‘Irish Heart, Coventry Home’ Oral History Exhibition Relaunches this June
May 30, 2023
Coventry Irish Society is relaunching its Oral History Project ‘Irish Heart, Coventry Home’ on Friday 16 June 2023
‘Irish Heart, Coventry Home’ focuses on Irish migrants that arrived in the city between 1940 and 1970. The project includes filmed interviews, photographs, and written materials. Originally exhibited at the Herbert Art Gallery in 2018, the exhibition had more than 6000 visitors and 700 people on the opening night.
Coventry Irish Society is especially delighted to announce that Dr Kieran McCarthy
the incoming Lord Mayor of Cork will be one of the main speakers at the event. Dr McCarthy was part of the steering group for the oral history project, and he was instrumental in the hosting of the exhibition in Cork City Hall for 1 month in September 2018.
Other speakers include Coventry Irish Society’s Honorary President, David Cairns,
who was the first Irish Lord Mayor of Coventry, David will be 90 years old this June and Ciaran Davis, the Project Officer.
The evening will be a celebratory event and include Irish traditional music, The McHale School of Irish Dancing, food, and refreshments.
Rory Ryan, CIS Chair
said “The history project allows present and future generations to learn about the Irish community’s contribution to Coventry and to celebrate that as part of the city’s diverse communities. This year is Coventry Irish Society’s 30th anniversary and the evening will be a double celebration for us as we reflect on the support the charity has given to the local Irish community”.
The Exhibition will be permanently held at Coventry Irish Society 2nd Floor Eaton House after the Launch event and people are invited to visit us to between 2pm and 4pm Monday to Friday for a viewing.
Anyone that has photographs, articles, documents, or items of interest that they feel would enhance the exhibition please contact the charity or bring them in to Coventry Irish Society offices Monday to Friday between 2pm-4pm as soon as possible
Coventry Irish Society is delighted to have received an Awards for All National Lottery grant to support Irish Survivors in Coventry and the surrounding areas. Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, Irish Survivors will benefit from regular bi-monthly Lunch Clubs and social outings over the next two years. These gatherings provide much more than an opportunity to enjoy a meal or spend a day together. They offer a welcoming and supportive space where Survivors can meet, build friendships, share experiences and enjoy time together as part of their community. For many Survivors, these regular activities provide an important opportunity to connect with others and help reduce social isolation. We are incredibly grateful to National Lottery players for making this funding possible and helping Coventry Irish Society continue to create opportunities for Irish Survivors to connect, socialise and build community over the next two years.
Beginners’ Irish Language Autumn Course 2026 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 10x classes and will take place entirely over Zoom on Saturday mornings, with Dr Ian Malcolm. Course details: Saturday 3 October 2026 - Saturday 5 December 2026* with 10x classes on Saturday mornings, delivered via Zoom from 11.00 am – 12.30 pm (including a 20 minute break). £105 for Coventry Irish Society Members | £110 for Non-Members *(or possibly slightly later, should the tutor need to take any unplanned leave during the course). This course consists of 10 classes and the aim is for the entirety of the course to be completed before Christmas 2026. 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. Registration closes when course capacity is reached. Early booking is strongly recommended. The registration form for this course can be downloaded below. Please contact us at cis@covirishsoc.org.uk to return your booking form and complete course fee payment.
Coventry Irish Society launch our new #GaeilgeOnTheGo flashcards to support and encourage learning and practising new words in Irish. Here are our first set of free flashcards, in Irish, to mark the start of the new school year, and to welcome the Autumn season. Click on a tile below to enlarge.
