Ever connecting links

I've written about this before I know but one of the things that continues to come through during my conversations with our Irish Elders is the link with others: the link with family and friends who were already here and the link with those who came later, either to visit or to stay. 

The first two pictures here are of my own family. The first one, taken in the back yard of Upper Conduit St, shows me and my Mum and Dad, with my maternal Grandmother. 

Mother, my Dad, Paddy, my Mum,Sarah and me, around 1959.

My Grandmother was called Mother by everybody.who knew her and had raised 10 children of her own. Despite being the eldest, after an older sister Hannah had sadly died of TB, my Mum was not the first of her 8 sisters to marry and have children. I don't know if this was the first time Mother had been over to see her in Leicester (she had 3 daughters already over in England who were married and had children) but it's certainly the only picture of me and her at such an early age. 

The second picture is of Annie, one my Mum's sisters. This is clearly a few years later and the baby is now my sister Sandra. The taller young girl in the middle is my cousin May Holt, who lived around the corner in Porter St. Her Mum, Greta, was my Dad's sister and the reason my parents came to Leicester in the first place. There often seemed to be people around or "over" and I wonder how many of them used the house as their first port of call in Leicester.

Sarah Callaghan, Annie Hill, May Holt, Lynda and Sandra Callaghan at Upper Conduit St.

Lastly here is a photo that really sums up the connections and strong links of many Irish families away from home...

From Brendan Grady

 Me & mum plus her relatives, Patsy & Genevieve McDowell with their 2 kids, (They emigrated to Australia in '70's). Plus also Kathleen Burns who was married to my Mum's cousin John Burns (from Liverpool) - John took most of the pics at this time {John and his brother Billy (rip) and sister Rose (rip) were brought up with my mother at their Grandma's in Forkhill Armagh during the 2nd WW , so they were always close.

 If you'd like to be involved contact us on 0116 276 9186 or pop in to:

The Emerald Centre, Gipsy Lane, Leicester. LE5 OTB

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Click here to view a map of The Irish in Leicester.