A Chat with Kathy O'Neill of the Irish American Heritage Center

On Wednesday June 17th I sat down with Kathy O'Neill at the beautiful Irish American Heritage Center (IAHC) on Knox Avenue. While today Kathy handles marketing and public relations for the Irish American Heritage Center, she originally came to the IAHC as a theatre group volunteer with the hope of learning more about her own Irish heritage.

Kathy begins by explaining that the Irish American Heritage Center strives to be the premiere Irish-American Heritage Center in the United States. It is a place for people of Irish descent as well as those who wish to learn more about the Irish heritage that is dedicated to fostering Irish heritage, culture, and traditions in America. Because the rate of immigration has significantly declined, the IAHC provides education for those who are here through music, dance, and theatre classes. The Irish Step Dancing classes and competitions at the IAHC are especially exciting and so fun to watch! Want to learn even more? The Irish American Heritage Center also provides lectures, poetry readings, service opportunities, children's activities, and art exhibits in order to educate members of the Chicago community about Irish culture. The newest art exhibits- iPhone: Imagine your Perfect App and On the Bright Side: Chicago/Ireland opens July 10th and showcases work by local Chicago artists. In addition to all of these educational opportunities, children and adults alike have the opportunity to take Irish language classes to perfect their Irish Gaelic pronunciation. There is just so much to do!

Kathy explains that the Irish American Heritage Center's involvement in the Chicago Cultural Alliance has helped the organization to build relationships with other communities throughout the Chicago region. Because of the Alliance, the IAHC has the opportunity to learn about other organizations, how they operate, and how they interact with others in Chicago. According to Kathy, these relationships ultimately help the Irish American Heritage Center understand what they need to do in order to improve as an organization. She describes it as an "all in it together" attitude where the different ethnic communities help one another out in order to achieve their goals.

There is no better way to become immersed in Irish culture and to take advantage of the IAHC than by attending Irish Fest this coming weekend (July 10th-12th) which showcases the finest in local and international Irish and American music, dance, and family activities and is held right at the Irish American Heritage Center. Looking for something to do on the weekends? The IAHC houses an on-site pub where friends can grab a bite to eat, enjoy a pint, and listen to live Irish music on Friday and Saturday nights--the opportunities are endless. Before we end our chat Kathy reiterates that you don't have to be Irish to enjoy everything the Irish American Heritage Center has to offer. The IAHC is committed to community and therefore is a destination for everyone to be able to learn about the Irish heritage.