New Year with New Goals and Aspirations for 2023
As we turn the corner into another new year, the Irish Center will mark forty eight
years as the hub of all things Irish in the community. During the past five decades since the
Center opened on March 8th, 1975, many wonderful events and gatherings have taken place
here. We are fortunate to have the Center as a resource for the community. The longevity of
the Center has been made possible by supporters in the community, and this has been very
evident in the past few years as the Center encountered some economic headwinds. The
future is much more positive now, as we exit the Covid era and look forward to writing the
next chapter in the Irish Center history. 2023 will be a significant year for the 2025 Project
as we move into the next phase of the redevelopment process. Watch this space!
We rounded out December at the Center, on a high note across all sections of our operations. While
our event staff were kept busy with many holiday and community events, philanthropy dominated the last
month of the year with a tremendous response to our 2025 Project pledges, annual appeal, Leo T. Walsh
scholarship and library fundraisers. This year’s appeal campaign focused on continuing to expand our Irish
culture and programming footprint in 2023 with proposed expansions in library offerings, theatre, summer
camp, and Irish music classes for kids.
Looking Ahead to 2023 — We can look forward with renewed optimism for a full year of uninterrupted
activity at the Center. It’s been a number of years since we have been able to do that. The SF Rose committee
will select a San Francisco rose for the International Rose of Tralee competition on January 28th. The 2023
Grand Marshals Dinner (honoring San Bruno resident Pat Uniacke) will take place on February 26th. A jam-
packed St. Patrick’s season will see full houses at the Center on the parade day March 11th and the annual Block
party on March 12th. The following weekend will be epic as March 17th falls on a Friday. One of the biggest
boxing nights of the year takes place the following day on March 18th in association with Fire in the Ring
boxing club. Should be a great first quarter of the year.
2025 Project — Many thanks to all those members who funded their second pledge towards the 2025
Project, and to our new first time donors who stepped up to support the dream for a new building. The 2025
Project is moving along nicely and the building group team is chipping away each week on various tasks. The
bi-weekly meetings with the planning Dept. continue to drive the project forward. We anticipate being before
the planning commission sometime by early summer.
New D4 Supervisor — There has been a change in the local neighborhood political landscape since the
November elections. Joel Engardio won the District 4 supervisors race against incumbent Gordon Mar. Joel
will now be the supporting voice for the 2025 project at city hall and we look forward to working
with him to get the new building in place. Joel is hosting his District 4 community celebration here at the
Center on Saturday January 7th. In recent communication with Joel, he mentioned that he would like to have
his re-election party in the new building in 2026! I told him we would do everything in our power to honor
that request!
Liam Reidy
lreidy@irish-centersf.org