Fireplace in Member’s Room

The Story Behind the Irish Center’s Fireplace

 When the United Irish Cultural Center first began plans for a remodel in the late 80s, leadership knew they wanted the building to reflect not just Irish programs, but also the warmth of home. A fireplace was proposed for the new Members Room, and the Center put out a call for design ideas.

One response came with a Polaroid photograph in the mail: a traditional Irish-style fireplace that has stood inside Duggan’s Funeral Service on 17th Street in San Francisco’s Mission District since 1931. The photo showed not only a hearth, but a piece of living culture—complete with a working crane for cooking pots, Irish turf, and a well-known print of farmers pausing to pray the Angelus.

That fireplace had been carefully maintained over generations by the Duggan Welch family, with turf hand-cut in Ireland and even bog wood (“bog deal”) mailed back across the ocean in suitcases. “You can easily tell the hand-won vs. machine-cut turf,” recalls Steven Welch, Funeral Director and caretaker of the hearth. The family even reframed the Angelus print for their 100th anniversary in 2018.

Inspired, the Center sent someone (whose name is now lost to memory) to take detailed photographs and measurements. Because the Cultural Center’s ceilings were lower than those at Duggan’s, the fireplace design was scaled down to fit. It was then constructed by Peter Brady Plastering, with help from craftspeople who brought their own Irish know-how to the project.

Today, the fireplace in the Members Room isn’t just a decorative feature—it’s a gathering place, a conversation starter, and a reminder of the ways Irish culture carries across time and space. Like the Center itself, it stands as a bridge: between San Francisco and Ireland, between tradition and modern community life, and between the generations who continue to gather around the hearth.