A $1.25m grant has been secured towards the redevelopment of the Irish Arts Center in New York.

The centre was founded in 1972 and is primarily focused on the showcasing of Irish culture, through performance, exhibition and education, in New York.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, said: "The Irish Arts Centre is already the home of Irish culture in the United States. This redevelopment project will provide the Center with a landmark base that those that are directly involved, and indeed and the rest of the community, Irish and Irish American, can be deeply proud of.

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"Its significance in terms of the Irish community having a flagship presence in New York cannot be overstated. The Irish Arts Center has provided a spring board to international stardom for many Irish acts and the new Center, when built, will greatly enhance its capability and capacity to do this.

"I want to put on record the Irish Government's deep appreciation of the support also given to this project by the City of New York, including by Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Finkelpearl. I look forward to seeing the final tranche of funding being raised by the community and work beginning on what will be an iconic symbol of Irishness in New York City."

(CD/JP)