Griffo Secures $1 Million For Irish Cultural Center

Senator Joseph Griffo has announced $1 million in state funding for the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley in West Utica.

Griffo says he fought for the funding after learning that the Governor had awarded two-million dollars to an Irish Arts Center in Manhattan in 2017.

He says a cultural center in Upstate New York should have access to the same resources as a center that is downstate or in New York City.

Griffo says the center has the potential to be a major attraction in the city and attract residents and visitors from the region and beyond.

The Irish Cultural Center will include a museum, an event center and an Irish pub.

The first part of the pub, which is being built in Dublin, is expected to arrive in Utica by early August.

The funding will go toward construction of the center, which is expected to be completed by this fall.