Schools

Irish in Leeds: The Next Generation

The Leeds Irish community today numbers some 25,000 persons, of whom about 16,500 were born in Britain. So how aware are the next generations about Irish culture and their Irish heritage?

The Irish Arts Foundation are very active in engaging with children of Irish descent and encouraging them to explore their heritage and culture, and also in educating those without Irish ancestry to understand the origins and role of the Irish community in Britain.

For several years the Irish Arts Foundation has organised a fortnight of cultural events, entitled The Gathering, during the month of November which celebrates all that is best in Irish traditional and contemporary music and arts. In 2010 programme included Schools Irish Cultural Day, which featured workshops on dance, music and heritage. The Irish Arts Foundation, working in partnership with ArtForms Education Leeds, invited schools across the City to take part in these cultural workshops which were specially tailored to work with the schools curriculum (Key Stage 2), particularly in the areas of history and citizenship. Several schools took part including St. Paul’s (Alwoodley), St. Augustine’s (Harehills), St. Joseph’s (Otley) & Our Lady of Good Counsel (Seacroft).

As part of the project, pupils of Irish descent were asked to fill out a questionnaire designed by the Irish Arts Foundation to encourage them to explore their family history and consider their identity:

1. What made you leave Ireland?

"My grandad left Ireland because he wanted to travel ... " Freyja whose grandfather (Co. Cavan) came to Leeds in 1966

"There was no work in Ireland at the time"Catriona whose grandparent (Co. Roscommon) came to Leeds in 1949

"Troubles in Northern Ireland"Nathan whose grandfather (Co. Donegal) came to Leeds in 1973

"There was no work left, so he came here to build the roads"Ciara whose grandfather (Co. Cavan) came to Leeds in 1970s

2. What made you choose Leeds to settle in?

"The reason he moved to Leeds is because there was a lot of friendly faces, he knew people he went to school with and many more" Cora whose grandfather (Co. Mayo) came to Leeds in 1969

"She chose to settle in Leeds because she loves Yorkshire"Bethany whose mother (Co. Sligo) came to Leeds in 1990

"Grandfather supported Leeds and wanted to live in Leeds"Nathan whose grandparent (Co. Donegal) came to Leeds in 1973

"I joined a friend who was living in Leeds. He helped me get a job in Leeds"Catriona whose grandparent (Co. Roscommon) came to Leeds in 1949

"I chose Leeds because I have family here"Keagan whose parent (Co. Cavan) came to Leeds  in 2001

"Grandad chose Leeds because he knew some people who moved over there"Freyja whose grandfather (Co. Cavan) came to Leeds in 1966

"When granddad came to Leeds there was a large (Irish) community and people from Conamara "Ashling whose grandfather (Co. Galway) came to Leeds in 1962

"We settled on Leeds as we had friends over there already and so we had some connections that could help us find lodgings and work "Mary whose family friend (Co. Galway) came to Leeds in 1975

3. What were your first impressions on arriving in England?

"My grandma found England very scary at first as it was so large and a busy place to what she was used to. She also loved it as it was so different and exciting" Carter whose grandmother (Co. Monaghan) came to Leeds from  in 1970

"Dirty! The air was thick with dust and everything you touched in the city centre seemed to have a layer of black soot"Max whose grandmother (Co. Mayo) arrived in Leeds in 1957

"Wanted to go home, didn’t want to stay"Shannon whose grandmother (Co. Mayo) came to Leeds in 1957

"His English wasn't very good because his first language was Gaelic"Ashling whose grandfather (Co. Galway) came to Leeds in 1962

"Liked it but didn’t like train stations"Nathan whose grandparent (Co. Donegal) came to Leeds in 1973

"My first impressions on arriving in England were really that there were so many things to take in … people kept themselves to themselves which I had to adjust to, to try not to find it rude"Mary whose family friend (Co. Galway) came to Leeds in 1975

4. How have things changed since you arrived here?

"Things are a lot more developed now, bigger buildings, the city is more multicultural and there is a better standard of living. It is also a lot easier to go home to Ireland now as he can fly over for little money rather than the expensive boat trip and the 12 hour journey from Leeds to Carraroe"
Mary whose family friend (Co. Galway) came to Leeds in 1975

5. Did you keep in contact with family members back home and did you keep in contact with other members of the Irish community in Leeds?

"He visits Ireland often with grandma. He attends dinner dances at the Irish centre" Freyja whose grandfather (Co. Cavan) came to Leeds in 1966

"I work alongside a lot of Irish people" Keagan whose parent (Co. Cavan) came to Leeds in 2001

"I go to Ireland at least once a year" Max whose grandmother (Co. Mayo) came to Leeds in 1957

1. What does you Irish Heritage mean to you?

"I think its important to know where you came from" Keagan whose parent (Co. Cavan) came to Leeds in 2001

"It means that I am a bit Irish and I like to visit Ireland" Niall whose grandparent (Co. Roscommon) came to Leeds in 1948

"Proud to be Irish" Catriona whose grandparent (Co. Roscommon) came to Leeds in 1949

"A lot, I am proud and it upsets me when people make fun of Irish people" Nathan whose grandparent (Co. Donegal) came to Leeds in 1973

2. Do you ever participate in Irish cultural activities / events?

"I do Irish dancing and go to the Irish centre" Ciara whose grandparents (Co. Mayo) came to Leeds in the 1960s

"Yes I play the tinwhistle and I go to Irish parades" Eoin whose father (Co. Mayo) came to Leeds in 1990