Irish clubs and pubs

As I gather stories from The Irish in Leicester the conversation inevitabley turns to the clubs and pubs that we would gather in for the drink, the music, the camaraderie and the craic. I hear about lots: The Jolly Miller, The Hare and Hounds, The JFK, The Corn Exchange, The Highfields Working Men's club and so many more buy unfortunately I have very few photos of any of them apart from the ones here of St. Pat's club, The Palais and The Secular Hall. I'd really like to begin to gather more stories and photos about the clubs and pubs so please do get in touch if you have any.

St. Pat's.

Jimmy and Benny McEneaney

Upstairs Bar. Jim Stretton wearing the St.Patrick's tug of war shirt.

Doug McCarthy with the pool cue, Mick Shearer in the background,right, with the dark shirt and Patsy Feeney in the foreground, white shirt.

The Palais

Etta and Patrick at The Palais.

The Secular Hall

Humberstone Gate.

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. 

Your dancing days...

As part of Leicester's Heritage Open Days yesterday I visited The Secular Hall on Humberstone Gate. It's the kind of building that we walk past everyday, forgetting to look up at and appreciate. It's drenched in a history of radicalism and free thinkers but I must admit my main motivation was to get inside the place where some of you said you drank, dance and for John and Annie Moran, even met your wives and husbands to be. The Hall was actually a key part of the dancing scene in the 1950's and 60's

In you go...

Up the stairs...

 

Nearly there...

and dance!

You may have popped in here to touch up your hair and lipstick...

...or even sat on one of these Gimson benches to rest your feet in between dances.

I don't know if my own parents ever went dancing at The Secular Hall but I got a lump in my throat walking up those steps thinking that they might have done.

Did you or your parents ever dance here?


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.

Blog Awards Ireland 2013

I found out this morning that, unfortunately, I have not been shortlisted for the Blog Awards Ireland 2013, Best Blog of the Diaspora. Getting through to the long list was exciting enough and I thank everyone for all their support and best wishes. I'm already thinking about how I can improve how the blog looks but the whole point of this blog is to tell your stories so let's just keep doing what we do!

Thanks

 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.

Academic interest...

Regulars will know that things have been a little quiet on the blog lately; sometimes life just gets in the way. But a really interesting development has popped up into that open space....

I have been contacted recently by Dr. Angela Maye-Banbury and Dr. Rionach Casey from Sheffield Hallam University. Angela, from County Tyrone, and Rionach, from Cork, are members of the Dept. of Architecture and Planning at Sheffield Hallam. They are experienced researchers in the field of sociology and particularly on the importance of housing and home in diverse communities. I am thrilled to say they have invited me to be part of their new project, Irish History Housing Research, looking at the housing histories of Irish communities in Leicester and Sheffield. If you or your family are interested in being part of this study just let me know.

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.

Kimberley Rd

Josie Silk (nee Doran) first went to Eastbourne, Sussex to do her nurse training and stayed for a couple of years. She and her boyfriend had split up but he came to England looking for her and they decided to give it another go. They went back to Dublin to get married in 1955. Going home to get married proved that she wasn’t pregnant! 

Josie’s husband Tom, from Galway, worked in the building: there was plenty of work in Leicester at the time so they decided to stay. Josie worked at the Towers Hospital and they first lived in rooms at 127 East Park Rd. She remembers the landlord nagging them about not using too much electricity. They then moved to 35 Kimberley Rd. They were considering buying a house on Mayfield Rd for £2000 but were also on the council list and a house came up in Eyres Monsell.

f 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.