SF Supervisor Introduces Legislation to Create Irish Cultural District in Sunset

Against the backdrop of San Francisco's 175th St. Patrick's Day parade rolling down Market Street, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved legislation on March 17 to establish an Irish Cultural District in the Sunset, capping a push by District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong that began with a public announcement at a St. Patrick's Day weekend gathering of Irish community leaders.

Wong, whose district covers much of the western Sunset, said the designation would unlock $240,000 in funding to support cultural programming and community growth. "We don't have one for the Irish community and I think they are deserving of equal recognition," he said. "Their history in the city and what they have done to build San Francisco."

The legislation moves through the city's existing Cultural Districts program, the same framework that has governed other neighborhood cultural designations across San Francisco. A committee still needs to set the district's precise boundaries, which will likely fall in the southwest part of the city, according to KGO, which first reported the Board's unanimous vote.

The Irish community's footprint in the Sunset runs deep. Many Irish immigrants arrived in San Francisco in the mid-19th century, fleeing the Great Famine, and by 1870 accounted for more than 20 percent of the city's entire workforce despite facing anti-Catholic hostility and employment barriers. Families continued settling in the southwest side through the 1920s and 1930s, solidifying the Sunset as an Irish enclave.

Liam Reidy, Executive Director of the United Irish Cultural Center, called the vote a testament to that history. "A lot of these families moved here in the 1920s and 30s," he said, describing the approval as a reflection of the strength and depth of the Irish-American population on the southwest side. Reidy also pointed to an immediate practical need: "I think one of the big things I would like them to know is the amount of programming that we are providing here for the community, whether is youth program or intergeneration we don't have enough space."

Jeanne Connolly, Treasurer of the United Irish Cultural Center, pushed back on any notion that the district is simply a symbolic gesture. "It's not just four blocks," she said. "It's kind of the idea that in the Sunset the Irish were here and have come and are sustaining life in the Sunset."

Hilda Kissane, President of the United Irish Societies of San Francisco, framed the designation as a matter of keeping community bonds intact. "The Irish community in San Francisco has always been built on strong connections between families, organizations, and neighborhoods," Kissane said. "This effort helps ensure those traditions remain visible and celebrated."

Kathleen Kraus, a Board Member at Large of the United Irish Cultural Center, emphasized that the district is meant to serve a living community, not memorialize a past one. "This designation is not just about history, but about supporting a living, evolving community," Kraus said. "It creates opportunities to continue sharing Irish culture with the broader San Francisco community."

Ben Bleiman, owner of Harrington's Bar and Grill, welcomed the news from the business side. "Having a centralized area to celebrate the culture and the contributions that their community made to San Francisco is just a wonderful thing," he said.

The funding figure and boundary process still require clarification: sources do not specify whether the $240,000 is a one-time allocation or recurring, nor its administrative path. The committee tasked with drawing the district's boundaries has not yet been named, and no preliminary map has been released.