Museum

CURRENT EXHIBITS

In November 2022, we rolled out Phase I of the H.A.R.P. Museum, with displays and exhibits for “Irish Pioneers in the Mohawk Valley” and “Irish Organizations in the Mohawk Valley.”  These displays mark a humble start to what we envision to be many years of attractive and informational exhibits, covering a wide variety of topics of interest in local and regional Irish culture.

While our vision for the next phase has us researching  and collecting artifacts for our next exhibit –“On This Hallowed Ground” – by pure serendipity, our friends at the Irish-American Heritage Museum in Albany offered us their impressive multi-panel “An Gorta Mor” (“the Great Hunger”) exhibit… and we wasted no time in making a trip to collect them and mount them in our Museum.

These meticulously-researched and professionally-rendered panels relate the plight of the Irish people in their fight for survival during one of the darkest periods in their history.  From 1845 to 1851, nearly 1 million people died, and up to 2.5 million people emigrated to America.  This moving display, told over 30 panels, traces the causes of the Great Hunger – both natural and political – and the relief efforts taken up by religious and civic-minded groups around the world. (While the display primarily centers on  Albany’s response to the situation, Uticans can also be proud of the part they played in raising money and food to aid the cause.  Responding to the appeals from the Albany Irish Relief Committee and the General Relief Committee of New York, the Utica Irish Relief Committee was formed in 1847, headed by future governor Horatio Seymour.  The committee went on to send 500 barrels of kiln dried corn as their “little contribution…to alleviate…the sufferings of our brethren, the afflicted people of Ireland”).

The public is invited to view this exhibit on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 4:00PM to 10:00PM or by appointment. There is no charge for the visit, although we do appreciate contributions. Contact Dan Daly at [email protected] if you’d like to set up a private appointment.

COLLECTIONS

The Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley Museum accepts donations for our collections that support our mission of preserving regional and local Irish history, heritage and culture. We are looking for appropriate historical artifacts, clothing, books/book collections, photographs, displays, newspapers, musical instruments, recordings, sheet music, posters, maps, etc. If you have artifacts or documents that you believe would complement the ICCMV’s collection, please use the Object Donation Form to transmit a description of your proposed donation. Note: provenance is key; we will need to be convinced of the historical relevance or context of your donation.  While it may be Irish-themed, we are not here to help you clean out your garage!

Please view or download our FAQ or donation policy form for more information.

VOLUNTEERING

Ours is a totally volunteer-run museum. If you would like to volunteer some of your time and talents to helping us set up and grow the area’s first Irish museum and research library, we would love to hear from you. We have a need for support in the following areas: research assistant, collections assistant, artifact cataloging, genealogical research, tour group leader, custodial support, administrative support, membership support, history detective, grant writer, etc. We promise you a rewarding (if non-paying) experience! If you’d like to volunteer, please send us an email at [email protected].