Join us in the Irish Cultural Center Book Club. We’ll enjoy good craic and delve into Irish and Irish-American literature, with guided discussion in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. This event is open to all.
Our meeting will take place on Thursday, May 9 from 5:30–6:30 pm at the ICC.
We are readingSmall Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Participants are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early to get settled, perhaps grab a drink, mix and mingle. You are welcome to stay after at the Trinity Pub to socialize with dinner or drinks.
About Small Things Like These Small Things Like These is award-winning author Claire Keegan’s landmark new novel, a tale of one man’s courage and a remarkable portrait of love and family. It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church. (text from Amazon)
Join us at the ICC on Wednesday, April 24 for a presentation on the 1916 Easter Uprising, in our Celtic Room from 5–6:30 pm. Space is limited; we ask that you register ahead for this free event.
This fascinating talk will include the history of background rebellions and disappointments leading to the 1916 rebellion, “hero and heals” of the revolt, and the aftermath of the revolution. The three presenters, W. Michael Ryan, G. Anthony Ryan and William O’Riordan, have a wealth of experience and interest in Irish history.
Presented by: W. Michael Ryan Ret. Judge, District Court, Hampshire County Former Northwestern District Attorney, Hampshire and Franklin counties, and town of Athol
G. Anthony Ryan Ret. Asst Superintendent, Hampshire Regional School District
William O’Riordan Ret. Chief Probation Officer, Hampshire County Probate Court
The Irish Cultural Center has linked up with Irish historian, Sean Murphy, to introduce our community to live, weekly online Irish history courses. Sean presents two monthly topics, divided into four-week modules. Courses are presented on Zoom. Each student will receive an electronic copy of each presentation.
The first topic is a general history of Ireland from ancient times to the present day. The course module for May 2024 is The Flight of the Earls and the Plantations of Ulster. Takes place on Thursdays, May 2, 9, 16 & 23 from 7:30–9:00 pm. Download course flyer >
The second topic is a general history of each of the thirty two counties in Ireland. Featured in May 2024 is County Roscommon. Takes place on Thursdays, May 2, 9, 16 & 23 from 6:00–7:30 pm. Download course flyer >
To Enroll The enrollment fee is $100 for each four-week course. Please contact Sean directly for information or to enroll in his course(s) – send an email to seanmurphy630@gmail.com or register at www.irishhistory.online.
About Sean Murphy Sean Murphy was born in Dublin and came to live on Cape Cod in 2005. He has a passion for his homeland and loves to share his knowledge and interest about his heritage through classes, workshops and conversation. He is a teacher of Irish history, music, and dance.
At a festive reception on April 2, 2024 featuring Massachusetts Congressman and Honorary Campaign Chair, Richard Neal, West Springfield Mayor and Campaign Committee member, William Reichelt, and ICCWNE Board President and Campaign Chair, Sean Cahillane, the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England announced the formal launch of its Capstone Capital Campaign to raise the final $2 million needed to complete its facility at 429 Morgan Road, West Springfield, MA.
Funds from the Capstone Campaign will be used to complete the Community Performance Center, which will serve the needs of the greater region for concerts, events, meetings, and private functions. Notably, the Community Performance Center will provide a home for local, regional, national, and international performance groups, making it a full-scale regional base for Irish heritage and culture as well as a center for cross-cultural collaboration. The space will be able to house performances by major Irish cultural groups, such as Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, as well as regional performers of all ages.
“What a fine example this project is, of building and strengthening the bonds that tie us together,” said Congressman Neal. “The essence of the ICCWNE is community, and this space provides a place for cultural expression and for people to gather in friendship while sharing their cultural heritage. I am so proud of the progress that has been made, and am gratified that completion is now in sight.”
“We’ve been working diligently throughout the winter to build campaign momentum,” Cahillane said, “and we are so grateful to our good friend Congressman Neal for agreeing to be honorary chair. His support for our Center has been instrumental in our success to date.”
According to Cahillane the Capstone Campaign is close to reaching its first milestone – meeting a $200,000 challenge grant from the Mass Cultural Council’s Mass Cultural Facilities Fund. “We are very close to achieving this important match, so I encourage folks to step up now.”
The Center is encouraging families to come together to coalesce family commitments, and is seeking grants and corporate support as well. “Just as our Center strengthens ties and bonds between and across groups and generations, this campaign can build and strengthen community and familial bonds as well,” said Cahillane.
Formerly the home of the Elks Lodge, the facility had been vacant for five years prior to the ICCWNE taking possession of it through a partnership with the City of West Springfield. Improvements have included developing a vibrant, Irish country-style restaurant, pub and meeting and gathering place for Patrons and the community. It includes 11,500 square feet of space on four floors. The facility has become the ideal setting and home for the ICCWNE, which was established in 1999.
Mayor Reichelt said the ICCWNE is a vibrant gathering spot, and that the Community Performance Center will expand the impact that the Center as a whole has on city residents and visitors alike.
“The progress that the campaign has been making is truly impressive, and I look forward to additional milestone announcements and construction later this year,” Reichelt said. “The Center has become a cultural crossroads for West Side, especially for those with Irish heritage. We’re proud to host them and to see the Community Performance Center complete.”
Congressman Richard NealWest Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt and ICCWNE President Sean CahillaneFuture home of the Community Performance Center on the 4th floorMayor Will Reichelt, Congressman Richard Neal, ICCWNE Vice President Ed Sullivan, and ICCWNE Board Member Will Carey / Congressman Richard Neal being interviewed about the campaignIrish House Restaurant and Trinity Pub during the campaign launch / Trad Irish Session musicians David Clopp, Ellen Redman, and Seán Burke
Join us in the Irish Cultural Center Book Club. We’ll enjoy good craic and delve into Irish and Irish-American literature, with guided discussion in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. This event is open to all.
Our meeting will take place on Thursday, April 11 from 5:30–6:30 pm at the ICC.
We are readingPhiladelphia, Here I Come! by Brian Friel. Participants are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early to get settled, perhaps grab a drink, mix and mingle. You are welcome to stay after at the Trinity Pub to socialize with dinner or drinks.
About Philadelphia, Here I Come! Fed up with the dreary round of life in Ballybeg, with his uncommunicative father and his humiliating job in his father’s grocery shop, with his frustrated love for Kathy Doogan who married a richer, more successful young man and with the total absence of prospect and opportunity in his life at home, Gareth O’Donnell has accepted his aunt’s invitation to come to Philadelphia. Now, on the eve of his departure, he is not happy to be leaving Ballybeg. With this play Brian Friel made his reputation and it is now an acknowledged classic of modern drama.(text from Amazon)
Books for Upcoming Meetings May 9: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan June 13: In the Woods by Tana French July 11: We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
Thanks to everyone who joined the ICC over St. Patrick’s week and on March 17. We marched in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade and welcomed Congressman Richard Neal for his annual gathering after the parade.
Clockwise: Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade with the Springfield Rifles Rugby Club; ICC Co-Vice President Kevin O’Connor, Cesar Ruiz, Congressman Richard Neal, ICC President Sean Cahillane, ICC board member Will Carey; The YankCelt Band; Attorney General of Ireland Rossa Fanning.
We have a full lineup of events here at the Trinity Pub to celebrate St. Patrick’s Week. We strongly recommend making a reservation if you plan on dining with us on March 16 – please call 413-342-4358.
The Irish Cultural Center has linked up with Irish historian, Sean Murphy, to introduce our community to live, weekly online Irish history courses. Sean presents two monthly topics, divided into four-week modules. Courses are presented on Zoom. Each student will receive an electronic copy of each presentation.
The first topic is a general history of Ireland from ancient times to the present day. The course module for March 2024 is The Tudor Conquest of Ireland. Takes place on Thursdays, March 7, 14, 21 & 28 from 7:30–9:00 pm. Download course flyer >
The second topic is a general history of each of the thirty two counties in Ireland. Featured in February 2024 is County Leitrim. Takes place on Thursdays, March 7, 14, 21 & 28 from 6:00–7:30 pm. Download course flyer >
To Enroll The enrollment fee is $100 for each four-week course. Please contact Sean directly for information or to enroll in his course(s) – send an email to seanmurphy630@gmail.com or register at www.irishhistory.online.
About Sean Murphy Sean Murphy was born in Dublin and came to live on Cape Cod in 2005. He has a passion for his homeland and loves to share his knowledge and interest about his heritage through classes, workshops and conversation. He is a teacher of Irish history, music, and dance.
Join us in the Irish Cultural Center Book Club. We’ll enjoy good craic and delve into Irish and Irish-American literature, with guided discussion in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. This event is open to all.
Our meeting will take place on Thursday, March 14 from 5:30–6:30 pm at the ICC.
We are readingThe Parish and the Hill by Mary Doyle Curran. Participants are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early to get settled, perhaps grab a drink, mix and mingle. You are welcome to stay after at the Trinity Pub to socialize with dinner or drinks.
About The Parish and the Hill Told from the vantage point of a young woman who grows to maturity in a New England mill town in the 1920s, The Parish and the Hill portrays three generations of an Irish immigrant family in their urge to negotiate multiple identities. Mary O’Connor is the product of a family and a town divided by the conflicting values of the “shanty” and “lace-curtain” Irish.
Originally published in 1948, The Parish and the Hill is now identified as one of the finest works of Irish American fiction, and one of the first to explore Irish life from a woman’s point of view. Brilliant and powerful on the themes of alienation, social class, and alcoholism, the novel offers complex and unforgettable portraits of the love between grandfather and granddaughter, mother and children, sister and brother. (text from Amazon)
Books for Upcoming Meetings April 11: Philadelphia, Here I Come by Brian Friel May 9: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan June 13: In the Woods by Tana French July 11: We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
The ICC held our annual Feast of St. Brigid Raffle Drawing on February 1, 2024. It was a fun and festive evening as everyone gathered to celebrate being together and hear the winners announced, and the Cassin Academy of Irish Dance joined us to celebrate. Thank you to all our ICC volunteers, board members, and staff who worked so hard to sell tickets throughout the year! And thanks to everyone who purchased tickets to support our non-profit mission and ICC travel.
Winners were drawn for the first prize trip for two to Ireland or $5,000; the second prize 14k gold St. Brigid’s Cross pendant from Brian de Staic Jewellers; and two $100 gift certificates to the Irish House Restaurant and Trinity Pub. Congratulations to Cathy Belisle of Southwick who won the trip; and to Meg Munroe of Holyoke who won the pendant.
We were happy to see so many people join us in our workshop on St. Brigid’s Day. Special thanks to illustrator and Irish arts/history enthusiast Kathleen Joss who guided participants through a session of making a traditional St. Brigid’s Cross.
About Small Things Like These 
About Philadelphia, Here I Come! 
About The Parish and the Hill