Irish Room will provide a space for roots to take hold

MEMBERS of the Irish community across Glasgow gathered together recently at The Deep End in the city’s south side for Govanhill Baths Community Trust’s Irish Roots fundraiser.

Spread across multiple spaces in the subterranean venue, the event was a celebration of Irish culture in all its forms.

In the main venue, artists and makers sold their wares while St Roch’s Céilí Band brought the room to life with music. There was representation from organisations such as Conradh na Gaeilge, Call It Out, Grace’s Irish Bar and the 1916 Rising Centenary Committee (Scotland), while football legend, Owen Coyle, made an appearance to take part in a Q&A hosted by Pat McGeady.

Out in the courtyard, guests enjoyed hot drinks and plates of delicious Irish stew—generously donated by Grace’s.

In the textiles studio, Christina McBride presented her stunning exhibition of archive photographs, Women of Donegal, while in the yellow shed, Evin Downey from Conradh na Gaeilge offered a free Irish language taster session.

Singers Anna O’Neill and Lainey Dempsey turned the brand new Irish Room into a beautiful, cosy venue for the afternoon as they treated guests to a concert of unaccompanied songs.

The event was rounded off with a raffle where prizes generously donated from various local and Irish businesses included: a Donegal strip signed by Michael Murphy; a tour of Celtic Park; a family ticket for Cinderella at the Citizens Theatre; a return trip from Glasgow to Donegal with John McGinley Coaches and much more.

The fundraiser proved hugely successful, with £1005 being raised to create The Irish Room—a publicly-accessible research and resource centre which will be based at The Deep End.

Beyond that, it was a fantastic opportunity for the Irish in Glasgow to come together. There was a real community feeling to the event, with throngs of people filling every corner of the building as they caught up with old friends, and made new ones. Lines between worker and guest quickly blurred as people jumped in to help sell raffle tickets or serve food, including Owen Coyle who mucked in to do a stint on the tea and coffee stall. It was a truly multigenerational event, with ages ranging from just five weeks to mid-90s. As one attendee noted, the event succeeded in raising awareness of the Irish Roots project within the Irish community.

The Irish Room will provide a space for the people of Glasgow—and beyond—to learn about Irish history and to explore their own Irish roots. Despite its significant Irish diaspora, Glasgow lacks a dedicated Irish history research centre open to the public. Therefore, this will be a vital community resource and an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the significant contribution the Irish community has made to the social, cultural and economic fabric of the city.

The Irish Room will feature a library, two research stations, and access to relevant digital archives and resources, including a comprehensive database of historic and contemporary Irish activity in Glasgow. A cosy space in which to read, learn and research, it will be open to everyone with an interest in Irish history and a relationship between Ireland and Scotland.

The Irish Roots Project is funded by the Irish Government’s Emigrant Support Programme. For more information about the project, or to be added to the Irish History Group mailing list, contact: irishheritage@govanhillbaths.com

Jenny Knotts is the Irish Roots Coordinator at the Govanhill Baths Community Trust