When Irish eyes are smiling ! As we know, Hulme, Moss Side, Chorlton and Whalley Range has been home to Irish settlers for many many years. The earliest Irish settlers were merchants who brought linen yarn in the 16th and 17th Centuries. There has been consistent Irish migration to England for over 180 years, a trend which only reversed in the late 1970s. The biggest wave of migrants came in the 1840s during the potato famine. The census of 1851 records a community if 46,000 living in Manchester concentrated in an area known as little Ireland. A network of diocesan organisations evolved and thenGaelic language was popular in Manchester during then19th Century. Much of the canal network was built by Irish labour and later tunnel and road infrastructure throughout the city. The Irish community has also played a vital part in the social and political activities of the era, including the trade union Chartists movement (Peterloo Massacre). Among the most notable Irish Mancunian politicians are Danny Boyle, who converted Manchester horse-carriages to electric trams in 1901 and Daniel McCabe the first Roman Catholic Lord Mayor who served two terms. Following WWII there was another surge in Irish immigration as the bombed our cities and countrys infrastructure needed rebuilding. The Irish communities established clubs, parish centres, Gaelic sports, pubs, music and brought vitality and a real sense of community care into the area which they settled. All of this is now celebrated with the annual St Patricks day parade in the city centre.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 09:39:54 +0000
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