The London-based national charity and membership network Irish in Britain has launched a new digital series to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day, called ‘We are the Irish in Britain: county connections’.
Through 32 short videos, participants talk about the Irish county or counties they have a connection to, sometimes sharing a favourite spot from their county and a message for other Irish people in Britain after a year like no other.
Paul Coggins, the former manager of the London senior football team, represents his native County Roscommon in the series. Originally from Granlahan, Paul is currently manager of Tír Chonaill Gaels in West London.
In his profile piece, he talks about the beautiful sites of Roscommon like Lough Key and Roscommon Castle. He looks forward to returning to Lough Flynn and Dr. Hyde Park as soon as it is safe to do so. During Paul’s time as manager, Dr. Hyde Park was the venue for London’s 2013 victory over Leitrim to reach their first Connacht Championship final.
Participants in the ‘Irish in Britain’ series include Bridgerton actor Jamie Beamish (Waterford), Andrea Catherwood (Antrim), chef and restaurateur Richard Corrigan (Meath), Conor McGinn MP (Armagh), former London football manager Paul Coggins (Roscommon) and comedian Alison Spittle (Westmeath).
The messages include calls for diversity and inclusion, recognising the difficulties of the last year in terms of mental health, getting involved in your local community, and looking ahead to next year’s St. Patrick’s Day when restrictions will hopefully have been reduced or ended altogether.
Irish in Britain CEO Brian Dalton said: “St. Patrick’s Day is a time for Irish people everywhere to renew and affirm our connections to each other, a remembering and celebration of kinship. We thank everyone who has contributed to this different but important St. Patrick’s Day project”.
Irish in Britain have been sharing the videos on their website www.irishinbritain.org and social media channels @irishinbritain from 3 March.
