Pauline Turley

Vice Chair at Irish Arts Center

Born in Co. Down, Northern Ireland Pauline graduated with a B.A. Honors degree in Drama and Theater Studies from Trinity College, Dublin. Pauline was appointed Executive Director of the Irish Arts Center in New York in 1998, a position she held until April 2006 when she was appointed Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.

Founded in 1972, Irish Arts Center is a New York-based arts and cultural center dedicated to projecting a dynamic image of Ireland and Irish America for the 21st century, building community with artists and audiences of all backgrounds, forging and strengthening cross-cultural partnerships, and celebrating the evolving stories and traditions of Irish culture for generations to come.

In October 2018, Irish Arts Center broke ground for its new location which, after Covid delays, opened in December 2021. In 2008 Pauline was selected as one of the Irish American Magazine’s Top 100 Irish Americans, the Irish Echo Newspaper’s Top 40 Under 40, and one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Irish America by the Irish Voice Newspaper. In 2009 Pauline was one of the youngest ever recipients of the Michael Smurfit Leadership Award, presented by the Irish Chamber of Commerce USA (ICCUSA), and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2009 for her work in preserving and promoting Irish culture in the U.S.

In 2016 Pauline was recognized as one of the Top 50 Power Women in Irish America by Irish America Magazine. In 2020 Pauline was selected as the Aide At Large to the Grand Marshal of the 2020 St. Patrick's Day in New York City.