Look Inside Five Points Public House and Events Center

See what the Irish Cultural Center (ICC) is serving up at 5 Points Public House and Events Center.

The soft opening continues at the ICC and Five Points Public House located in Utica’s Brewery District at 623 Columbia Street, Utica. The Five Points name is derived from the epicenter of the Irish in New York City during the 1800s (as seen in the movie Gangs of New York, starring Leonardo DiCaprio). That area of NYC held the merger of five corners, hence, 5 Points.

We had the pleasure of a private tour with Dave Bandych, who was very knowledgable about the new Center. Dave explained how all of the furniture, tile, wooden bar, and room dividers were built in Ireland and shipped in three containers to Utica to provide the feel of a 19th Century establishment in Dublin. Everything at Five Points has a unique story.

5 Points Public House, the Irish tavern-restaurant open to the public, serves traditional American-Irish fare six days a week from 11 AM - 9 PM. The Pub features happy hour with bar specials and wine of the week. Open 11 AM-12 MN

On Thursdays, the first person to find Fiona the Fairy wins a special prize. Isn't she cute? She could be anywhere in 5 Points Public House.

Dave Bandych tells us The Irish Cultural Center sits on the spot of the former St. Patrick's Church, which was the first diocese west of Albany in NYS. During excavation, they found stonework from the original Church’s foundation, it was preserved and is now on display.

The original church started construction in 1851 and was finished in 1853. It suffered a fire which gutted the building in 1889 and was rebuilt on the same site. The Cornerstone out front is the Mark that was laid in 1894.  The church was there until 1966 when it merged with St. Joseph's which is across the street and is now St. Joseph's St. Patrick's Church. This church was torn down and became an empty parking lot until the Great American Irish Festival acquired the land and begin construction on The Irish Cultural Center.

 

The Irish Cultural Center has a second-floor museum. The current exhibit is “Irish in Music – Traditional and Rock” from Milwaukee’s Ward Irish Music Archives. In Spring 2020, the next presentation will be “Irish in Sports,” encompassing boxing and baseball.

ICC hopes to feature workshops in Irish cooking, language, crafts, cultural activities, Irish music, movies, and dance performances. The 2020 Great American Irish Festival would be held at the Irish Community Center Sept. 18-20.