The dream of an Irish American Museum in the nation's capital has not gone away. Indeed, it has been boosted in recent days by the attention paid to the New York St. Patrick's Day Parade and its 250-year-old history.

Connecticut businessman Carl Shanahan, who was himself grand marshal of this year's parade in Stamford, Conn., along with other Irish-American leaders, are spearheading what a release describes as "the most ambitious Irish-American venture yet; the creation of a national Irish American Museum in Washington, D.C., to honor Ireland's legacy in America."

The statement on behalf of museum backers said that in the most recent 2010 U.S. Census, Irish was the nation's second most frequently reported ancestry, trailing only German." So with this wide population in mind it is hoped that the Irish American Museum of Washington, D.C. will become a major cultural institution that will bring Irish-American history to life for visitors of all ages, from all ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds," the statement added.

"The history of the United States is the history of Irish America. That history deserves its rightful place in our nation's capital," said the Country Limerick-born Shanahan in the statement.

Shanahan is well familiar with preservation and promulgation of Irish-American history. He co-founded the Wild Geese, a Connecticut-based organization that promotes Irish culture and Ireland's contribution to western civilization.

"We believe that the Irish American Museum belongs in Washington to reflect the national character of our story, the Irish legacy is evident across North America," said Shanahan.

The museum, according to backers, will be one of identity, within which the goal will be to explore the experience of a people's immigration and evolution of its community, as well to acknowledge their struggles and triumphs.

As currently envisaged, the museum will be a state of the art facility housing traditional museum displays to preserve and present artifacts of Irish and Irish-American history. It is anticipated that it will have a genealogical research center, a library of books, articles, music and video on topics of Irish and Irish-American interest.

The museum will have a recording facility to produce oral histories and a state of the art cinema to present audio/visual material produced by the museum and by outside sources on topics of Irish-American interest. It will also have interactive and educational website of archive samples, both video and audio.

"The museum will be a home for all of those of Irish and Scott-Irish descent. It will illuminate 250 years of Irish-American history through innovative exhibitions, education and cultural programs," said the museum project's creative executive, James Dougherty.

Museum planners are hoping to draw inspiration from a line uttered by President Kennedy: "A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers."

More details on the museum plan are to e found at www.irishamericanmuseumdc.org.