Canal

This exhibit is available for loan.  Please contact the Museum for more information.

The Irish were involved from start to finish, from originally proposing the concept a hundred years before a shovel was even put into the ground, to the routing, to its design, to securing support from elected officials, to the elected officials themselves, to its construction and finally to its navigation and transportation services once it opened

From the early 17^th century to the end of the 20^th century, approximately seven million Irish men and women came to North America. These immigrants and their descendants made significant changes to the fabric of American life, and like any ethnic group, the experience of the Irish Americans was contingent, not preordained. Therefore the social, religious, and socioeconomic character of Irish America continuously shifted throughout the course of American history. Perhaps no other topic in this interesting history better illustrates Irish America’s changing face than that of the Erie Canal.

In fact, the Erie Canal may be seen as a microcosm of Irish America- the ethnic group’s experiences along its route closely paralleling those of the Irish across the nation. And just as it is impossible to think of American history without the Irish, it is just as hard to think of the Erie Canal withut the Irish and the culture they created. From politicians to surveyors, engineers to contractors, laborers to boatmen, more than any other group the Irish embodied the complete story to the Erie Canal.

Ancient Order of Hibernians Honor Guard Exhibit

Virtual Exhibits 

Irish Memories: Sixteen on Sixteen 

(Interviews and family lore about the 1916 uprising)

Contributed by Dr. Margaret Lasch Carroll
Associate Professor, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

When Sociologist Reginald Byron visited Albany, New York in 1989, he was “struck by its Irishness.” Albany, he wrote, is “one of the most Irish places in America and has been so for a century and a half.” Byron then used Albany as the case study for his book, Irish America, published in 1999.

Pictured at right is Thomas Dongan- 2nd Earl of Limerick.

The Irish have been shaping the Albany area since the days of the Dutch. The British Governor, Thomas Dongan was an Irishman and his Dongan Charter contained unprecedented social freedoms for the colony. The Irish formed St. Mary’s in Albany, the second Catholic Church in the state of New York during the early years of the new American Republic; they played a major role in the construction of the Erie Canal; and they changed the demographics of the region in the years of the famine. Michael Nolan was the first Irish mayor of the city of Albany in 1878 and, Times Union publisher, Martin Glynn, the first Irish Catholic governor in 1913. Through the 20^th century, the Irish continued to come to the Capital District forming vibrant AOH Halls in Troy, Schenectady, Watervliet, and Albany. The opening of the Irish American Heritage Museum in 1986 stands as testament to the impact the Irish have had in the Capital District, New York State, and, indeed, to the entire county.

At left, James Connolly- signer of the Proclamation of the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic in 1916. For portions of time between 1902-1905 he lived in Troy, NY. It is not surprising that the connections between the Irish in the tri-city area and Ireland were fluid and active through the 20^th century and remain so today. As part of the centenary commemorations of the Easter Rising of 1916, the Irish American Heritage Museum is posting a column of family connections that sixteen Capital District residents have to the Revolutionary years in Ireland, years that charted the course of Ireland for the future. The memories involve not only 1916, but the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War.

We will continue to look for more family memory and stories. If you have a story to tell about your own family’s connection to the Easter Rising in 1916 or the revolutionary decade that followed, please contact us at the museum and share your story with us!

• Nuala Cummings
• Jim Flaherty
• Michael Byron
• Joe Gallagher
• Chris McCarthy
• Brian Manley
• Mary Ellen Gallagher Lasch
• Angela Doyle McNerney
• Helen Carswell
• Michael and Patrick Ryan
• Rick Corrigan

Additional Traveling Exhibits Available for Loan

Over the last two decades, the Museum has developed and produced a number of very successful exhibits.

• “The Irish and the Erie Canal” In keeping with its mission, the Irish American Heritage Museum presents its newest exhibit “The Irish and the Erie Canal.” This exhibit reveals the historical contributions of the Irish to the planning, designing, engineering, funding and construction of the Canal. This famed achievement transformed early America, and in particular New York City, into a world economic power by linking the Great Lakes and the interior of the young nation to the Atlantic Ocean and the world.
• “Dublin: Then and Now.” Our internationally acclaimed exhibit of stunning photographs portrays life on the gritty streets of Dublin and in its “docklands” in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It likewise portrays life in Dublin in the same areas during the first decade of the 21st century to reveal the transformation in Irish life over 50 years.
• “Soldiers Are We: The Irish in Military Service” tells the story of centuries-long service of the Irish to their homelands.
• “The Irish in Music” chronicles the contributions of the Irish to music in our culture, including writers, composers, performers and entrepreneurs.
• “Corporate Irish” celebrates the lives of the men and women who rose to powerful positions in the business world and helped shape the economic future of the United States — from the colonial period to many contemporary entrepreneurs.
• “The Irish and Labor” reveals the contributions of the Irish to the American labor movement.
• “An Gorta Mór: The Great Hunger” chronicles the tremendous impact of the Irish famine in the mid-19th century.
• “Fire Upon the Hearth” celebrates the contributions of women of Irish heritage in America.
• “Go and Preach the Kingdom of God” tells about Irish religious and how they clothed, fed, housed and educated the waves of Irish immigrants that flooded America’s shores.
• “Presidents of Irish Descent” is the story of our 20 presidents who claim Irish ancestry.

All of the Irish American Heritage Museum’s exhibits are available for presentation on a loan basis and are in great demand. In 2010, the Museum presented “Dublin: Then and Now” at the Irish Consulate in New York City, the Commodore Barry Irish Center in Philadelphia, the Gaelic-American Club in Fairfield, CT, and the Waterford (NY) Senior Citizens Center. The same exhibit drew international acclaim in 2006 when the Museum became the first American Museum of its kind to exhibit at Ireland’s National Library in Dublin.

The Museum’s various exhibits have been on display in such venues as the Children’s Museum of West Virginia; the Heritage State Park Visitor’s Center, Lawrence, MA; the Kerry County Library, Tralee, Co. Kerry, and the US Embassy in Dublin Ireland; The Margaret Mitchell House, Atlanta, GA; the Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, WI; the Trade Center in St. Paul, MN; the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans; the Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, MO; the Hatikvah Holocaust Education and Research Center in Springfield, MA; the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, Arlington Heights, IL; and the St. Petersburg International Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida.