UTICA, N.Y. -- Irish cultural group "Craobh Dugan" played traditional music at the Oneida County History Center on Saturday.

It was part of a program called, "The Irish and the Erie."

It highlighted the efforts of Irish immigrants during construction of the Erie Canal.

This year marks the bicentennial of the start of the canal's construction, and the Irish played a big role in that and the surrounding communities.

"They came in and they helped in the construction, but then a lot of them stayed in the towns and cities along the canal. So as they came in our populations and our demographic really changed and kind of influenced our cultural development as a region as well," said Oneida County History Center Community Outreach Coordinator Rebecca McLain.

Construction on the Erie Canal began in Rome, New York.

Another Erie Canal-themed event is happening at the Oneida County History Center on Saturday, December 16th.

A presentation called, "The Erie Canal and the Birth of American Religion" will focus on how the canal cultivated spiritual groups and led to different social movements.