FOLLOWING the successful revival of the Irish Culture and Heritage Day in Edinburgh in 2023, the Consulate General of Ireland in Scotland has announced that it will host this year’s event on Saturday, September 28 at the Grange Club in Stockbridge, Edinburgh.
Andrea Wickham Moriarty, Vice Consul General, Consulate General of Ireland in Scotland told The Irish Post that she is absolutely delighted the event will return this year. The event provides an opportunity for Irish people of all ages and generations, and those with an interest in Ireland, to come together to celebrate our shared heritage,” she said. “Last year we welcomed hundreds of people to take part in activities across Irish music, dance, sport and language. This year we are working with a number of key Consulate partners to deliver a packed programme of events with plenty of choice to suit all ages and interests.”
Scotland GAA and local Edinburgh club Dunedin Connollys will be going through their paces, while Cómhaltas in Scotland and the Little Ireland Arts Collective will showcase traditional Irish music through workshops and music sessions, interspersed with Irish dancing from Siamsóir and the Edinburgh Irish Dance Academy.
Conradh na Gaeilge Glaschú will host Irish language taster sessions for adults — so you’ll be able to practise your “cúpla focail” of Irish.
The festival will feature cultural workshops so you might want to try your hand at playing some Irish music on a tin whistle.
Plenty of activities for kids too — bouncy castle, face painting and a kids’ céilí, together with storytelling, poetry and a chance to learn how to trace your Irish roots at a genealogy session.
The Irish Post’s Gerry Molumby will be travelling from Derbyshire to share his enthusiasm for the artistry of the renowned stained glass artist and illustrator Harry Clarke. One of the world’s leading stained glass window designers, Dublin -born Clarke led an eventful career. Gerry has all the gen.
Edinburgh’s Irish connections
Edinburgh’s Cowgate area was once known as Little Ireland as thousands of Irish families emigrated to Scotland during the 19th century, many fleeing the Great Famine.
Many fetched up in this part of the Old Town, right in the shadow of the glowering and dramatic Castle
Throughout the 1840s, Edinburgh saw an influx of Irish families move to the city, and as the population boomed, Cowgate saw multiple families, many of whom were Irish, squeeze into the houses.
A strong sense of community built up, with a very specific Scottish-Irish identity emerging.
St Patrick’s Church, built in 1770, became a Catholic church to serve the locals.
The Irish faced many vicissitudes during these early years, but one significant move helped the community integrate. Parish priest, Canon Edward Joseph Hannon founded a football team that would compete with other local clubs in the city.
With Michael Whelahan as its captain, and Canon Hannon as its manager, Hibernian Football Club, commonly known as Hibs, was founded in August 1875. This subsequently to the creation of other Irish clubs in Dundee with Dundee Harp, Dundee Hibernian, and Glasgow’s Celtic.
One of the most famous sons of Scotland’s Irish community was James Connolly, born in Edinburgh in
A formidable leader and a revolutionary thinker, Connolly was the Commandant of the Dublin Brigade during the Easter Rising.