Irish in Britain Community / Culture / Sport / Business
‘Fresh Perspectives’ on Irish community needs in London Ireland Inspires – A year on
Photo: Alex Coley
The Power of Sport
Issue 3 Nov 12-Feb 13
Contents Welcome Welcome Irish in Brief FIS News Irish in Depth Ireland Inspires Irish in Business Irish Voice Irish in Conversation Irish Individuals Irish in Sport
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espite cuts across many services the Federation has an extensive range of active projects and initiatives and we aim to build on these into 2013 as we lead on research, networking and campaigning for the community.
The work we will be taking forward in 2013 includes: •
the Ireland Inspires Cultural Strategy with its youth arts projects and continued support to artists, sporting and heritage groups;
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our Dementia strategy working across the community to raise awareness and improve support for older Irish with dementia;
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our cancer self-help groups in Nottingham and South London;
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training for all members in funding and income generation; and
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further development of the successful new website for Survivors of Institutional Abuse.
This magazine is produced by: Federation of Irish Societies, 356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA, Phone: 0207 697 4081 Email: info@irishinbritain.org Web: www.irishinbritain.org Twitter: @irishinbritain Facebook page: Irish in Britain Registered charity number 1092268 Company Number: 4013148 The next edition will be published in March 2013. If you are interested in advertising or contributing to the next edition please contact Anna Franks (afranks@irishinbritain.org) no later than end of January 2013. Copyright statement: Opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of FIS and no responsibility is accepted for advertising content.
The key will be building partnerships with other leading agencies. FIS can achieve much alone but working together is critical to our success. We will be looking at how we can be better positioned to build and sustain our role within the community. We will be reviewing our programme of work, our brand and our capacity and will be working with all our stakeholders to this end: That’s you – FIS members, the wider Irish community, partners, funders, supporters, audiences, participants. Come and talk to us in 2013 and see what we can achieve together.
Jennie McShannon CEO, Federation of Irish Societies 2
IRISH IN BRIEF 02
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The leading Travellers development charity Irish Traveller Movement in Britain has successfully appealed to the Advertising Standards Agency against Channel 4’s trailers for their series My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. This, along with the success of their recent national conference, sets an important agenda for inclusion of Travellers in planning, policy and health and social service. There is a real opportunity for Irish organisations to support Travellers across Britain.
Leeds Irish Health and Homes (LIHH) recently appeared in a RTÉ documentary following celebrities coming home to Ireland for The Gathering 2013. Riverdance’s Jean Butler (left) accompanied LIHH tenant Michael Foy as he visited his family and old home in Co Mayo. You can watch the series ‘The Gathering: Homeward Bound’ on You Tube.
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The Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith will close in March 2013 for an 18-month redevelopment resulting in a new state-ofthe-art Irish Cultural Centre. The redevelopment will include the construction of 24 apartment units located above the Centre. Plans are being drawn up to continue the Centre’s cultural programme at other venues in the interim.
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Brent Irish Advisory Service (BIAS) are calling on the community to support their charity in the face of eviction from their current premises and continued funding cuts facing their services. Established in 1978, BIAS has helped thousands of people over its time. Now Brent Council wants its building back on Willesden Green’s High Road to develop a local cultural centre. Staff who provide care for families struggling to cope with relatives dementia or provide advice on a range of issues such as benefit claims are facing redundancy.
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The Irish Youth Fund have announced their first Hibernian Hero as Donegalnative Maireád Uí Ghall. Maireád moved to Glasgow as a child but only began to learn the Irish language in later life. She has been awarded for her dedication to voluntarily teaching Gaelic language classes to children at Conradh na Gaeilge Glaschú – a voluntary organisation that promotes and fosters the Irish language and culture of Ireland.
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Federation of Irish Societies
NEWS
New Location for Federation of Irish Societies After many years at our offices in Angel, London we are relocating to new offices in December 2012.
Photo: Kris Howes
Ireland Fund of Great Britain announced as first funder of Dementia Training Programme FIS are delighted to have received a significant award of £6,616 from IFGB to commence initial dementia awareness training for providers of Irish lunch club services across Britain. This much needed training is the first step in developing services which can respond to the growing issues of dementia within our community. The award from IFGB is greatly welcomed by FIS as the first step in raising £25,000 to fulfil the whole training programme over the coming year across Britain. If you would like to donate to this programme of work please contact Charlotte Curran via email ccurran@irishinbritain.org or call 0207 697 4081. 4
Our new details are: 356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA Telephone: 0207 697 4081 Fax: 0207 697 4271 So please update your contact details!
FIS sets up Irish Cancer Support group in Nottingham We have been working with local volunteer Anne McCleary to set up the first ever Irish Community Cancer Support Group in Nottingham. Ms McCleary said: “At the Irish Community Cancer Group, we aim to create a safe, confidential and nonjudgemental place for Irish people to come together, talk and listen.” Irish people have the highest cancerrelated deaths in the UK and while deaths are going down, they are not reducing as quickly in the Irish population. The group meets on the last Wednesday of each month from 10.30am to 12.30pm at Self Help Nottingham, Ormiston House, Pelham Street. Call 0115 911 1661 for details.
Irish Survivors in Britain -
www.irishsurvivorsinbritain.org
Work on our national initiative in Britain which aims to connect survivors to existing services and support local Irish services to work together continues. Leicester is the first area to establish a new group and we are also working with Liverpool and Leeds to develop new groups. If you are a Survivor or know of a Survivor who might be interested in getting involved please contact Helen White at the Federation (0121 622 4169 / info@ irishsurvivorsinbritain.org) Micheál Walsh from Right of Place Second Chance, recently praised us on the national project noting “www.irishsurvivorsinbritain.org is a fantastic website. Anything that can link and network survivors and those that support them together can only be a positive.”
Funding Opportunity - Awards for All FIS has secured a small grant from the National Lottery’s Awards for All scheme to provide training and mentoring to our members and local BME community organisations to develop income for their services such as regular lunch clubs and befriending support. If you are an Irish club, society or welfare agency providing support to older people get in touch with our team and find out more about this important training opportunity. Please contact Rita Corrigan on 0121 622 4169 / rcorrigan@irishinbritain.org
Photo: Kris Howes
New Board Member We are delighted to welcome John Nolan, Chair of the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society in Crawley onto the Board of the Federation. John was voted on by Members at our recent Annual General meeting which took place in Leeds Irish Centre. John also recently received an award at The Irish World’s 25th Birthday celebration where people from across the community were honoured and acknowledged for their contribution to their local Irish communities. 5
IRISH IN DEPTH Fresh Perspectives:
Fresh Perspectives A Needs ANAlysis of the irish CommuNity iN loNdo N
Jeff Moore, Eugene Waters, Mary Tilki and Lisa Clarke
executive summary
supported By
A Needs Analysis of the Irish Community in London The Federation, in partnership with the London Irish Centre has recently released the report Fresh Perspectives: A Needs Analysis of the Irish Community in London. This report is the first large scale examination of the needs of the Irish community in London and revealed a shocking lack of faith of the Irish community in the welfare systems in place to assist them.
Photo: The Irish Post / Malcolm McNally
Launched in Westminster, the report calls for greater awareness among frontline social workers in helping Irish migrants; better preparation by Irish people planning to come to Britain and greater responsiveness to the evidence of need by policy makers.
“The data showed that recent Irish migrants, older Irish people and Irish carers lack appropriate social support, feel that mainstream services do not meet their needs and have a preference for culturally sensitive services,” says co-author Jeff Moore, Director of Care at London Irish Centre (pictured left). “The study demonstrated the on-going health needs of the established community, and showed that although the physical health of recent migrants was good, many selfreported anxiety and depression.” The report examined the needs of 855 vulnerable Irish people in London. The study demonstrates the continuing disadvantage of the older Irish community, as well as providing new data highlighting the vulnerability of recent migrants, as well as social and health disadvantages of Irish carers. Although most respondent’s feel they are fairly treated in London, the majority report poor or moderate levels of social support.
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The research indicates: • that isolation in the London Irish community is a contributory factor to poor health outcomes; • recent migrants experience a cultural shock over competition for housing and employment, with 11.2 per cent reporting either anxiety or depression; • the data on recent migrants indicates a causal link between poorly planned migration and poor mental health. The research calls for an awareness raising campaign to reduce the number of Irish moving to London without undertaking appropriate planning and to increase engagement with culturally sensitive services upon arrival. The report also called on policy makers, funders and service providers to recognise the importance and potential long-term impact of culturally sensitive services for vulnerable Irish people. Dr Mary Tilki, Chair of FIS who coauthored the report said “The data should be used to ensure local and regional planning for social services includes detailed information on the needs of the Irish community. Those involved in migration policy and commissioning must use the results to plan effectively for the needs of this community. As well as this mainstream organisations must improve front-line workers’ awareness of the rights of
Photo: The Irish Post / Malcolm McNally
The study also provides data on the impact of culturally sensitive services for Irish people and respondents perceptions of mainstream services.
Stephen Lloyd MP with Councillor Steve Bradley (Liberal Democrat Party representatives)
recently arrived Irish people under the common travel area agreement. At the Federation we are currently working on plans to extend this study to other key Irish community areas across Britain to create a vital national picture of the current needs of the Irish community.” Welcoming publication of the report, Chris Ruane MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Irish in Britain said: “The findings of this report must give food for thought for all MPs and elected representatives in London. It reinforces representations made by community groups and care workers that the Irish in Britain, particularly the elderly, are at risk of neglect at a time of austerity. They are in need of community sensitive services. The British Irish Parliamentary Assembly has previously expressed the view of politicians from throughout these islands, that the Irish in Britain should not become an easy target for cuts.” The Executive Summary and full report can be downloaded at www.irishinbritain.org 7
A year of Irish Culture It is hard to believe that almost a year has passed since we developed the Ireland Inspires 2012-2016 cultural strategy and it has been a year marked with huge success.
Photo:: The Irish Post / Malcolm McNally
We launched the strategy in November 2011 setting out our aspiration to inspire celebration and recognition of the Irish contribution to the arts, sport and heritage life of Britain. The strategy is a four year approach but here are a few highlights from Year One....
Made in Ireland Conference The Made in Ireland conference engaged with a host of Irish arts and cultural professionals based in Britain and provided a platform to share issues and opportunities facing the rich and diverse network of Irish artists in Britain. It also marked the official launch of the strategy. Key to our strategy is our continued support of the community involved in making and delivering Irish culture in Britain and this conference was a vital step in building new relationships and letting the cultural community know we are here to help. Throughout 2012 we have been offering support and assistance to organisations and individuals on issues that impact them as cultural professionals including funding, policy development, project delivery, marketing and arts practice.
8 Photo: Alex Coley
Culture Night 2012
Building relationships
If Made in Ireland was about artists and makers, Culture Night was all about audiences. We connected with over 500 people right across Britain through our Culture Night 2012 – a little taster of The Gathering 2013 in Britain.
It was of course a huge year of sport for all communities in the UK and we spent the summer months supporting our Irish Olympic and Paralympic teams, promoting and celebrating their hard work and fantastic achievements.
As part of Culture Night we partnered with five member organisations of FIS; London Irish Centre, Irish Arts Foundation, Leeds Irish Centre, Tyneside Irish Centre and St Michael’s Irish Centre in Liverpool, as well as with the Culture Night initiative in Ireland. We brought over 25 Irish cultural acts to stages in Irish Clubs and other cultural venues and connected with audiences of over 500 for those performances.
We have also been working closely with the GAA throughout the year. We have supported their inaugural All Britain Championships; ensured that concerns about the potential loss of Gaelic games from the school curriculum in England were raised with the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Irish in Britain and engaged with their Community Development Officers across Britain to build relationships.
Our Two Islands - Youth Arts Reconciliation Project Our Two Islands is a youth arts project that brings young people in Birmingham, Glasgow and Derry-Londonderry together to work with professional artists to create artistic work which explores Irish-British relations and the heritage of Irish communities in the UK. Working across Irish, British, Polish, protestant, catholic and South Asian communities, we are engaging with 8 professional artists, 6 partner organisations and over 40 young people. The project offers an exciting opportunity for using art and music to explore Irish heritage and develop mutual understanding across communities.
Photo: Roksane Markiewicz
The year has been full of music, sport, dance, poetry, drama and delight. The Irish cultural scene in Britain is an exciting and evolving sector and we are all looking forward to another year of celebrating and promoting the Irish cultural contribution to Britain. Contact Culture Co-ordinator Fiona Smith to find out more about Ireland Inspires. Email: fsmith@irishinbritain.org / 0207 697 4081 9
IRISH IN BUSINESS The Irish Community has a long history of working in the Construction Industry. From the early years of Irish men working for Murphy and McAlpine in the 1950s and looking for the start on Cricklewood Broadway to today’s sector where Irish construction companies have continued to flourish. In 2009 a group of dedicated Irish businessmen, all of whom are involved in the construction industry in London, formed the London Irish Construction Network (TLICN). Primarily the group was set up to create and encourage new business for all members within the group and since its official launch in 2010 at The Irish Club the network has continued to grow.
Events are key to the network’s success and since its establishment The London Irish Construction Network has sought to engage high profile speakers. Ken Livingstone, Labour Party and Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent East from 1987 to 2001; Paul Drechsler, Chairman and Chief Executive of Wates Group and Dr Hugh O’Donnell, CEO of Kentz, a global engineering specialist solutions provider with over 10,000 employees operating in 26 countries worldwide have all addressed the Network. If you would like to join The London Irish Construction Network visit www.tlicn.com or email info@tlicn.com.
Daniel Fealy, one of the founding members noted, “The Network now has 150 member companies covering every aspect of the construction industry. The network prides itself on its ability to bring member companies together, creating opportunities for them to develop and grow their businesses.”
10 Photo: Louise Jefferson
IRISH VOICE FIS has welcomed the appointment of Tom Arnold as independent chair for the Constitutional Convention which launches on 1 December 2012. FIS CEO, Jennie McShannon noted: “Tom Arnold brings to the Convention ten years of experience of thinking globally and creating partnerships between the voluntary sector and some of the poorest communities on the earth. His insights could inject a breath of fresh air into our thinking about constitutional reform and a new take on how to strengthen our democracy. We believe a modern Irish constitution must reflect the Irish as a global community.” Jennie McShannon will be briefing the newly-appointed chair on the DIASPORA VOICE initiative being led by the Federation in Britain: “DIASPORA VOICE aims to symbolise a strong Irish in Britain response to the call for contributions to the review of Bunreacht na hEireann. The Irish Government has laid some issues before the Convention but promises an open debate with an independent chair, one third of members representing political parties and twothirds drawn from the general public.
Photo: Kris Howes
Jennie McShannon, CEO Federation of Irish Societies
FIS wants to raise awareness of the Convention process among the wider community and encourage active participation. Without neglecting specific interests of the Irish in Britain, the banner of DIASPORA VOICE provides an opportunity for FIS to highlight the contribution and potential role of the Irish Abroad and press the case for better representation in Irish public life.” DIASPORA VOICE will suggest that the Irish Abroad have a valuable contribution to make and national leaders need to listen. If you are interested in sharing your views or being part of our Consultation please contact Jennie McShannon via email: jmcshannon@irishinbritain.org.
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IRISH IN
CONVERSATION Danny Boyle is the Project Manager at Irish Heritage Foundation in Glasgow. We caught up with him to find out a bit more about the work he is doing in the community. Tell us a little bit about your Irish heritage My family roots are in Ulster, Donegal and Cavan. Playing traditional Irish music, being brought up in a Catholic household, the GAA, supporting Celtic football club are all elements of ‘Irishness’ I was brought up with and they play a part in my life to some degree or another to this day. What does being Irish in Britain mean to you? I would see myself as being more Glasgow/Scottish Irish than perceiving my heritage through a relationship with Britain. Britain’s a very broad church of people, which is good I think. My perceptions of a generalised British culture, Queen and Country, Union Jack etc... wouldn’t personally mean anything to me but on the other hand the NHS, Trade Unions, Labour Movement, music scene are all elements of ‘British’ culture which I consciously or sub-consciously respect and or participate in. It’s a constantly evolving concept for me.
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What inspired you to set up the Irish Heritage Foundation (IHF)? The IHF evolved from the Harps Community Project. It was a name change to reflect the work we were undertaking in the community. There are many issues which pertain to the Irish community in Scotland which we strive to work towards with particular relevance put upon cultural recognition and development and deepening our services towards our elderly community. What type of work does the Foundation deliver? The Foundation leads unilaterally on, or works in partnership with, a number of groups and Irish organisations across the public, private and third sector. Just now we have the Glasgow St.Patrick’s Week Festival, The Emerald Elderly Club, The Govanhill Traditional Music Project and the FIS Youth Arts Reconciliation Project. In between our core programmes we are involved in a number of consultations or meetings to promote our interests with relevant stakeholders or bodies: be that service providers, local or national government or potential partnership opportunities. How can people find out more? Email: Danny.ihfs@hotmail.co.uk Web: www.irishheritagefoundation.co.uk
IRISH
INDIVIDUALS Gerry Byrne, founder of Irish Spectrum Radio, celebrates 20 years on air this year and has just launched an online 24/7 Irish radio www.irishradio.org Individuals such as Bobby McDonagh, Irish Ambassador to the UK and top Irish artists such as Daniel O’Donnell have all sent congratulations on this milestone. When we caught up with Gerry he told us how much he also appreciates the goodwill messages from his listeners. He told FIS, “I have made thousands of friends amongst listeners. I value their input. I’m amused to hear some were forced to take a vow of silence by their parents when I was broadcasting years ago but now listen themselves!” Gerry, originally from Cavan, established Irish Spectrum for expats in 1992. Gerry also hosts The Irish Link on BBC 3 Counties. Gerry is passionate about keeping things current and connecting with the Diaspora and this is what inspired him to recently launch the internet based 24/7 Irish Radio. Gerry told us, “The content of Irish Spectrum Radio – news, weather, sport, music, light entertainment guarantees its popularity but we do
Photo: BBC
rely on revenue to sustain it. Our listeners continue to increase and our online sister show extends that reach even further. This means we are a perfect vehicle for companies, organisations and events to get their message out to a targeted audience. Advertising and sponsorship is not as expensive as organisations think and income from this source is what keeps us going and ensures we can continue to keep broadcasting to the community.” To find out more about Irish Radio visit Gerry’s website: www. irishradio.org. or contact him for an informal chat about advertising or sponsorship opportunities: Gerry Byrne – Tel: 01707 377077 or email: gerry@irishradio.org 13
IRISH IN SPORT THE POWER OF SPORT Rob Hartnett is the founder of Sport for Business, an intelligence and networking business that builds effective links between sport and business in the community. He was born in London after his parents emigrated from Ireland in the 1960’s and returned himself to spend 15 years working in London within the sports and marketing arena’s. We spoke to Rob about the importance of partnership working between sports and business… “In a modern age where mass media has become fractured, communication has become instant and society more diverse than ever before, sport has become one of the few universal languages that binds communities together. This is hardly a new concept to the Irish community in Britain which has long maintained connections back to Ireland through news of the local club’s progress or through gathering behind national teams. What was always known is increasingly becoming properly managed and encouraged. 14
Photo: Rob Hartnett
This requires expertise and funding. Sports clubs that have traditionally relied on collections, cake sales and race nights have to become more aware of the value they can bring to commercial partners in return for the investment that is needed to stay ahead of the game. Sport at every level has so much to offer back by way of emotional engagement and affinity for business partners that when properly marshalled, the resources within the local club, be it in GAA, soccer or rugby can make great appeal.
Sport is important within the Irish community in the UK. The ‘exiles’ of London Irish Rugby have moved into the age of professional rugby with solid determination and developed a club which competes at the highest level but still fosters connections with the UK Irish communities of Sligo and Roscommon as it does with those of Sunbury and Reading. The GAA in Britain is stepping up its commitment to providing playing facilities and community networks just as the parent Association does back at home. Those many Irish who have made a success in business should be brought on board to see what they can do to make this happen, and to make it of value to the commercial world. Sport is more important though than just the score on a Saturday afternoon or the annual fundraiser. It provides a touchstone for people who might otherwise not have any connection to the community in which they live. Family life has become more complex and the very ease of travel and communication can sometimes act as a barrier to the kind of deeper engagement that used to exist.
Photo: Courtesy of Sports for Business
Sport crosses over class, race and other definitions that elsewhere can be used to divide us. On a sporting field it does not matter whether you are a Lord of the manor or unemployed. So long as you can kick a ball, strike a sliotar or run ‘nos na gaoithe’ then that is all that matters. Connections can be made that lead to better and stronger community initiatives, to employment and better business practice as well as to more fulfilled individuals, able to connect better with those around them. The Irish communities of Britain should rally behind their sporting groups, determine whatever actual and financial support may be needed to sustain them and work closely with state, sporting and business organisations within the community as well as back home in Ireland to ensure that their long term stability is secure.” To find out more about how Sport for Business is helping sport and business to connect better, visit www.sportforbusiness.com/ IrishinBritain.
Photo: Courtesy of Sports for Business
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At Hibernian Associates we advise clients on a range of legal issues including: ● UK and Irish Wills ● Probate ● Lasting Powers of Attorney ● UK and Irish Estate Administration ● Long Term Nursing Care Costs ● Inheritance Tax Advice ● Irish Property For further information please contact Patrick Walsh on 0207 333 1909 or e-mail us at info@hibernianassociates.co.uk www.hibernianassociates.co.uk
Are you a Survivor of Institutional Abuse or has a friend or family member been affected? Visit www.irishsurvivorsinbritain.org for news and information about Irish Survivors events, groups and support services around Britain For more information email info@irishsurvivorsinbritain.org
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