Coventry Irish Society’s 5th Annual Ball
October 31, 2024
Thank you to everyone who made our 5th Annual Ball a huge success. It was a wonderful night for our community to celebrate our culture and heritage.
Fantastic entertainment for the evening was provided by the very talented, Maggie Gallagher and Celtica Academy. The legendary Christy Pepper kept the dancefloor packed all night with a live performance of favourite tunes.
We were delighted to be joined by a senior delegation from Cork City Council; Cllr. Honore Kamegni (Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork), Viviane Kamegni, Cllr. Kieran McCarthy (Former Lord Mayor of Cork 2023/2024), and Ciarán Kelleher Byrne (International Relations Officer at Cork City Council).
The occasion was the perfect opportunity to present our long-serving volunteers with awards for long-standing service and dedication to their community; Ann Sullivan, Tommy Cleary, and Margaret Campbell. Certificates of Achievement were also presented to two excellent work-experience students; Daithí Houston and Gerard Gallagher.
A very special tribute was paid to our very own Kate McCarthy, Trustee of the Coventry Irish Society, who has dedicated over 20 years’ voluntary service to the charity, including successfully steering the charity through some extremely challenging and turbulent times. In a very moving speech, Kate, paid tribute to her own mother, and the values she taught her, in particular to look out for others.
The highlight of the evening was a formal presentation of the prestigious Cork City Gift by the Deputy Lord Mayor to our own Kay Forrest for a lifetime of service to the Irish community in Coventry. Special recognition was given to Kay for her long-term service to the Charity and for her ongoing commitment and herculean work over the past 31 years.
We, at the Coventry Irish Society, would like to give special thanks to all of our supporters, especially Care Associates who were the main sponsor of the event for the second year running. As a charity, we are very much dependent on the financial support that we get from our local businesses – your support is never taken for granted and very much keeps us going. Thank you!
We would also like to thank the staff at Christ The King Social Club who worked tirelessly throughout the evening to provide excellent hospitality to a full capacity room.
We also appreciated the opportunity, before the Ball, to host the Deputy Lord Mayor and his team at our offices where they enjoyed meeting the Irish in Coventry and seeing first-hand all the vital work that goes on to support our community. Coventry was the first city in the world to be twinned with another city and is currently twinned with 26 other cities across the world, including Cork. We value and cherish the friendship we have with Cork and look forward to continuing to work together.
View some of our favourite highlights from the night in this short video.
Coventry Irish Society is pleased to announce the publication of 2 new promotional films about the Charity’s work with the aim of securing a permanent Irish Heritage Centre.
Join us for a powerful and moving evening with Stephen Travers , bassist with the Miami Showband , as he shares his personal journey of survival, loss, and campaign for truth following the 1975 Miami Showband massacre – one of the darkest chapters of The Troubles. This unique event, hosted by Coventry Irish Society and supported by the Irish Government's Department of Foreign Affairs' Reconciliation Fund , explores themes of peacebuilding, resilience, and fight for truth and justice. More information on Stephen and his new book can be found here. Don't miss this opportunity to hear firsthand from a voice of history and courage. Admission is free, but places are limited – booking is required. To reserve your ticket, please book an advanced ticket through Eventbrite below. Wednesday 15 October 2025. Doors open: 6.00 PM | Event: 6.30–8.00 PM 📍 Coventry Irish Society, 2nd Floor, Eaton House, Eaton Road, Coventry CV1 2FJ
Beginners’ Irish Language Autumn Course 2025 with Dr Ian Malcolm Professional Irish language teacher and acclaimed Journalist, Dr Ian Malcolm, will deliver a bespoke online course in Beginners’ Irish. This course will consist of 5x classes and will take place entirely over Zoom on Saturday mornings, with Dr Ian Malcolm. Course details: Saturday 4 October 2025 - Saturday 1 November 2025 with 5x classes on Saturday mornings, delivered via Zoom from 10.30 am – 12.30 pm (including a 20 minute break). The fee for this course is £70. Course materials: The class will use the textbook, Irish For Beginners (which is in the link below). This book costs in the region of £7.00 - £10.00 and it is strongly recommended that students purchase their own copies in advance of the course. You can find details of the course textbook here. Please contact us at cis@covirishsoc.org.uk or telephone 024 7625 6629 to obtain a booking form. Registration closes 30 September 2025 (or when course capacity is reached). Early booking is strongly recommended.
