Irish American Cultural Institute

Providing leadership and resources to preserve, interpret, and promote Irish and Irish American Cultures

Welcome


Founded in 1962, the Irish American Cultural Institute (IACI) is the leading Irish American cultural organization. The IACI is a federally recognized 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit national organization devoted to promoting an intelligent appreciation of Ireland and the role and contributions of the Irish in America. The IACI is strictly apolitical and nonsectarian, and is the only Irish American organization that has as its patron, The President of Ireland.

Over the past five decades, the IACI has carved an honored place for the Irish dimension in American life. No comparable body has such an impressive track record of achievement and sustained programming. 

IACI Awards Grant
Producer Cormac O’Malley has spent a lifetime documenting and studying his parent’s legacy in Ireland. Those parents, Ernie O’Malley (1897-1957) and Helen Hooker (1905-1993) created work during Ireland’s embrace of modernism, and transition from a colonized approach to the arts, to a uniquely independently Irish one. Cormac’s story overlaps and intertwines with that of his parents and becomes a view into a multi-generational legacy of Irish American passion for a homeland. Cormac, who after leaving Ireland at 14, would never forget his father’s dream of seeking a more independent Ireland nor would he stop celebrating his mother’s artistic vision of that dream. 
 
A Call to Arts is directed by Chris Kepple and explores Helen & Ernie's tumultuous personal relationship as well as the work they left behind. Helen has until now been an under appreciated artist. Ernie has been the subject of much literary and media attention in the past, but this is the first time that his life and marriage after the war has been explored through film. 
 
For the past two years, the team at Irish Visions has worked hard researching and filming in the United States and Ireland to create this new feature length documentary film. We are grateful to our many amazing contributors including Irish luminaries like musician Paddy Moloney, sculptor John Behan and educator Dr. Ed Walsh. I’m honored to have the opportunity to invite you to discover this intimate portrait of a couple who made it their life’s work to see Ireland not for how it was, but for what it could become.
 
ACTA was funded with financial support from the American Friends of the Arts in Ireland, the Irish American Cultural Institute, and Irish Visions. It was filmed in 2019 and 2020 in Ireland & the United States. A Call to Arts will be available to download and watch in mid to late 2020. We will make sure to keep the Irish American Cultural Institute updated on our progress. Stay abreast of important developments by checking in on www.ernieomalley.com and or liking our A Call to Arts Page on Facebook. 

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Eire-Ireland

The Irish American Cultural Institute is the proud publisher of the journal Éire- Ireland, which since its first appearance in 1966 has been the premier journal devoted to Irish Studies in North America. The journal is published twice a year, with Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter issues. It is interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary in scope, though articles on modern Irish history and modern Irish literature dominate the wide-ranging fare. The journal also features articles dealing with the literature and history of Irish America. One issue each year is devoted to a special theme or subject, with the 2019 special issue slated to examine “Irish Music” and the 2020 special issue scheduled to explore “Ireland and the Environment.” The journal is available in print and electronic versions.  Learn More

Join A Chapter

 

Were you once a member of a local chapter of the IACI? Perhaps you are new to our Institute and would like to meet with others in your area who are interested in Irish American Culture?

If you would like to help form a new chapter in your area, or if you were involved in one in the past and would be interested in reforming, please contact us.

Duchas

 

This informative e-newsletter offers members insights into Irish culture, history, and the latest happenings at the IACI. Besides providing updates on IACI programming, this publication offers feature articles, educational information, book reviews, and a wealth of other information.  It's Irish American culture, delivered straight to your e-mail inbox!  Click here to sign up!
 
We invite IACI members to share their stories, events, pictures, book/movie reviews, recipes, etc.    To submit material, click here.  

A Message From Our Patron


"I am delighted to be Patron of the Irish American Cultural Institute, an organisation that does such valuable work in strengthening and maintaining the important links that exist between Ireland and America.  Here in Ireland we are very proud of our wider global family, and feel a special connection with the United States who have welcomed so many generations of Irish emigrants into their communities.  We are deeply appreciative of all that the Irish American community contributes to our country, of the pride you still feel for your Irish heritage and culture and of your dedication to maintaining and showcasing that culture to other communities across the globe." 

MICHAEL D. HIGGINS, President of Ireland