Places to Explore Irish History and Culture
St Patrick’s Day in New York City is synonymous with the raucous and rowdy parade which marches through Manhattan every year. I have some fond memories of getting wasted for the event in my formative years. Some include inviting a random senior citizen to get tacos with me and taking jello shots with a hostel owner. However, real Irish Americans and Irish New Yorkers have long known and felt that this day of celebrating Irish heritage has meant more than just the parade and the drunken mirth that it brings. The Irish were some of the first to emigrate to the United States from Europe, and their history, sacrifice, and contributions to our country as well as our city deserve to be celebrated in ways that go beyond getting shit-faced and pissing on the street.
Here are some sites where you can learn about Irish culture:
Courtesy: Ellis Island
Irish Hunger Memorial
Courtesy: Irish Times
The Irish Hunger Memorial pays tribute to the Irish immigrants who were forced to leave the only home they had ever known due to the Irish Famine between 1845 and 1852. The population is said to have fallen by at least a quarter because one of the most significant crops of Ireland, potatoes, were infested with a disease called “blight” rendering the root vegetables unusable and toxic.
Courtesy: Architectural Record
Sitting on the bank of the Hudson, visitors to the memorial can consider this history and reflect on the challenges we face regarding hunger in our world today. The memorial contains stones from each of the 32 counties in Ireland and limestone from Kilkenny separates the different layers of the memorial. Fossils from the Irish seabed are embedded within the limestone.
Location: North End Ave &, Vesey St, New York, NY 10280
Courtesy: Irish Central
St Patrick’s Old Cathedral
No church is more iconic than the famed Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral. The cathedral laid its first stone in the 1850’s and was erected to house the city’s ever increasing population of Catholic residents. St Patrick’s first opened its door in 1879 and has been wowing New Yorkers and visitors ever since. Its ornate architecture and spires, nearly as tall as heaven itself, draw a breath of “awe” no matter how many times one has passed the cathedral.
Courtesy: St Patrick’s Cathedral
The cathedral is named of course for Saint Patrick who is closely linked to Ireland as he began working among the Celtic Druids as early as the fifth century. Much is speculated about the saint and very little is actually known. However, he has been a figure for Irish and Irish Americans during the obstacles they have faced whether that was immigrating to a new nation or facing detrimental famine.
If you’re looking for a truly unique experience, you can experience the catacombs beneath the cathedral by candlelight!
Location: 5th Ave, New York, NY 10022
Courtesy: Saint Patrick’s Cathedral
An Beal Bocht Cafe
This isn’t just your typical corner Irish pub. An Beal Bocht Cafe is a beacon of Irish culture in the Bronx and showcases comedic performances, poetry, local Irish music, and art exhibits.
In 2010 the cafe opened the Poor Mouth Theatre whose actors not only put on performances at Beal Bocht, but are available to showcase their talents at your locale. Taking in a production might make you hungry, but don’t worry; traditional Irish fare such as shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, and hanger steak with potatoes are available. The menu also boasts an array of soups, salads, and of course plenty of beer and spirits.
Location: 445 W 238th St, The Bronx, NY 10463
An Beal Bocht Cafe/Courtesy: Drink NYC
The Late Late
It is entirely appropriate that one of the most authentic Irish bars is located on the Lower East Side. This area of New York City was the home of many Irish immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries, and many of those newcomers from the Emerald Isle had to overcome insurmountable odds there such as poverty, discrimination, and disease.
In the same way that many Irish immigrants tested the limits that a xenophoboic society had placed on them, The Late Late seeks to, “test the boundaries of a traditional industry.” It refuses to resemble the stereotype of Irish Pubs that are ever popular not only in the US, but around the world.
The Late Late/Courtesy: Urban Daddy
The spirit of social rebellion is even represented in the name of the bar. The Late Late was a talk show in Ireland which sought to be disruptive in its content, especially in terms of questioning the conservative, Catholic, older generation of the country. It hopes to convey that spirit of rebellion through its aesthetic design and mission statement. In fact, the somewhat communal style of seating is meant to make it easy for patrons to engage in political and social discussion and discourse, a pastime popular within pubs and bars in Ireland.
Enjoy not only a unique 1960’s Irish ambiance, but also a menu which features over fifty types of whiskey, hand cut fries, and wings bathed in Jameson Habanero or Guinness barbecue sauce. Check out the website for a more detailed listing of food and beverage options.
Location: 159 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002
The Late Late/Courtesy: The Daily Edge
Irish Arts Center
The Irish Arts Center was founded in the early seventies and seeks to “project a dynamic image of Ireland and Irish America,” through its performances, programs, and classes. To quote from the website:
“Our multidisciplinary programming is centered around three core areas: performance—including live music, dance, theatre, film, literature, and the humanities; visual arts—including presentations and cultural exhibitions that tell the evolving Irish story; and education—with dozens of classes per week in Irish language, history, music, and dance.”
Speaking of their website, it hosts a ton of interesting articles and features such as the “Irish word of the day.” The center hosts (virtually and in person) Irish dance classes and Irish language classes in addition to their already impressive display of cultural programming.
Location: 553 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019
Courtesy: Irish Arts Center
Irish Repertory Theater:
This off-Broadway theater features performances that are not to be missed! Its tagline is “Irish Drama, New York Style.” The productions featured here are produced or written by members of the Irish diaspora and typically use the Mother land as their setting. New acts which focus on the Irish experience are developed and performed as well. The Irish Repertory Theatre has a ton of awards, praise, and accolades, to list them all here would be a Herculean feat.
Courtesy: Irish Repertory Theater
Tenement Museum:
Tenement buildings were edifices that many new immigrants were forced to live in during the time when many Irish (and other) folks were coming to the United States in the 19th, and early 20th centuries. Typically this was due to their relatively low cost combined with the lack of jobs for new Irish immigrants. The tenement conditions were deplorable, unsafe, and dirty. Many lacked indoor plumbing, lighting, and diseases spread rampantly and many families would be crammed into a single building.
Courtesy: New York Times
The Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side seeks to show visitors the conditions that immigrants (including Irish immigrants) had to endure by allowing guests to walk through actual tenement rooms within their building on Orchard Street and to see their personal belongings left behind. Guests can examine the social, political, and historical policies and sentiments toward Irish immigrants at this time.
Location: 103 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
Courtesy: The Tenement Museum
American Irish Historical Society:
By appointment and guided tour only, guests can check out the permanent and rotating collection of Irish artifacts at the historical society’s headquarters. Themes throughout the years for the more transient exhibits have been incredibly interesting, including one exhibit entitled “Teenage Kicks: Punk in Northern Ireland.” This was a showing of how punk music offered Irish teenagers “a brief respite” from the civil war which swept through the Emerald Isle in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Location: 991 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
Courtesy: Untapped Cities
