Limerick men to feature in NYC exhibition challenging ‘Paddy’ stereotypes

THE LUCK of the Irish will be brought to New York City this St Patrick’s Day as two Limerick men are set to feature in an exhibition that’s seeking to debunk the stereotypes associated with the name Paddy.

The Paddy Irishman exhibition will see notable Limerick names, Pa O’Dwyer, Ireland’s Strongest Man from Newcastle West and Paddy Mulcahy, a musician and composer from Limerick city joining the extensive list of Paddys.

The name Paddy, despite its use as a slur, is still a moniker of pride for many born Patricks.

“I was asked before I started releasing music if I would consider changing my name to Patrick because of the negative connotation associated with it,” Limerick city musician Paddy Mulcahy said.

“That one interaction that I had back in 2015 encapsulates the whole story being told by this project.”

The main exhibition will be located at Pershing Square near Grand Central Station for one week (March 15 - 22) and later at the New York Irish Centre (April 12 -19).

'State-of-the-art' student centre at the University of Limerick set to re-commence construction

Since announcing in 2021, the project received over 1,000 enquiries and submissions to participate and the bulk of the portraits and interviews were taken during the pandemic even while many of the subjects navigated lockdowns.

Mr Mulcahy said he received an email one day asking him if he wanted to get involved in the project.

“Initially I thought it would be a great opportunity to get a portrait taken and at the time I needed to get press shots done anyway, so I said I’d get involved but I never thought it would grow legs of this magnitude.”

The Pershing Square outdoor exhibit will combine large and small format portraits with QR code-enabled storytelling.

The NYIC exhibit will show all of the images in a traditional gallery format spanning different locations throughout the centre.

The opening of the NYIC exhibit will also commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

“This project is unique. It's important for someone named Paddy such as myself but it's also important for challenging that old stereotype,” Mr Mulcahy added.