They feel they have waited patiently while the Irish government has prioritised major centres for the diaspora across the globe but now the Irish of San Francisco are insisting on being moved to the front of the line, reports Máirtín Ó Muilleoir from San Francisco.
"It's our time," Liam Reidy, President of the United Irish Cultural Center told the Andytown News as he rattled off the reasons why San Francisco deserves its long-promised new, multi-million dollar centre.
Speaking in front of the popular centre built in the seventies but now slated for demolition to make way for the new building, Liam insisted the Irish of San Francisco could wait no longer. "The Irish Government helped deliver new Irish centers in New York, London and Paris. We must be next."
SHOWCASE: Liam Reidy welcomed Minister Jack Chambers to the UICC on Saturday and brought him on a tour of the building which included their large function area
The UICC President, who hails from Limerick, was speaking just ahead of a "really appreciated" visit to the center by Irish Government minister Jack Chambers.
"We have the biggest Irish library west of the Mississippi and the most vibrant Irish language classes in the country with 70 people turning up each Saturday for our programme. We have 32 distinct Irish organisations sharing the space and 1,500 members. The one thing all the different sectors of the Irish American community in the Bay Area share is pride in their Irishness. In the Irish Center, we are focused firmly on keeping that Irish identify alive and relevant."
REPUBLIC OF LETTERS: Irish Center librarians Jennifer Drennan and Caitlín Mullins
Built with volunteer labor, the Irish Centre stands less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean in the Outer Sunset district of the Golden Gate City. "The center served the community well in that time but we're now crying out for a 21st Century premises," adds Liam. "We now have the blessing of the planning authorities in the city for our envisaged six-storey, 120,000 sq ft facility which will come in at a cost of $75m. And our supporters are stepping up, our gala this year honouring Bruce Morrison raised $500,000 towards the costs of the new building."
Over recent years, the centre has witnessed a renaissance in arts and culture activities and now boasts a pipe band with members ranging in age from 10 to 76. "There has been an explosion in our youth programmes and a real hunger to use this upturn to invest for future generations," says Liam. "There can be no better time for the Irish Government to partner with us to make our dream of a new centre a reality."
Another famed Irish institution is located just a few blocks from the busy Irish center - the Andytown café where Mickey McCrory, late of this parish, sips his cappuccino below the old Andytown Leisure Centre 'A' sign.
CORNER OF A FOREIGN FIELD THAT IS FOREVER WEST BELFAST: Mickey McCrory, who founded Andytown with his wife Lauren, at the Outer Sunset branch of his coffee house chain
You can find out more and donate to the United Irish Cultural Center new-build plans on their website.
