The Kansas City Irish Center, formerly known as the Irish Center of Kansas City, is a non-profit organization in Kansas City, Missouri. The Center opened in

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

on March 17, 2007 (

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

). The Center's mission encourages knowledge and appreciation of the Irish and Irish-American community, culture, history, and heritage in the greater Kansas City area and region.

Events

The center hosts many cultural events including: * Programs on

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, Irish American, and Celtic topics including culture,

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

Irish dance Irish dance refers to a group of traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, encompassing dancing both solo and in groups, and dancing for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance in its current form developed from vari ...

, literature, history and heritage * Monthly

Irish Music Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th and into the 21st century, despite globalis ...

jam sessions A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ext ...

* Irish Music classes *

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

classes * Irish knitting, crochet and lace making classes * Genealogy workshops and individual research assistance

Irish Whiskey Irish whiskey ( ga, Fuisce or ''uisce beatha'') is whiskey made on the island of Ireland. The word 'whiskey' (or whisky) comes from the Irish , meaning ''water of life''. Irish whiskey was once the most popular spirit in the world, though a lo ...

tastings and concerts featuring local Irish musicians are two of the more popular events at the Center.

Exhibits and resources

Exhibits and collections include: * Small exhibit about the history of Kansas City's Irish Community * 4,000-book John Forest Resource Library, a collection that covers the depth and breadth of Irish culture and history. The library is a resource center, as books can be utilized on-site only. * Ireland travel information & resources A small pub and stage will be included in renovations to the building. Drexel Hall currently has an event space that holds up to 500 people, which the Center will use for concerts, speakers, theatre productions and other activities.

References

External links

Kansas City Irish Center
{{Coord, 39.08509, -94.58554, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-MO Museums established in 2007 Culture of Kansas City, Missouri Irish-American culture in Missouri Museums in Kansas City, Missouri Ethnic museums in Missouri Irish-American museums