00:00 We're looking into the Irish cultural heritage within the centre and how we can move forward over the next 20 years.
00:06 We're looking into aspects of Irish identity amongst the settled, long-established Irish community,
00:13 the second and third generation and the so-called new arrivals who come into Leeds since the year 2000.
00:21 The settled Irish community who have been here for some time now obviously are getting old.
00:26 The sense of Irish identity has been passed on to the second and third generations.
00:31 So the perpetuation and preservation of an identifiable Irish community within the Leeds area
00:37 and the Yorkshire area to a large degree rests with that second and third generation.
00:42 What we would like is anyone with any Irish ancestry, the genealogy, history for their family,
00:50 to come forward and actually talk to us. We are trying to retain our culture and heritage,
00:58 but we can't do that without their support. So we want them to come.
01:02 It's not just filling in a form, it's discussing with other people.
01:05 I was here in 1970 when this centre opened and the number of Irish here was phenomenal who attended here and came here.
01:14 And then obviously as people have married, moved on, had families,
01:20 you find that you then have a generation where they can't come out and do the same things.
01:25 Part of the project is to establish to what degree they see themselves as being Irish,
01:29 because Ireland itself has been transformed.
01:32 The Ireland of today is fundamentally and radically different from that of Ireland 30, 40 years ago.
01:39 This isn't just Southern Ireland, this is the 32 counties of Ireland.
01:43 Anyone here living in Leeds or in surrounding districts,
01:47 if they wish to come to the meeting on the 17th of April at Leeds Irish Centre at 6.30,
01:52 they'd be more than welcome. Just talk to us, tell us of your experiences
01:57 and how you would like to see these continue on.
Comments