Coventry Irish Society Launches new Margaret Keane Irish Language School
March 28, 2024
Coventry Irish Society is delighted to announce their new Irish language school named in tribute to the late Margaret Keane.
The Keane family, from Coventry won their appeal in 2021, to have their mother's gravestone marked with an Irish inscription "In ár gcroíthe go deo" ("In our hearts forever"), reflecting Margaret’s Irish heritage. It was also to include a Celtic cross and a GAA logo, given her involvement with Gaelic games in Coventry.
The family battled for almost three years to win a landmark appeal to have Margaret Keane's final resting place marked with Irish words.
One of Margarets’ daughters, Bez Martin said “As a family it is such a privilege that Coventry Irish Society have named their Language School after mum. The fight we endured to express our final message to mum on her headstone in Irish should never have happened, and as we fought to challenge that discrimination we were joined by supporters across Coventry and beyond. This tribute to mum will be a lasting legacy for all the right reasons, thank you to Coventry Irish Society and we hope that many people reap the rewards that learning Irish can bring, connecting with their heritage, or simply celebrating the joy of the Irish language and sharing it with others”
Margaret Keane who sadly passed away, aged 73, in July 2018
Beginners classes of the ‘Margaret Keane Irish Language School’ are starting on Thursday 18th April 5pm, 2nd Floor Eaton House, 1 Eaton Road, CV1 2FJ. It is an 8 week course costing £40.
The new course is in addition to an intermediate class that runs every Thursday 6.30pm-8pm. Please contact Coventry Irish Society on 02476256629 or email cis@covirishsoc.org.uk for further information.
Join us on Wednesday 28 January from 11.00am-12.00pm (followed by a Ciorcal Comhrá). Discover the art of making a St Brigid’s Day cross at this bilingual workshop (Instructions in Irish first, followed by the English translation. Suitable for all levels, esp. complete beginners). All welcome, but please book a place in advance by emailing: cis@covirishsoc.org.uk Cost : £3.00 Members / £4.00 Non-Members (to cover materials & light refreshments). A Ciorcal Comhrá (an informal Irish language conversation circle) will follow the workshop (12.00 - 1.00 pm) for those who would like to stay on after the St Brigid’s Workshop and speak some Irish (or just hear it spoken) - all levels welcome!
Join poet Cathy Galvin as she invites you to find a space to look again, and more deeply, at the all-too-familiar landscapes of home. Using texts from her own work, focussed on Connemara and Coventry, she will help you consider what lies beneath and within the landscapes we think we know. Event details : Wednesday 11 March 2026 Doors Open: 5.00 pm Event start time: 5.30 pm Event finish time: 6.30 pm Admission: Free About the Writer, Cathy Galvin Poet, editor and journalist Cathy Galvin has roots in Coventry and Connemara. Her collection, Ethnology, A Love Song for Connemara, is due from Bloodaxe Books in the UK and Ireland in February 2026. Her poetry is widely published and includes the sequences Walking the Coventry Ring Road With Lady Godiva (Guillemot Press), Rough Translation and Black and Blue (The Melos Press). She is founder of the Word Factory and the Sunday Times Short Story Award. View Ethnology, A Love Song for Connemara here. You can follow her on Instagram @cathygalvinwords. Word Factory can be found on Substack How to book: Ticket only event – please book a place in advance by emailing cis@covirishsoc.org.uk , confirming the full names of all attendees.
Join us for this free event on Thursday 29 January 2026 at Coventry Irish Society. The event is free but advance booking is essential - To book, please email: cis@covirishsoc.org.uk and bring your booking confirmation reply to the event. Doors open : 6.00 pm Event discussion : 6.30 – 7.30 pm Event closure : 8.00 pm About Hen Norton: Henrietta Norton is a director, producer and writer whose work explores identity, connection and collective storytelling. Through her production company HOTFEET she develops community centred film projects across documentary, editorial and arts platforms, and is currently developing Mo & Me, a feature documentary about her late stepmother Mo Mowlam, co-produced by Underground Films and Erica Starling. Her work includes The Amber Light, which she produced and which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and Born and Reared, her directorial debut exploring masculinity and identity in contemporary Northern Ireland. Both films reflect her commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and fostering understanding through story. Alongside her film work, Hen collaborates with artists, activists and community groups across the UK and Ireland. She produced The Unsung HERoes, an exhibition celebrating women peacebuilders, and founded Six Strangers, a digital discussion platform that created space for honest, human connection during Covid. Her practice centres on empathy, participation and the power of shared narratives to inspire social and cultural change. The Coventry Irish Society are proud to host this event with funding support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Reconciliation Fund.
