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 six 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 Virtual Presentations

Are you looking for intellectual nourishment or just good storytelling about Ireland past and present? Look no further. We offer an attractive menu of options. 

 

Though its connections with American academics, scholars, and practitioners around the world, the Irish American Cultural Institute is able to draw on the deep knowledge and painstaking training of experts in a broad array of fields related to the rich history and culture of modern and contemporary Ireland. 

 

Already the Institute has successfully launched a series of talks (each lasting 45-60 minutes) on such topics as the Great Famine and Irish emigration over the period 1845-1900; Daniel O'Connell and Irish anti-slavery; Irish traditional music (with performance intermixed); Irish art and politics in the twentieth century; and Ireland and Brexit. 

 

Realtime access and participation in the Q&A portion of these events is free to members of the IACI. If you are an IACI Member you will automatically receive a link to the program. If you are not a member and would like to take advantage of this member benefit Join Now.

Please click here to learn more about upcoming programs.

All presentations are archived and become available soon after each event. Please click here to see archived presentations

Winner of Bohola (Mayo) McGowan Prizes for Distinguished Books on Irish American History since 1800 Announced

The McGowan Prize Committee is pleased to announce the first-place prize winner is Marion R. Casey’s The Green Space, an original and persuasive history of contested Irish image-making from the 1890s to the 1960s. Casey provides much needed historical context to discussions of the Irish image in American popular culture, tracing its transformation (to use shorthand) from “No Irish Need Apply” to “Kiss Me, I’m Irish.”  Along the way, she uncovers a wide range of actors who shaped such images: Irish American nationalists and ethnic spokespeople, U.S. journalists, artists and media creators, and marketers of various consumer goods—in addition to successive Irish governments. Casey’s attention to this last issue gives the book a notable transatlantic dimension.  Based on impressive research in diverse sources and engagingly written, this book has the potential to reach a general readership interested in Irish American history.
We are also pleased to announce the second-place prize winner David M. Emmons’s History’s Erratics. Directed at a more specialist academic audience, this book presents a significant reinterpretation of the Irish Catholic working-class experience in the United States from 1870 through 1930. Drawing on the author’s deep archival research over many years and his engagement with a wide range of scholarly fields (including not only Irish and Irish American history, but interdisciplinary scholarship on religion, and key texts in the study of the British working class), the book develops a nuanced picture of Irish Catholic workers and what Emmons sees as their fundamental dissent from the values of American capitalism in this critical period of U.S. history." 

 

The two prizes, in the amounts of $5,000 and $2,500, have been made possible by a generous benefaction from Thomas McGowan, whose ancestors immigrated to the United States from Bohola in County Mayo. The winners will be selected by an independent committee of three scholars chosen by editors of the journal Eire-Ireland. This year the committee will consider any book published since the beginning of 2023.

 

These prizes are awarded every other year for distinguished books in any field of Irish American history since 1800.  
The Irish Way Program

The Irish Way is a study abroad program in Ireland offered to high school students.  

During the summer in Ireland, students are introduced to its magical landscape and rich heritage through a variety of workshops, classes, and tours.  Emphasizing culture, education, travel, safety, and fun, our programs ensure a unique and unforgettable journey for every student.  Learn More

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

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.  
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