The memories of growing up in their melting-pot family are warm ones for Nan and Maura Krushinski.

Their mother, Marianne, instilled their love of Irish culture, taking them to Irish festivals in different cities and making sure they knew the music. Their father, Frank Krushinski brought his Polish heritage, along with some Scot and Irish.

Now, the sisters with the Polish last name have become leaders in all things Irish in Pittsburgh.

That, says Nan Krushinski of Forest Hills, is the beauty of the ethnic mix that defines the region.

"We often hear about 'those Polish sisters' who put on the Pittsburgh Irish Festival. Many people are curious about our connection to our Irish roots," says big sister Maura Krushinski of Squirrel Hill, who is "the face of Ireland" at the Pittsburgh Folk Festival, of which she is the former director.

The Krushinskis were raised on stories about their maternal great-grandmother, Hannah Murray, who left Kilmacrenan, County Donegal, at age 16 to travel to America.

"We continue to be so proud of her courage and immensely grateful for the clan she started in Pittsburgh," Maura says.

"St. Patrick's Day was one of the best days of the year for us. Really special," Nan says. "Mother would play Tommy Makem records and tell us stories of her granny from Ireland."

Preserving the culture

In 1991, the sisters decided to fill what they considered a glaring void by launching the first Pittsburgh Irish festival. They booked legendary Irish musician Makem, their mother's favorite singer, and dedicated the festival to her and their grandmother.

"Our mother (who died 23 years ago) would have loved that we started this festival," Nan says.

Thousands come each September from 38 states, Canada, Ireland and other countries, making it one of the largest Irish fests in the nation, the leading one in the state and, says internationally touring Irish musician Grainne Diver, "one of the premier Irish festivals in the world."

But the Krushinskis embrace their Irishness more than just that weekend, says James Lamb of Dormont, honorary Consul of Ireland and president of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, which facilitates partnerships between the Pittsburgh area and Ireland.

The sisters promote Irish cultural events and educational programs throughout the year, says Lamb, who is a member of the Pittsburgh-based Irish folk band, Guaranteed Irish. "They don't wait for things to come to them. They go get it. That's admirable," he says.

They founded the Irish Partnership, parent organization of the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, in 2010, to expand the mission of the festival in promoting and preserving "all things Irish." They partner with other like-minded organizations to present Irish and Celtic offerings, including culture, history, sports, language, music, dance, economics, theater and film.

The Irish Partnership was part of Shamrock the Square, a pre-Saint Patrick's Day kick-off celebration on March 3 at Bakery Square, East Liberty, and will take part in Saturday's St. Patrick's Day Parade. It is collaborating with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in promoting "A St. Patrick's Pops with Natalie MacMaster" Thursday through March 18 at Heinz Hall.

Shamrockin' Pittsburgh, which the partnership introduced last year at Stage AE on the day of the St. Patrick's Day parade, grew out of an awareness that families and friends wanted a place to continue the excitement generated by the parade, Maura says. The event is taking this year off, but will return March 16, 2013.

Working with Pittsburgh Filmmakers, they anticipate debuting the Pittsburgh Irish Film Festival this fall. It is the eighth of its kind in the United States. The partnership has consulted on Irish festivals at Seven Springs.

The Irish Partnership is creating a touring Irish cultural series, likely starting this fall, with other United States Irish fests.

Projects with Carlow University have included lectures and, in 2010, staging Irish Christmas in America.

"I am just amazed by the amount of work and coordination that these two women produce," says Shawn O'Mara of Pittsburgh, a member of the Irish Festival board of directors. "They do not do this at all for the money. It is for their unconditional love for the culture and tradition of Ireland."

Keeping the traditions

Those traditions are reflected in the way the sisters live their lives, with a focus on family and community, says Conor Makem, son of the late Tommy Makem and a member of the Irish folk band, the Makem and Spain Brothers. "For those who care about tradition, there's a great admiration and appreciation for those who keep it going," he says.

The chain of Irish tradition runs long and deep in the Pittsburgh area, says Maura, who also is a faculty member and program director in the counselor-education program at Duquesne University.

The Irish culture has an amazing ability to speak to everyone, Irish or not, she says. "The culture appeals to all ages in a way that is quite remarkable."

What began as "let's give this a try" with the festival has turned into a committed responsibility to honor, preserve and present Irish culture, as well as contribute to the efforts of many other leaders in the Irish community in Pittsburgh, she says. Their husbands, families, friends and other volunteers are vital in that effort, she says.

Nan hopes that she and Maura offer a valuable resource for the generations to keep the links strong within their own families. "I find joy in the Irish culture, the music, dance, language, everything about it. It's part of who I am. I enjoy bringing joy to people's lives, even if it is for a day or two over a warm September weekend," she says.

Makem, an Irish native who now resides in New Hampshire, and whose band will return to the festival this fall, lauds the sisters for being "as much about family and community as they are business and running a good festival."

Mutual trust and admiration is the foundation for these sisters. "Her strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa," says Maura of Nan. "We share an immense pride in the fruit of our efforts."

They are great ambassadors "for the beautiful city of Pittsburgh," says Dan Regan, co-founder of the Kansas City Irish Festival.

Basil McCrea, a member of the legislature in the Northern Ireland Assembly, lauds the sisters' "ability to get things done. They are hardworking, organized, committed and fun."

He met them in conjunction with Friends of St. Patrick, a program in which young people from Pittsburgh experience life in Ireland.

"We all need a sense of place and identity to anchor us in a rapidly changing world," McCrea says. "Settlers from Ireland carried with them those great tenets of what is American -- a sense of independence, loyalty, commitment to democracy and, of course, a joy of music, sense of fun and the ability to communicate. In a very real sense, Ireland is the emotional birthplace of the United States."

In honoring that fact, the Krushinskis have created "a truly innovative and world-class Irish Festival in Pittsburgh," says Colm Croffy of Ballinasloe, Galway, Ireland, executive director of the Association of Irish Festivals and Events in Ireland.

"Scattered across the globe are champions, like Nan and Maura, who take the passing on of the cultural traditions to a new level" Croffy says. "We, as a nation, in Ireland should find a way to acknowledge warmly and sincerely the herculean efforts of the Mauras and Nans of the world."

Details: www.pghirishfest.org

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