Irish Cultural Museum of New Orleans

Located in the historic French Quarter, the Irish Cultural Museum explores over 200 years of the people of Irish descent in New Orleans through interactive kiosks, exhibits, genealogy resources and an award-winning documentary. Cultural events are scheduled throughout the year, including poetry readings, live Irish music on Sundays, and storytelling. Museum admission is free, and the property includes a coffee and whiskey bar (St. Patrick's Coffee House) in a second building, with courtyard seating between the museum cottage and the coffee house. The property can accommodate small weddings and special events. The museum was founded by the Ahearn family in 2012 and is still operated by three Ahearn brothers.

Beginning in the 1700s New Orleans received thousands of Irish who made a treacherous journey from their distant homeland across the Atlantic. Here visitors can learn of the sacrifices and contributions these unsung heroes have made to this great city. Here visitors will meet the real "New Orleans Irish" and discover the significant influence these people and their tiny island nation has had on New Orleans today.

A visit to the Irish Cultural Museum of New Orleans provides a new perspective and appreciation for the history of this beautifully complex city. The museum tells the often-untold history and stories of the ordinary Irish adventurers, soldiers, mercenaries, priests, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, public servants and others, who found there niche here. From the appointment in 1769 of Irish military strategist Alexander O'Reilly as the second governor of Louisiana, to the thousands of Irish who perished digging the New Basin Canal in the mid-nineteenth century, the Irish Cultural Museum of New Orleans traces the city's Irish Heritage through rarely seen archival maps, photographs, and newspaper articles. There's a small research library on Irish history, too.

The museum was founded in 2012 by Matthew Ahearn, a local Irish American and president of Ahearn Construction. His three grown sons - Michael, Luke, and Jacob - took over running the museum by the 2020s. A small cottage along Conti Street houses the museum displays. At the back of the property, across a flagstone courtyard with tables, is a small second building that contains St. Pat's Coffee House, serving coffee and Irish whiskeys since 2017. Some of the cocktails served are family recipes from generations ago when the family operated a bar at the corner of Royal and Canal streets.

Ahearn, Matthew. Linked in profile, Linked in. January 1st, 2024. Accessed April 22nd, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-ahearn-84398127.

Crawford, Eve Kidd. Irish Museum Opens in French Quarter. New Orleans Magazine. December 31st, 2012.

Shapiro, Dean M. The Irish Cultural Museum: St. Patrick's Day Everyday, French Quarter Journal: Neighborhood Museums. March 1st, 2023. Accessed April 22nd, 2024. https://www.frenchquarterjournal.com/archives/the-irish-cultural-museum-of-new-orleans-french-quarter.

WGNO staff. Irish immigrants changed the landscape of New Orleans, WGNO ABC New Orleans. March 12th, 2018. Accessed April 22nd, 2024. https://wgno.com/news-with-a-twist/irish-immigrants-changed-the-landscape-of-new-orleans/.