Irish Center SF Shares ‘March Dreams’ at St. Patrick’s Week of Celebration

Irish Center SF Shares ‘March Dreams’ at St. Patrick’s Week of Celebration

San Francisco, CA– The United Irish Cultural Center (UICC) of San Francisco presents a week-long St. Patrick’s Festival this year at the Center with a showcase, ‘March Dreams’ sharing the vision and plans for Project 2025, the rebuilding of the Center at 45th Avenue and Wawona.

While multi-room concerts, exhibits, and the Wawona Gates Outdoor Tavern will feature Irish local bands, the St. Patrick’s Festival gives Board President Liam Reidy a chance to showcase developments for the planned reconstruction, Project 2025, in displays, presentations, and videos. Reidy echos Irish pop idols, The Cranberries 1990’s hit Dreams lyrics, “… my life is changing everyday, in every possible way ….‘cause you’re a dream to me….”, a sentiment he shares with the Irish community that supports this ambitious new project. 

This year there will be no activities at the City Civic Center at the end of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade route, traditionally sponsored by the United Irish Societies. Revelers are invited to 

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continue to the UICC at 45th Avenue and Wawona for post-parade entertainment, to meet key UICC leadership, and to learn about Project 2025; expanded exhibits, new educational programming, and more events, when the new Irish Center SF is completed. 

Project 2025 is an effort on the part of the UICC Board, with the help of the Irish Government’s Global Ireland fund to support the ‘Irish diaspora’ in presenting Irish heritage, culture, and arts programming in San Francisco. Reidy remarked, “This is a once in a generation opportunity to do something really special for the Irish American community to ensure a gathering place for all of us for decades to come.” Reidy acknowledged, “The expanded Irish Center’s enhanced programming will be a dream come true for new Irish, Irish Americans, and the greater Bay Area as a visitor destination for Irish cultural heritage.” He remarked, “It’s going to be a terrific Center for member’s daily usage, plus activities and events, from museum exhibitions and performing arts, to educational experiences for the young, families, and seniors alike.” 

The UICC St. Patrick’s is also an opportunity for the Center to renew memberships, offer incentives for new members, and for Reidy, who will be scouting for time, talent and treasure, a Spring 2022 community engagement opportunity for Project 2025 development. 

About The Irish Center SF Project 2025

The Irish American community is optimistic with renewed energy since the UICC revealed its bold new visionary proposal to rebuild the Center. While the Board’s Building Committee 

explored several options in the Spring of 2021, the plan to redevelop the existing site was the concept that made the most sense. A new building would provide the community with a larger, greater variety of spaces devoted to cultural programming than is currently available.

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About United Irish Cultural Center

The mission of the United Irish Cultural Center of San Francisco is to celebrate and promote the rich heritage of the collective local, regional, and national culture of Ireland for future generations to enjoy and conserve; to carry out charitable and educational events, activities and programs; and to foster cultural awareness through education, arts and social events. The Irish Center SF aimes to chronicle the valued historical contributions of dedicated Irish in the San Francisco Bay Area through: museum exhibits; dance, music, film, and theater; language, literature, and spoken arts; and by collaborating with other Irish organizations, individual artists and performers, as well as non-Irish educational and cultural institutions. 

About UICC Core Programs and Services:  

With core programs and services in performance, exhibition, and education, The Irish Center SF currently offers an array of Irish cultural programming, from children’s Irish song, drama, and 

music, with traditional Irish instruments, to a library and museum with clubs for Irish genealogy, books, and member storytelling, and highly regarded heritage exhibitions, such as “Keepers of the Steps: 150 Years of Irish Step Dancing in the Bay Area”, as well as Irish Step Dancing competitions. The UICC presents the breadth of Irish traditions to the Bay Area, including GAA Hurling & Soccer Club Team viewing, SF GAA Youth gatherings, as well as Pro-Am Irish Boxing. 

UICC programming extends to top and legendary Irish performers in concert: Eileen Ivers violin virtuoso, widely popular accomplished fiddler, George Harrington, acclaimed Trad musician, Eamonn Flynn, who is also the UICC’s Youth Choir Artistic Director, plus other local Irish and American bands in showcases at the Center’s indoor-outdoor facilities, serving the Sunset District and beyond.

https://irishcenter2025.org/

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/st-patricks-day-2022-in-san-francisco-72719

Liam Reidy, UICC Board President

Mobile: 415.860.1854

[email protected]

Virginia Perry, Press Relations

Mobile: 408.568.1843

[email protected]

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Liam Reidy, President of the Board, UICC     2700 45th Avenue         415.661.2700   www.irishcentersf.org                  San Francisco, CA 94116-2647