Grant Supports Focus on Immigration in Portland

Family photo from the collection of Clare Foley. Mrs. Foley emigrated from Ireland to Maine in the 1940s.

The Maine Arts Commission and Maine Humanities Council have awarded a Community Arts & Humanities Grant to the Maine Irish Heritage Center in support of their partnership with Rockhouse Mountain Productions on a new documentary film project. The film will trace the history of immigration on Portland’s East End, with specific focus on the neighborhood’s Irish and East African diaspora communities. Support for the project has also been awarded by the LEF Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Rockhouse Mountain Productions is based in Harpswell, Maine. Founded in 2007, its debut film “The Eventful Life of Al Hawkes”, has aired on Maine Public Broadcasting Network and has screened at festivals across the United States. The Maine Irish Heritage Center, based at the former St. Dominic’s Church in Portland, houses Maine’s Irish Genealogical Center & Library and provides a center for Maine's diverse communities to share their cultural experiences through educational programs and community events.