Preserving Irish Culture
The Irish Way is a program of the Irish American Cultural Institute — the leading Irish American cultural organization since 1962.
Founded in 1962
The Irish American Cultural Institute (IACI) is the leading Irish American cultural organization. The IACI is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) not-for-profit national organization devoted to promoting an intelligent appreciation of Ireland and the role and contributions of the Irish in America.
The Irish American Cultural Institute provides leadership and resources to preserve, interpret, and promote Irish and Irish American cultures.
Born of a Princess’s Vision
The Irish Way and its sister program, the Irish Life Experience, share a very special connection in history.
- 1962
The IACI is founded
Dr. Eoin McKiernan founds the Irish American Cultural Institute to promote an intelligent appreciation of Ireland and the role and contributions of the Irish in America.
- 1972
Princess Grace joins
Princess Grace of Monaco, a close friend of McKiernan with deep roots in County Mayo, becomes the Institute’s international chairman.
- 1970s
A summer in Ireland
Princess Grace proposes a month of Irish culture, history, and elementary Gaelic as a lesson in international citizenship for American high schoolers — and the Irish Way is born.
- Today
5,000+ alumni
Students from every state, Canada, Italy, and Spain have taken part — and every summer the program still transforms the lives of the teenagers who join it.