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

Announcing the 2026 Bohola (Mayo) McGowan Prizes for Distinguished Books on Irish American History Since 1800

 
The Irish American Cultural Institute (IACI) is pleased to announce the establishment of book prizes to be awarded every other year (and especially this year 2026) for distinguished books in any field of Irish American history since 1800. 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 the editors of the journal Éire-Ireland. This year the committee will consider any book published since the beginning of 2025. To make a nomination, the name of the author and the book should be submitted to Professors Nickolas Wolf (nicholas.wolf@nyu.edu) and James S. Donnelly, Jr. (jsdonnel@wisc.edu) in the first instance. Instructions and mailing addresses for submitting copies of the books to the three prize-committee members will then be forwarded to the nominator or the author. The book publishers will be asked to submit either an e-book or print copies depending on the preferences of the prize-committee members.  The deadline for nominations is August 15, 2026.
IACI Receives Grant from Irish Consulate

The Irish American Cultural Institute is the proud publisher of the journal Éire-Ireland, which has been the premier journal devoted to Irish Studies in North America since its first appearance in 1966. The journal is published twice a year, with Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter issues. It is interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary in scope. The journal is available in print and electronic versions. The electronic version is a publication of Project MUSE of the Johns Hopkins University Press; in this form the journal is available in more than 2,700 libraries and other institutions in North America and throughout the world. Project MUSE also offers back issues of Éire-Ireland in electronic form to its subscribers for the whole period 1994-2026.
 
We are pleased to announce that the IACI has received a generous grant from the Irish Consulate in Chicago as part of its efforts in recognizing the USA's 250th anniversary. To mark this great occasion, we will be publishing a special issue of Éire-Ireland that will be a compilation of previous outstanding articles focusing on the role of Irish Americans in the founding of the United States and on their influence in the historical development of this country since the late eighteenth century. 

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