Irish in Britain Seminar Series – Tuesday 2 December

Events

This year’s Irish in Britain Seminar Series concludes next Tuesday evening, 2nd December with:

Different shades of green: Sport and Irish emigrants in London

Frances Harkin, PhD Candidate, Institute of Irish Studies, Queen’s University Belfast.  

The recent arrival of large numbers of new Irish emigrants in London is indicative of a continually shifting and evolving Irish population. A cultural distance between the ‘new’ Irish and the older settled Irish population appears to be emerging, reflected in their different experiences of living as an Irish person in London and interpretations of what it means to be Irish. The emergence of new settlement patterns amongst the recent wave of Irish emigrants has also impacted upon the overarching Irish community as intergenerational links and interactions between different elements of this collective have become fractured.

Drawing upon ethnographic research conducted with members of London’s Irish community, this paper discusses the contemporary significance of sport in the lives of Irish people in London. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is one arena through which the settled Irish population in London and the newly arrived Irish can interact with each other, creating a sense of continuity between the different waves of emigrants who have arrived in London since the inception of the Association in 1896. UCC Diaspora F.C has also become an important social and sporting resource for Irish people in the city, yet it appears to be firmly in the domain of those who have arrived since 2008. In considering the function of Gaelic games and soccer for the most recent phase of Irish emigrants, this paper also considers similarities and differences between the ‘new’ and older Irish emigrants in London and provides an insight into London’s contemporary Irish community.

Tuesday 2nd December

6.30 – 8.00pm

Room TM138

London Metropolitan University

Tower Building

166-220 Holloway Road

N7 8DB

Nearest tube: Holloway Road

There are still a small number of places left to attend this seminar.

Attendance is free but it is essential to register in advance at:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/irish-in-britain-seminar-series-tickets-13696690169

The Irish in Britain Seminar Series is run by the Irish Studies Centre which was the first centre of its kind established in Britain and has provided a forum for teaching, learning and research since 1986.

For further information contact Tony Murray: t.murray@londonmet.ac.uk