Wednesday 29 February 2012

This week I have ...

Google map 
  • met the good men and women of St. John Bosco's Friendship club who are filling in questionnaires for me, thank you Sister Justine
  • checked over stories with key players at The Emerald Centre
  • collected more info from the Emerald Centre lunch club
  • decided on a date for the celebration event, March 12 at The Emerald Centre.More details later. began arrangements for a bus trip around Leicester to revisit old haunts
  • began arrangements for videoing key players in their homes with Tony's daughter Aisling
  • met with staff at Leicester Library who have been very helpful with ideas for display and publicity, thank you Simon
  • began to create my own Google map showing where we lived, thank you Paul.


A lovely lady I have met, Sheila Sullivan, called to discuss her story and to correct some details ( I must learn to take better notes!).
As she put the phone down she said "God Bless, Lynda."
That soft Irish accent and the genuine, heartfelt blessing made me cry.
These connections are going back a long way.

Irish Ring 

This project was always going to be about connections, old and new. As I gather more and more information from the Irish community here in Leicester those connections are gradually coming to the surface.

I have met someone whose mother used to love a rake around Leicester Market with my auntie Greta and who, himself, went to school with my cousin Roseanna.

I have had contact with the son of a man who, until now, has just been a name on a list of lost old friends given to me weeks ago… and completely by chance met up with a man who was decorating my house the day the Twin towers were attacked.

I am talking to librarians and professors, priests and nuns. This project has officially started!


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

We're now also on Twitter: follow me on  @irishleicester or join The Irish in Leicester group on Facebook.
Click here to view a map of The Irish in Leicester.

Let's find out about our community...


Did you, your parents or your grandparents come over to Leicester from Ireland? Wouldn't you love to remember who else did and swap a few stories in the process. With the help of The Emerald Centre, I will be chatting with as many Irish people as will stand still long enough to find out when they came over, why they came over and where they lived.


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

We're now also on Twitter: follow me on  @irishleicester or join The Irish in Leicester group on Facebook.
Click here to view a map of The Irish in Leicester.

Leicester's Irish streets.


Myrtle… Upper Conduit… St Saviour's… 
Mere… Gotham… Lincoln … Porter…
East Park… Saxby…


Do any of the streets above sound familiar? How good would it be to take part in a project that is mapping out these, and many more, streets? Let's see if we can remember where we all lived and the pubs and shops, the schools and churches that we all used.


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

We're now also on Twitter: follow me on  @irishleicester or join The Irish in Leicester group on Facebook.
Click here to view a map of The Irish in Leicester.

The Irish in Leicester.



When did you, your parents and grandparents come over? Why did you all come over? Whereabouts did everyone live?


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

We're now also on Twitter: follow me on  @irishleicester or join The Irish in Leicester group on Facebook.
Click here to view a map of The Irish in Leicester.