"A cultural and social centre for the Irish population"

The centre is designed on two floors and includes within the downstairs area a bar with a pool table, juke box and fruit machines. There is ample seating in a separate area and seating at the bar if required. There is also a newly refurbished kitchen, offices, store rooms and toilets.

Upstairs is a large function room with it's own bar and toilets, staging and ample seating. This room is suitable for Weddings, Christenings, Birthday and Wakes.

The idea for a centre grew from a group of local Irish people who were already encouraging social and educational activities in the area. A steering committee was firmly established in 1986 and with the help of the architectural practice, Andrews Kalik Associates, feasibility studies were prepared for various sites in the center of Reading.

The Reading Borough Council offered the eventual site at a peppercorn rent for the first few years and now that the Centre is established the Association pay a commercial rent on a 125 year lease. During the construction of the centre up to 80 members of the Irish community offered their assistance, with help and contributions from many local construction companies.

The centre is explicitly non-political and non-demoninational and has a number of active non-Irish members.

In 1992 the Prince of Wales presented the Association with the Gulbenkian Award for Community Buildings, in recognition of the marked contribution that the centre had made to the community.