On June 29, 2024 the ICC hosted a special Patron Reception to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Thank you to our dedicated Patrons, board members past and present, and founders who came to celebrate the growth and future of the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England! The Cassin Academy of Irish Dance and The Stout Porters provided great entertainment.
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, August 8 from 5:30–6:30 pm at the ICC.
We are reading We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange. 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.
To Register
The Book Club is free to join. Please register ahead so we know how many people to expect. Register online >
About the Book
When twenty-nine-year-old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital, bruised and battered after a drunk driving accident she caused, she swallows her pride and goes home to her family in New York. But it’s not easy. She deserted them all―and her high school sweetheart―five years before with little explanation, and they’ve got questions.
Sunday is determined to rebuild her life back on the east coast, even if it does mean tiptoeing around resentful brothers and an ex-fiancé. The longer she stays, however, the more she realizes they need her just as much as she needs them. When a dangerous man from her past brings her family’s pub business to the brink of financial ruin, the only way to protect them is to upend all their secrets―secrets that have damaged the family for generations and will threaten everything they know about their lives. In the aftermath, the Brennan family is forced to confront painful mistakes―and ultimately find a way forward, together. (text from Amazon)
Available from several vendors online or your favorite local book shop. Or, check your local library.
• Amazon.com (new) >
• Better Worlds Books (used) >
Books for Upcoming Meetings
September 12: Northern Spy by Flynn Berry
October 19 (Saturday at 1 pm): Nora by Nuala O’Connor – Special Book Club Presentation with author via Zoom
Are you interested in applying for an Irish passport? Learn more about how to apply, what is required, and frequently asked questions at the following links from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.
Passport Online is the only way to apply for your or your child’s passport or passport card. This secure and convenient service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on a smartphone, tablet or personal computer. Applications will be processed within the current turnaround times. Processing will only begin once all documents are received.
Chef Anthony Padilla has been adding his talents to the Irish House Restaurant since January 2024, fine tuning our menu offerings, and is a perfect fit to grow into our soon to be expanded banquet facility and Community Performance Center. Anthony graduated from Branford Hall Career Institute in Springfield in 2011. He decided to work locally as a chef throughout the Pioneer Valley to continue to broaden and fine tune his skills. Learning from more experienced and skilled chefs allowed him to take on the position of executive chef at Tekoa Country Club and then Dewey’s Jazz Lounge. Anthony loves to explore unique flavors and learn new cuisine combinations. He has a side passion for molecular gastronomy and enjoys incorporating his ongoing hobby into his menus.
Join us at the ICC for Ireland 101 – A Summary of Irish History presented by historian Sean Murphy on Saturday, June 1 from 3–4:30 pm. Doors open at 2:30 pm. Sean leads us through a crash course on the entirety of Irish history, beginning 430 million years ago when three super-continents collided and separated, forming the landmass of Ireland, and continuing through the years to present day.
A number of topics are covered, including:
• What characteristics Ireland has had over millions of years
• How and when Ireland moved across the equator to where it is today
• When people arrived in Ireland and what we know about them
• Who were the Gaels
• How and why Ireland became Christianized
• When and why the Vikings invaded
• When and why the Normans made their conquest of Ireland
• How the Tudor and Cromwellian conquests affected the Ireland of today
• Why there was a Great Hunger/Famine in the 1840’s
• How the struggle for national independence evolved
The presentation takes place in the main room of the Irish House Restaurant and Trinity Pub. The bar will be open for drink orders.
Sean Murphy was born in Dublin and now lives on Cape Cod. 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. Over the past twelve years he has taught courses at the Irish Cultural Center of New England in Canton, Cape Cod Sons of Erin, Cape Cod Cultural Center, the Cotuit Center for the Arts, and at venues on Nantucket. He leads a traditional Irish music session in O’Shea’s Olde Inne in West Dennis. He speaks on Irish cultural and historic issues at libraries, and at private and community events across the Cape and beyond.
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, June 13 from 5:30–6:30 pm at the ICC.
We are reading In The Woods by Tana French. 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.
To Register
The Book Club is free to join. Please register ahead so we know how many people to expect. Register online >
About In The Woods
As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.
Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past. (text from Amazon)
Available from several vendors online or your favorite local book shop. Or, check your local library.
• Amazon.com (new) >
• Better Worlds Books (used) >
Books for Upcoming Meetings
July: Summer Hiatus (no meeting)
August 8: We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
September 12: Northern Spy by Flynn Berry
October 19 (Saturday at 1 pm): Nora by Nuala O’Connor – Special Book Club Presentation with author via Zoom
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. On enrollment, participants will receive the Zoom link, a copy of each week’s PowerPoint presentation, and additional background materials. The courses may be taken as recordings if Thursday presents access difficulties for any reason. Participants also have a half hour one-on-one session with Sean to answer any questions on the course content.
*June special offer for NEW enrollees – the two courses for the price of one!*
The first topic is a general history of Ireland from ancient times to the present day. The course module for June 2024 is The Confederate Wars and Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland. Takes place on Thursdays, June 6, 13, 20 & 27 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 June 2024 is County Sligo. Takes place on Thursdays, June 6, 13, 20 & 27 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.
The Beveridge Family Foundation has awarded the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England (ICCWNE) a $35,000 grant in support of creating a Community Performance Center at the ICCWNE’s Morgan Road facility.
The grant will support the ICCWNE’s $2 million Capstone Campaign. 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.
“We are thrilled to see our campaign continue to gain traction and momentum,” Chair of both the Board of Directors and the Capstone Campaign, Sean Cahillane said. “We are thankful for this generous support from the Beveridge Family Foundation and are eager to complete work on the Community Performance Center so we can invite the community to enjoy it.”
“The Beveridge Family Foundation is pleased to support the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England in this endeavor that will serve Hampshire and Hampden Counties and improve the quality of educational and arts opportunities in the region,” said Ward Caswell, President of The Beveridge Family Foundation. “An important part of the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and enhance regional quality of life and we are impressed with the ICCWNE’s plan. This project will add substantially to our region’s cultural offerings for many years to come.”
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 the community. It includes 11,500 square feet of space on four floors. The facility has become the ideal setting and home for the Irish Cultural Center, which was established in 1999.
West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt, also a Capstone Campaign Steering Committee member, said that while the ICC is already a vibrant gathering spot the Community Performance Center will expand impact on residents and visitors alike.“We are grateful to The Beveridge Family Foundation for their support of the Capstone Campaign,” Reichelt said. “The Center has become a cultural crossroads for West Side, and I urge others to join the Campaign so that we can leverage the Beveridge Foundation’s support for the Community Performance Center.”
The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation has awarded the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England a $100,000 grant towards their $2 million goal to help create a Community Performance Center at their Morgan Road facility.
The grant will support the ICCWNE’s Capstone Campaign. 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.
“We’ve been working diligently throughout the winter to build campaign momentum,” Chair of both the Board of Directors and the Capstone Campaign, Sean Cahillane said, “and we are so grateful to the Davis Foundation for this generous grant that will be instrumental in completing our renovation.”
“The Davis Foundation is proud to support the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England as they create space to offer arts and cultural opportunities for the residents of Hampden County,” said Paul Belsito, Executive Director of the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation. “We are excited to support a project that will add significantly to our region’s cultural landscape.”
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 the community. It includes 11,500 square feet of space on four floors. The facility has become the ideal setting and home for the Irish Cultural Center, which was established in 1999.
West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt said that while the ICC is already a vibrant gathering spot the Community Performance Center will expand the impact that it has on city residents and visitors alike.
“The campaign’s progress is truly impressive and we are grateful to the Davis Foundation for their generous support,” Reichelt said. “The Center has become a cultural crossroads for West Side, especially for those with Irish heritage. We’re proud to host them, to see the Community Performance Center complete, and to see such support from the community.”
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 reading Small 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.
To Register
The Book Club is free to join. Please register ahead so we know how many people to expect. Register online >
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)
Available from several vendors online or your favorite local book shop. Or, check your local library.
• Amazon.com (new) >
• Better Worlds Books (used) >
Books for Upcoming Meetings
June 13: In the Woods by Tana French
July: Summer Hiatus (no meeting)
August 8: We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
September 12: Northern Spy by Flynn Berry
October 19 (Saturday at 1 pm): Nora by Nuala O’Connor – Special Book Club Presentation with author via Zoom
