[caption id="attachment_69135" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Irish heritage to shine amid the Albany skyline."]
Mark your calendar!
The new Irish American Heritage Museum will celebrate the grand opening of its new, year-round facility at 370 Broadway in downtown Albany, starting at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings and representatives of the New York State government and the Irish government will cut the "green ribbon" to open the long awaited facility.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany Bishop Howard J. Hubbard will perfect the invocation. Siena College president and museum trustee Fr. Kevin J. Mullen, will perfect the benediction. An evening reception will honor the American Irish Legislators Society for its long-time support of the museum.
And that's just for starters
"For 26 years, the goal has been to have a facility where we could more fully realize our commitment to education and to share our message that one's heritage is of great importance in shaping who we are," said the chairman of the museum's board of trustees, Ed Collins.
The new museum occupies a 3,000-square-foot, ground-level easily handicapped accessible space in the historic Meginniss Building, dating from the late 19th century.
It was established in 1986 by the New York State Legislature. Prior to moving to Albany, it had been a summer-seasonal operation located near the Quill Center in East Durham in the Catskills.
