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Exclusive Documentary Screening at the Majestic Theater, presented by Congressman Richard Neal and the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England on Saturday, January 24.

• 2:00 pm Film Screening at the Majestic Theater
131 Elm Street, West Springfield, MA

• 4:30 – 6:00 pm Reception and Q&A at the Irish Cultural Center
429 Morgan Road, West Springfield, MA

Tickets
Tickets are $10, general seating. Your ticket provides admission to the film screening and the Q&A at the ICC. This event is sold out.

About the Event
Congressman Richard Neal and the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England invite you to a special screening of the award-winning documentary Gerry Adams: A Ballymurphy Man at the Majestic Theater. This exciting event is a regional exclusive; it marks the first time the public will have an opportunity to view this critically-acclaimed film about the former Sinn Féin leader in a New England cinema. The film premiered at the Galway Film Festival last year and commercial screenings have taken place in movies theatres across Ireland. The next planned viewing in the US is at the Capital Irish Film Festival in Washington, D.C. in February.  

Following the screening, a reception and Q&A for ticketholders will be held at the Irish Cultural Center. The Irish House Restaurant and Trinity Pub will be open with a full bar and a limited dinner menu for purchase. Speakers will include Congressman Richard Neal; Ciarán Quinn, Sinn Féin Representative to the USA and Canada; and producer and moderator William Tranghese.

This exclusive Q&A is open only to those who purchase tickets to the film screening; proof of purchase must be presented. The Irish House Restaurant opens for regular dining at 6:00 pm. Live music by The Blaney Brothers starts at 6:30 pm.

We encourage our local Irish affiliate groups to attend this special event!

Background
Gerry Adams was the President of Sinn Fein for more than thirty years and is considered one of the principal architects of the Good Friday Agreement, the historic treaty that brought peace and reconciliation to the island of Ireland after decades of conflict. Adams has a well-established relationship with Western Massachusetts, having visited the region shortly after President Clinton issued him a visa to travel to the US for the first time in 1994. As the guest of Congressman Neal, a longtime friend and colleague, he has returned on several occasions, most notably marching in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade in 2006. In A Ballymurphy Man Gerry Adams tells the remarkable story of his life of political activism in his own voice for the first time. Supporters of the conflict resolution in Ireland and beyond will find this documentary compelling, revealing and informative. We look forward to seeing you there.

Join us in the Irish Cultural Center Book Club. We’ll enjoy good craic and delve into Irish and Irish-American literature, with guided discussion in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. This event is open to all.

Our meeting will take place on Thursday, January 8 from 5:30–6:30 pm at the ICC.

We are reading The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell. Participants are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early to get settled, perhaps grab a drink, mix and mingle. You are welcome to stay after at the Trinity Pub to socialize with dinner or drinks. 

To Register
The Book Club is free to join. Please register ahead so we know how many people to expect. Register online >

In addition to our regular dinner menu, we are now offering a specially priced Book Club Buffet, available as an option at registration. This buffet will be offered exclusively to Book Club attendees at $15.50 per person, plus tax and tip. Guests of Book Club attendees are also welcome to partake in the buffet. 

About the Book
What the pig did – in Joseph Caldwell’s charmingly romantic tale of an American in contemporary Ireland – is create a ruckus, a rumpus, a disturbance . . . utter pandemonium. Aaron McCloud has come to Ireland from New York City to walk the beach and pity himself for the cold indifference of the young lady in his writing class he had chosen to be his love. The pig will have none of that. Aaron’s aunt Kitty McCloud, a novelist, wants to get on with her bestselling business of correcting the classics, at the moment Jane Eyre, which in Kitty’s version will end with Rochester’s throwing himself from the tower, not the madwoman’s. The pig will have not a bit of that. What the pig eventually does is root up in Aunt Kitty’s vegetable garden evidence of a possible transgression that each of the novel’s three Irish characters is convinced the other probably benefited from. How this hilarious mystery is resolved in The Pig Did It – the first entry in Mr. Caldwell’s forthcoming Pig Trilogy – inspires both bitingly comic eloquence and a theatrically colorful canvas depicting the brooding Irish land and seascape.

Available from several vendors online or your favorite local book shop. Or, check your local library.
• Amazon.com  >
• Bookshop.org >
• Better Worlds Books (used) >

Books for Upcoming Meetings
• February 12, 2026: A History of the Irish, As Told By Their Food: A Book About Ireland and Irish America, With Recipes by Leslie Landrigan
• March 12, 2026: The Tide Between Us: An Irish-Caribbean Story of Slavery & Emancipation by Olive Collins
• April 9, 2026: Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwell

This event is sold out. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Join us at the ICC’s Irish House Restaurant and Trinity Pub on December 31, 2025 from 5–8:30 pm for a beloved tradition, as we ring in the New Year with a live broadcast of the ball drop in Dublin, Ireland.

Gather together and enjoy a delicious gourmet buffet dinner starting at 5:30 pm. At 7 pm (midnight Irish time), we’ll celebrate the New Year with a champagne toast while watching the live stream ball drop from Temple Bar in Dublin.

We are excited to have Jimmy McArdle, an original member of the Irish folk band The Bards, and Jerry Murphy, Holyoke’s accomplished accordion player, providing great Irish music and entertainment from 6 – 8 pm.

Tickets
$65 ICC Patrons / $70 General – includes buffet, entertainment and complimentary champagne toast. Advance tickets are required; tickets are non-refundable.

Buffet Menu: Rolls, Salad, Bourbon Meatballs, Baked Stuffed Shrimp, Chicken Piccata, Pasta Primavera, Rice Pilaf, Roasted Potatoes, Vegetable Medley, Assorted Desserts. The Trinity Pub full bar will be open to purchase drinks.

Seating includes tables with regular height chairs and taller bistro-style. Please let us know if accessible seating is required.

GivingTuesday is a Global Generosity Movement on December 2, 2025. There are two ways to support the Irish Cultural Center on this day of giving! 

We are so proud of what the Irish Cultural Center has accomplished in the past 25 years as an organization, and we look forward to expanding in the years to come with your help. The ICC is a gathering place, connecting people to each other and helping us all to preserve American-Irish heritage and culture.

Your support allows us to share Irish arts and culture in the community by providing in-person events, virtual events, and educational programming. A traditional Irish music seisiún, concerts, Irish language classes, children’s events, book readings, Irish-oriented lectures, political discussions, international relations, sports, and student international exchange are all examples of what we offer, most of them free, and all available to the public.

The latest phase of construction at the ICC is our Community Performance Center. This space will provide total accessibility for all and welcome the public to a variety of concerts and cultural programs by touring professionals as well as regional performers.

Without financial donations, these achievements would not be realized. In these uncertain times, financial support is more vital than ever to help keep the ICC going into the future. GivingTuesday is the perfect time to make a one-time tax-deductible gift in any amount > 

This is also the perfect day to become an ICC annual Patron. A Patron is a person who has made a commitment to preserve, promote and cherish our Irish culture and heritage. The success and continued growth of the ICC is only possible because of the enthusiasm and sustaining commitment of our Patrons. Learn more about Patron levels and benefits >

We are so thankful for your support!

Hosted by the ICC Book Club. Open to the public!

Join the Irish Cultural Center on December 6 for a fun and festive day out at the Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. This all-day bus trip to the theater includes transportation, a buffet dinner, and the New England Premiere of An Irish Carol by Matthew Keenan.

It’s Christmas Eve in David’s cozy Dublin pub, and the ghosts of his past are finally catching up with him. This comic and heartfelt tribute to Dickens’ timeless classic is infused with Irish wit and warmth, reminding us that it’s never too late for a life to change.

Day’s Agenda (Exact times are subject to small changes)
10:30 am – Doors open at the ICC (429 Morgan Rd, West Springfield, MA)
11:00 am – Bus departs the ICC
1:00 pm – Bus arrives in downtown Stoneham at Greater Boston Stage Company (395 Main St, Stoneham, MA)
1:00–1:45 pm – Free time for coffee and croissant, see downtown Stoneham (time available depends on traffic)
2:00 pm – Play begins
3:45 pm – Depart theater
5:45 pm – Arrive back at ICC for buffet dinner

Purchase tickets online >
or call Caroline Morrissey at 413-333-4951 ext. 4.

Cost is $150 per person. Includes round-trip bus transportation, theater ticket, ICC buffet, coffee/tea, and bus driver tip. Each guest is responsible for the cost of their own drinks at dinner.

Prefer to just attend the theater performance and have your own plans at night? Call Caroline to reserve your theater ticket and bus seat without the buffet dinner at a reduced rate.

Additional Details
– Please indicate how many seniors are in your party.
– Please indicate if you have any dietary needs or call Kathy (413-519-3846) to discuss any menu concerns.
– Cancellations will be honored IF the ICC can resell your tickets. A $10 fee will be deducted from the refund.

(Advisory: it wouldn’t be an authentic Irish pub without a bit of colorful language!)

Join us in the Irish Cultural Center Book Club. We’ll enjoy good craic and delve into Irish and Irish-American literature, with guided discussion in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. This event is open to all.

Our meeting will take place on Thursday, December 11 from 5:30–6:30 pm at the ICC.

We are reading Time of the Child by Niall Williams. Participants are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early to get settled, perhaps grab a drink, mix and mingle. You are welcome to stay after at the Trinity Pub to socialize with dinner or drinks. 

To Register
The Book Club is free to join. Please register ahead so we know how many people to expect. Register online >

NEW! In addition to our regular dinner menu, we are now offering a specially priced Book Club Buffet, available as an option at registration. This buffet will be offered exclusively to Book Club attendees at $15.50 per person, plus tax and tip. Guests of Book Club attendees are also welcome to partake in the buffet. December buffet menu: baked scrod, alfredo penne, bourbon meatballs, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, salad.

About the Book
Doctor Jack Troy was born and raised in Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from the town. His eldest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father’s shadow, and remains there, having missed one chance at love – and passed up another offer of marriage from an unsuitable man.

But in the Advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Ronnie and Doctor Troy’s lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. As the winter passes, father and daughter’s lives, the understanding of their family, and their role in their community are changed forever.

Set over the course of one December in the same village as Williams’ beloved This Is Happiness, Time of the Child is a tender return to Faha for readers who know its charms, and a heartwarming welcome to new readers entering for the very first time.

Available from several vendors online or your favorite local book shop. Or, check your local library.
• Amazon.com  >
• Bookshop.org >
• Better Worlds Books (used) >

Books for Upcoming Meetings
• January 8, 2026: The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell
• February 12, 2026: A History of the Irish, As Told By Their Food: A Book About Ireland and Irish America, With Recipes by Leslie Landrigan
• March 12, 2026: The Tide Between Us: An Irish-Caribbean Story of Slavery & Emancipation by Olive Collins
• April 9, 2026: Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwell

The ICC invites you to a special morning with acclaimed author Kevin O’Hara, on Sunday, December 14. Join us as he shares readings and stories from his new book A Christmas Journey: Volume II. The Berkshire Eagle previously produced Volume I of A Christmas Journey, selling over 1,600 copies locally. Volume II promises to be another hit. This festive, heartfelt collection of stories is not to be missed!

Please register in advance online >

Registration is free; to support the ICC and help offset costs, we kindly suggest a donation of $5 – $10 at the door.

All are welcome to attend this event – whether you’re a Patron, a Book Club member or simply a fan of great storytelling.
• Doors open at 10 am
• Author presentation takes place from 10:30 – 11:30 am
• Enjoy complimentary pastries and coffee
• The Trinity Pub bar will be open for purchase (please note there will be no restaurant food service)

Kevin will have copies of A Christmas Journey: Volumes I and II, plus his other titles available for sale.

About the Author
Kevin O’Hara, of Pittsfield, MA, is a longtime columnist for The Berkshire Eagle, and is the author of three acclaimed books: Last of the Donkey Pilgrims, A Lucky Irish Lad, and Ins and Outs of a Locked Ward. In 2012, Kevin was the proud recipient of the John F. Kennedy National Award, for being “an outstanding American of Irish descent.”

Great news from the UMass Gaelic Football Team! The UMass GAA store is now live for a flash sale. Get your orders in before November 14 to receive them in time for a holidays. These jerseys make a great present for you or a loved one. Proceeds support the team’s travel to the Gaelic football nationals.

Visit the online team store to order >

The ICC is proud to officially sponsor the UMass Gaelic Football Club.

Celebrate the 2025 holiday season at the Irish House Restaurant and Trinity Pub with your family and friends! Enjoy a delicious meal in our beautifully decorated pub while listening to some of the area’s best Christmas music from the Tavern Carolers.

Group sales are available and encouraged. Make a memorable evening at the Irish House Restaurant part of your holiday festivities, for your family, friends and workplace gatherings.

PERFORMANCE DATES

Tuesdays
Music 5:30 – 8:30 pm • Doors open at 4:30 pm
• December 9: Purchase tickets online >
• December 23: Purchase tickets online >

Wednesdays
Music 5:30 – 8:30 pm • Doors open at 4:30 pm
• December 10: Purchase tickets online >
• December 17: Purchase tickets online >

Fridays
Music 5:30 – 8:30 pm • Doors open at 4:30 pm
• December 5: Purchase tickets online >
• December 19: Sold out

Sunday with Santa
Music 4:30 – 7:30 pm • Doors open at 3:30 pm
• December 21: Sold out
This date is especially for kids, with a special visit from Santa! A $30 kids ticket option includes a kids meal.

PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets are $60 for ICC Patrons / $65 general. Easily purchase tickets online (see links above) or call 413-342-4358.

Ticket price includes music performance, a gourmet buffet, and gratuity (for food only). Gluten free and vegetarian options are available. Full bar will be open for purchase.

Tickets are date specific, non-transferable, non-refundable. Advance tickets for a specific date are required. We expect these shows to sell out – be sure to get your tickets soon! Please let us know if accessible seating is required.

Buffet Menu (all gluten free)
• Herb-crusted Pork Loin with Mushroom Demi-glace
• Baked Haddock with Lemon Butter
• Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato
• Green Beans
• Garden Salad

Vegetarian Meal (only if requested in advance)
• Cauliflower and couscous with chimichurri

Join us for an after school Halloween celebration at the Irish Cultural Center! Stop by on Wednesday, October 29 from 3–4:30 pm for a fun, free, family-friendly open house.

We will have fun activities and crafts including coloring, paper jack o’lanterns, and Irish Halloween words and trivia. Fulbright Irish language teacher Michaela Burke will tell stories about the origins of “Samhain” in Ireland. Plus, there will be apple cider and Halloween treats. Costumes are encouraged!

The Irish House Restaurant and Trinity Pub will be open for drinks. Dinner service starts at 5 pm.

Worksheets including Irish words and Samhain trivia will be available at the Trinity Pub the week of Halloween, to take home for a fun activity in case you are unable to make it to the event.