Dr Elizabeth Stack, Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, NY.

by By Martin Lyden, Ph.D., PRO of Sean O’Riada Branch of CCÉ

Part of the front of a building with Irish American Heritage Museum in green upper case lettering above the door, with an American flag to the left, an Irish flag to the right — The Irish American Heritage Museum.

A smiling woman with long hair sits at a red desk, her hands crossed on the table, in front of her are small Irish and American flags, a small bust, and a small statuette of a woman — The Irish American Heritage Museum.

In May of 2018 Elizabeth Stack, Ph.D. was appointed Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Museum (IAHM) in Albany, NY. Albany is the capital of New York State. Almost one-quarter of the Capital Region’s population has Irish heritage, making it the area’s largest ethnic heritage group and one of the most concentrated Irish-metropolitan areas in America. The mission of IAHM is to document the contributions of the Irish in America and to preserve and share Irish heritage and culture. During her tenure at IAHM it has become well known and frequently visited, and she hosts several diverse events each month. Elizabeth edits and publishes a regular IAHM newsletter with details of Irish and Irish American History as well as the varied schedule of Irish cultural presentation at IAHM. She is a talented writer and speaker with an in-depth knowledge of Irish and Irish American History.

Irish Costumes on display in The Irish American Heritage Museum.

Elizabeth grew up in Listowel, County Kerry, and had firsthand experience of the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (meaning ‘The All-Ireland Festival of Music’) which is the national annual traditional Irish music festival, perhaps the largest music festival in the world, run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (The Irish Musicians Association). The festival includes live music events as well as competitions. While in school, Elizabeth learned Irish dance and participated in Scór, a cultural competition run by the Gaelic Athletic Association. She is an Irish speaker, who also speaks French. Before moving to New York, she earned a master’s degree in Anglo-Irish Relations in the 20th Century from University College Dublin, Ireland. In New York City she completed a Ph.D. at Fordham University, focusing on how Irish and German immigrants in New York responded to the immigration restriction movements in the early 20th century. At Fordham University she taught Irish and Irish American History, received a number of academic awards, and was an Associate Director of the Institute of Irish Studies.

Dr Stack is a high energy person with a lot of creativity. She has become well known in the Irish American community of the Capital District. When the Albany-area Sean O’Riada branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) was in need of a venue for its monthly sessions Elizabeth generously offered the IAHM facility, where CCÉ operated for several months, and until Comhaltas, she hosted a popular monthly ‘Rambling House,’ which was open to musicians and singers. She has promoted and hosted many concerts by traditional Irish musicians, including Máire Ní Chathasaigh, Andrew Finn Magill, Mairead Doherty, and Briege Murphy. The IAHM facility has a theater where Dr Stack has shown Irish films of historical and cultural note, including Arracht and Black 47, both Irish-language films. In November 2022 The Job of Songs, which focuses on traditional Irish music in Doolin, County Clare was screened in the IAHM theater, and the film maker participated in a Q& A. Elizabeth edits and publishes a regular IAHM newsletter with details of Irish and Irish American History as well as the schedule of Irish cultural presentations at IAHM. Since the COVID pandemic, almost all of the Irish cultural presentations at IAHM are featured online through YouTube.