Journeying in hope with our Irish emigrants
News and Events
Forthcoming Event - Sunday 25th July 2010 Older Person's Tea Dance
President hears of Irish prisoners’ plight
President Mary McAleese sent a message of support to all those working with Irish prisoners and their families during a recent meeting with representatives of the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO), an ICB project. Read full story here
Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month
June marked the 4th Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month. Amongst the many diverse celebrations were two special events held in Highdown and Bullingdon prisons attended by ICB’s Father Joe Browne and Conn Mac Gabhann.
On Tuesday 22nd June, Bullingdon Prison staged a celebration of GRT culture. The event was facilitated by Sandra Young of Southside Partnership who has worked with Travellers over the past year exploring their culture.
Father Joe Browne introduced the event with a thoughtful reflection on the importance of having pride in the Travelling way of life, culture and traditions and yet being confident of moving with the times; much like the move from the traditional horse-drawn wagons to the state-of-the-art touring caravans. Joe managed to contextualise the event and establish it as more than a simple get-together, as he spoke of the gifts and dynamism of Travellers there was a remarkable, intense silence as if the ‘pride’ Joe was speaking of was manifest in the dignity of the audience.
The main show was a superb mixture of traditional song, readings on the history of Travelling people and modern dance. The festivities continued with delicious traditional food and more song. Over fifty Irish Travellers, English Gypsies and Eastern European Roma took part in this magnificent, vibrant celebration of GRT history.
On Wednesday 23rd June, the Travellers Outreach Team participated in a GRT history event at Bullingdon Prison in Oxfordshire. The event was organised by the prison’s Diversity Officer, Mel Jarvis and was attended by more than forty prisoners.
Richard O’Neill, an English Gypsy, storyteller, writer and activist introduced the event. Richard spoke of his experiences as a Gypsy growing up in the North of England. He spoke of the challenges that face Gypsies and Travellers in the changing world and how he and his family had managed and thrived. His experiences apparently so akin to many of those listening that there was hushed silence for his stories and his insights.
Father Joe Browne, then spoke of the work of the Chaplaincy, the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas and his own work. Again, Joe emphasised the importance of the event in establishing respect for the Traveller community within the prison and affording an opportunity for Travellers to develop support networks. Then Conn Mac Gabhann spoke about his developing research on the situation and experiences of Travellers in prison. He emphasised the need for participation in the surveying stage of the project pointing out that only by having Traveller voices heard will conditions for Travellers improve in prison.
The speakers were given a wonderful welcome and were deep in conversation with the GRT prisoners for the entire afternoon. The event was a major step in recognising the distinctive and rich cultural heritage of a section of the prison population and in itself changed perceptions of Travellers amongst staff, other prisoners and Travellers themselves.
The Bullingdon and Highdown prison GRT events are just two events that have begun to transform perceptions amongst and about Travellers. GRT History Month celebrations are quickly becoming a superb opportunity to highlight Traveller culture. The growing interest in the events shows how the Traveller community and their friends can transform public attitudes throughout the year with consciousness-raising activities and events.
‘The Last Acceptable Prejudice,’ Travellers in Prison Research Project Launched
The launch of the Travellers in Prison Project took place on Friday 30th April at the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain (ICB) headquarters in Camden, North London. The project has been developed to investigate the situation of Irish Travellers in prisons in England and Wales. The launch was attended by the First Secretary to the Irish Embassy in Britain, representatives of the Traveller community, prison chaplains, a number of senior academics and other interested professionals who will steer the research project to successful completion. Read the full story here
A Holy Irish Hooley!
Chaplaincy’s Annual Fundraising Event was a big success
Thursday 19th November 2009, saw the McNamara Hall at the London Irish Centre in Camden packed to capacity as 300 Irish Chaplaincy supporters, young and old, gathered to raise funds for the charity. The event was billed as a “Holy Irish Hooley”, beginning with a reflective mass of remembrance and culminating in a night of ceili dancing and performances, which will be remembered for some time.
Going Home - Resettlement Success (August 2009)
An Enniskillen man who was living a lonely and isolated life in a flat in South London, returned to Ireland at the end of August 2009 to settle back in the area he left some forty years ago. He was reunited with his family, thanks to the efforts of the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain. Read the full story here
ICPO have launched their first ever art competition for Irish prisoners. Entries are welcome from all Irish prisoners and can take the form of drawings, paintings, sculptures, graphic designs, crafts … Read the full details here
Competition closing date is 28th September 2010.
Tea Dance Helps Older Irish Celebrate Their Culture
Over eighty older Irish people gathered together to share their faith, exchange stories and enjoy a range of traditional Irish music, song and theatre, at a mass and tea dance at the London Irish centre, organised by the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain (ICB). Read the full story here
“It was absolutely gorgeous from beginning to end and I enjoyed it so much”, said Pat Matchan.
FUNDRAISING EVENT: TOMBOLA SOUTHWARK IRISH FESTIVAL - 5th July 2009
Read the full story here