Claddagh Report

CLADDAGH SENIORS

The Claddagh Seniors group started the New Year with a lovely film in January. They watched ‘Summerland’ in the comfort of their own dedicated cinema at Innaloo and found it joyous and uplifting. Their February event, lunch and bingo at the Greenwood Tavern, was very popular. All tickets sold almost as soon as the bookings opened and the Seniors Subcommittee organised a second lunch date the following week for those who had missed out. The Seniors group welcomed local politician Jessica Stojkovski to their first lunch in February. Patricia Bratton presented Jessica with a copy of the publication from the Claddagh Oral Clockwise from top: Claddagh seniors History Project, From Home to Home: at the cinema. Claddagh Seniors Oral Histories of Irish Seniors in enjoying lunch at the Greenwood Hotel. Western Australia. Jessica was delighted and is looking forward to reading these important stories from the Irish Joe Carroll singing for the Claddagh seniors at the Greenwood Tavern. Jess Stojkovski and Patricia Bratton. Community. If you would like to join the Claddagh Seniors in make to Australia and the complex identity of Irish celebrating St Patrick’s Day or know a senior from the Australians. The oral history project was also a Irish community who would like to attend the group’s wonderful way to build connections and community. events you can register by calling Patricia Bratton of The Seniors generously welcomed the Claddagh the Seniors Subcommittee on 0417 099 801 / 08 9345 volunteer interviewers into their homes and opened 3530 or by contacting Claddagh Coordinator Anne the story of their lives to them. The Seniors interview Wayne on admin@claddagh.org.au / 08 9249 9213. recordings and the interview excerpts we published in our oral history book, From Home to Home: Oral Histories of Irish Seniors in Western Australia mean CLADDAGH APPLYING TO EXPAND ORAL HISTORY PROJECT that these Seniors stories are also available to the entire Irish community wherever they are in the world. If you’d like to read them the book is available Claddagh’s oral history project in 2020 gave a unique insight into the wide variety of migration free of charge via Claddagh’s website at: claddagh.org.au/claddagh-oral-history-project/ journeys undertaken by a group of eleven Seniors We’ve had great feedback about the oral history from the Irish community in WA. The interviews project and book. So many people have enjoyed we gathered highlighted the reasons emigrants left reading the stories. Readers often commented Ireland, the close bonds they still have with Ireland that their own migration experiences were similar and Irish culture, the contributions Irish migrants regardless of whether they came to Australia in the

1950s, the 1980’s or the early 2000’s. It can be so heartening to know that others share your experiences. And there has been a great sense that the Claddagh oral history project was an invaluable addition to the history of the Irish community in Australia. We are delighted that Irish community organisations in WA and over East are interested in developing their own oral history projects. We look forward to sharing our experience with them and collaborating on future oral history projects. Claddagh are currently applying for funding to extend our oral history project in 2021-2022. We’d like to interview a wider group of people to explore the diversity of migration experiences in the Irish community here. As well as interviewing more Seniors we’re also interested in the migration stories of people who arrived after 2008, the journeys of young people who migrated – perhaps as children in a family group, and the migration experiences of people with mixed ancestry, people from the LGBTQI community, and people from the Traveller community. Once we find out if we’ve been successful in our funding application we’ll invite expressions of interest from anyone in the Irish community who would like to share their story or train to be a volunteer interviewer with Claddagh. In the meantime we continue to share highlights from the Claddagh Oral History Project 2020 in the Irish Scene. In this issue you can read the story of Denis Bratton of Co Armagh, page 66. He was interviewed by Claddagh volunteer Kieran Aherne from Limerick City.

THANK YOU

The Claddagh committee are very appreciative of the generous support we received from the

Crisis Support: 0403 972 265

13/15 Bonner Drive Malaga 6090. Enquiries: 08 9249 9213

Irish community over Christmas and the New Year. The Claddagh’s office and staffing costs are majority funded by the Government of Ireland’s Emigrant Support Programme. Our support work with people from the Irish community in difficult circumstances is covered by our fundraising and your kind donations. We continue to be very busy supporting those in difficult circumstances. We rarely share much detail about the work we do in order to maintain confidentiality for those with whom Claddagh work. However, Barry Sheridan has given us permission to share a little of his family’s story so you can understand the importance of the financial support you give Claddagh. “In 2019 when my son was three weeks old, he went into hospital for a minor operation which had a lot of complications. Eoin and Tom from Claddagh came down to the hospital and sat with us for two hours, talking about what they could do to help us. They didn’t know us from Adam. We just made a phone call and two of them turned up - real genuine people. We ended up staying nine weeks at the hospital in total. Claddagh looked after rent, bills. They made life so much easier. Because of our communications with Claddagh, when my mum had Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer here, we gave them a ring. They helped out with my mum as well, with the rent and getting food vouchers. They were so supportive and so good to mum and dad.” If you or someone you know needs assistance you can contact Claddagh on our crisis line: 0403 972 265. If you are in a position to be able to contribute financially this would be gratefully received for Claddagh’s support work through the year. Tax deductible donations can be made at our GiveNow page: www.givenow.com.au/ thecladdaghassociation or via bank transfer to Claddagh’s account. The details are: Bank: Commonwealth Bank Account name: The Claddagh Association BSB: 066153 • Account no: 10771928 Ref: Your initial & surname +DON