New York Irish Centre

Exciting times for Buncrana native Jane Mc Carter. Since April 2012 she has excelled in the post of Arts and Cultural Director of the New York Irish Centre. Truly an Irish place with a "céad míle fáilte" for the whole community, this non-profit organization is accessible from every borough of New York, and from every part of the tri-state area. Through it every caller can find help for a full life and to fulfill their American Dream.

The Center is the realization of a life-long dream of many in the community who longed for a gathering place for the Irish community.  Four Irish American businessmen, bought the building in 2003 and held it until the Irish Center was in a position to purchase it in 2005.  As real estate prices had skyrocketed around the developing Long Island City neighborhood between 2003 and 2005, this tremendous act of generosity stands as a testament to these four men’s willingness to contribute to their city and reward everyone, including themselves with the permanence of the Irish Center. Father Colm Campbell was lured back from retirement to help launch the project. Now under Executive Director Paul Finnegan the building will serve as the cultural and social hub of New York’s Irish community.

The vision for The New York Irish Center is true community, consisting of:

• A sense of solidarity. This happens when members identify with the Center as theirs and see the other members as people they can trust for giving and sharing.
• A sense of significance. Through relationships formed in the Center people find that they not only have needs but have their own gifts and talents which they can give to the benefit of others members and society at large.
• A sense of security. People discover that the Center is a place where people know that other members are always there for them. We wish to serve as an easily identified Irish place, accessible from everywhere, through which every Irish  and Irish American person, and anyone who'd like to be with us, can find what they need for a full life in New York.  We are an Information Center for existing resources and will provide what is not available to meet remaining needs when possible. 

The past seven years have seen the centre grow as a diverse gathering place for the Irish, the Irish at heart and their friends.  In order to continue to flourish and maintain this built-up support, the centre needed to offer a diverse and balanced annual program of culturally-relevant events to inform, educate and entertain the growing community of adults, elderly, young people, and children.

Enter Jane, who came to the centre with great experience and skills having previously enjoyed several years working in the city of Derrys award-winning community arts centre, The Playhouse Theatre. There she designed, managed and implemented programs which highlighted the regions heritage, culture, and educational-arts-based training.

New York Irish Center Executive Director Paul Finnegan has said, ''We are delighted to have Jane on our team as she brings great experience and skill to our operation, just at a time when we are expanding our building, community and program''

Well done Jane and Best of Luck from the Donegal Diaspora Project!