As Vice Chairwoman of the Board of the Irish Arts Center in New York City, Pauline Turley heads up a thriving center struggling to meet the demands of its audience due to the lack of space in its current location. "Besides being on the board, my role is heading up a capital feasibility study for a new facility. It's been a long-time goal of mine to see an Irish Arts Center that rivals Scandinavia House or the Asian Center or the Alliance Franais," Turley, a Newry native and theater and drama graduate from Trinity College Dublin, told Irish America recently.

The Arts Center, founded in 1972 and located in Hell's Kitchen, is a hive of cultural activity and has acted as a home for many Irish artists to launch successful careers stateside, Terry George and Jim Sheridan among them. Turley first started in the center as an intern, working her way up to Executive Director in 1999, before assuming her current role two years ago.

In 2006, with the help of City Speaker Christine Quinn, the center was able to sign a memorandum of understanding for the sale of a new site in Hell's Kitchen for a nominal price of $1. Feasibility and sustainability studies are in progress to ensure that a move will be viable. Meanwhile, the events and exhibits just keep coming. "Masters in Collaboration: Ireland's Musical Greats in Partnership with a Generation of Artists," which was opened by singer Paul Brady in February, will continue throughout the year, and the family-oriented Irish Dance Festival will take place in May.

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