Ryan D. Mahoney has been appointed executive director of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University.

In his new position, Mahoney is responsible for operating the museum, located at 3011 Whitney Ave., which is home to the world's largest collection of visual art and printed materials relating to the Irish Famine.

"We are so pleased to have Ryan Mahoney join us as the new director of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University," said Lynn Bushnell, vice president for public affairs at Quinnipiac. "His leadership skills and deep understanding of the purpose of our museum bring a distinctive perspective that will enable the museum to flourish and deliver on its mission of educating the public about the Great Hunger and the magnitude of the disaster on Ireland and its people."

Mahoney comes to Quinnipiac from Albany, New York, where he was the executive director of the Irish American Heritage Museum since 2013. Before that, he was curator/director of collections and historic sites at the Schenectady County Historical Society.

Mahoney has a dual bachelor's degree in history and political science from St. John Fisher College and a master's degree in public history from the University at Albany. He has served as a national board member of the Irish American Cultural Institute, as well as a board member of the United Irish Societies of the Capital District, Inc. In 2016, Mahoney was named an Irish Top 40 Under 40 by the Irish Echo.

Ireland's Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac preserves, builds and presents its art collection to stimulate reflection, inspire imagination and advance awareness of Ireland's Great Hunger and its long aftermath on both sides of the Atlantic.

Works by noted contemporary Irish artists are featured at the museum including internationally known sculptors John Behan, Rowan Gillespie and Éamonn O'Doherty; as well as contemporary visual artists, Robert Ballagh, Alanna O'Kelly, Brian Maguire and Hughie O'Donoghue. Featured paintings include several important 19th- and 20th‐century works by artists such as James Brenan, Daniel Macdonald, James Arthur O'Connor and Jack B. Yeats.

The museum is open Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays, 1-5 p.m. Museum admission is free. For more information, visit ighm.org.