Departures – the long read

Image of John Chandler and Ann Hoskins, Secretary and Chair of LivIrishFest board

Liverpool Irish Festival sees itself as being at the centre of discussions about ‘community’. Being that our name claims Liverpool and Irish descent, we already consider ourselves a ‘multi-heritage’ organisation. We often talk about who we are for and how we have grown.

We repeatedly ask what makes us who we are and who it is we serve? When moving or building a new civilisation, these must be questions that community leaders pose. Liverpool has a cohort of brilliant year- round Irish service providers, such as the Liverpool Irish Centre, Comhaltas, Conradh Na Gaeilge, Irish Community Care, GAA coaches and others. There are people in trad groups who run seisiúns all year-round, so what is our role?

What do we mean by ‘departures’?

Departures from Ireland created the multiple generations of Irish people here on Merseyside. Whether led by canal building (1800s), the industrialisation of Britain’s trainlines (1830s), the Famine (1840s and 50s), political divide or social disharmony across the ages, leaving Ireland or leaving Liverpool has set up diaspora communities globally. We see our role as helping to tell these stories, using arts and culture, to create a critical mass of visibility each year. We need to depart from what happens day-to-day to showcase the extraordinary or the out-of- reach and to compliment the services that already exist.

Traces

Here in Liverpool, these historical departures have led to our importing Irish stone to support our docks and memorials. Irish people have built churches, chapels and homes here. During the Famine, it meant Liverpool built fever sheds and relief stations. Irish people have been buried in mass and individual graves here whilst, on the flipside, Irish people continue to have multi-generational families here; populate schools and universities; feed the economy and atmosphere of the city and leave traces of themselves in the city’s accent. Liverpool Irish Festival is here to reveal all of this.

History

Next year will mark the 180-year anniversary of An Gorta Mór, which saw 2m Irish people die and a further 1.3+m people forced to leave Ireland. Their departure begins a journey that has grown an Irish diaspora of over 70m. The resilience of finding homes around the world – integrating, assimilating, protecting heritage – is one we see born out repeatedly in today’s wars, which continually displace people and see them greeted with both kindness and hostility.

Such hostility was seen on our streets, this year, following the tragedies that took place in Southport at the end of July. Anti-fascists showed far-right rioters that their intolerance was not allowed here, but how can we be certain we’ve truly said goodbye to the intolerances aired then? What must happen to ensure people of all ethnicities, nationalities and other protected characteristics have a right to life here and the respect and equity this requires?

Representation

As a team representing Liverpool Irish people, we are mindful of our Chinese-Irish, African-Irish and Caribbean-Irish friends (among many others who have a right to self-describe their identity) whose Irishness is often externally undermined. We would like to say to you: you are seen, we are here and we recognise you! We strive to show all forms of Irishness and to challenge notions of its uniformity.

Goodbyes

As well as saying goodbye to the kind of intolerance that makes identity a fight, rather than a human right and a gift, we have been sad to lose three notable Festival and community veterans in 2024.

Joe England, Tony Grimes and Phil Fitzpatrick will all be fondly remembered for their contributions, goodwill and positive actions. We will remember them and we send our very best wishes to their friends and family. They leave considerable legacies and their absence will be felt for a long time.

This year, #IAmIrish announced the closure of their services after six- years of exceptional project delivery. Despite being a London-located service, #IAmIrish’s work on Irish representation — and challenging assumptions about Irishness as white — served as an exemplary model to us. Sadly, a lack of resources and committed support to build the capacity of the service has forced its closure, despite its incredible efforts to diversify London’s St Patrick’s Day Parade, have Irishness displayed within Black History Month, take Irish and Black people back to Ireland to (re)connect with identity and much, much more besides. We would like to offer our acknowledgement and thanks for their hard work, tenacity and generosity. You will not be forgotten.

Successions

After 21-years in the driving-seat, John Chandler has handed over leadership of the Festival’s trustees to Dr Ann Hoskins, who succeeds John as the new Chair of our Board. John has overseen considerable change in the Festival’s lifetime. From its music circle beginnings to its arts, culture and heritage programme today, he’s seen changes in governments (Westminster and the Dáil), trustees and team. Fortunately for us, this is barely a goodbye, as John will remain a trustee, meaning we can still dip in to his wisdom and experience.

Finding closure

As well as saying goodbye to individuals or marking significant passages of time, events in this year’s Festival also mark people saying goodbye to grief, shame or regrets. They enable people to talk about dark subjects in their life, to help them brighten those spaces for others. By de-stigmatising experiences with institutionalisation, suicide or social ‘norms’ we can live happier, healthier, more fulfilling lives and give others the opportunity to do the same. Whilst some of #LIF2024’s events lead with (potentially) triggering subject matter, they share the offer of hope, reconciliation and light. We encourage you to look behind the event name and to take a leap of faith. In understanding someone else’s story, it is possible to learn something of our own.

Memory making and marking

The day you leave a place might be the day used to commemorate that journey. Your arrival might also be a memory point. The date we lose someone (or welcome someone to the world) or when a big piece of news lands might be another. Famous political speeches have left their global impacts; whilst in family units family members may still be reeling from the wedding speech [insert name here] gave!

During #LIF2024, we have a couple of distinct Festival ‘memory markers’. One, celebrates the life of much-missed Liverpool Irish Centre and Festival stalwart, Gaelgeoir and historian Tony Birtill. The other, our memorial for An Gorta Mór/the Great Hunger.

The latter has considerable significance to us this year, as we took the opportunity to begin our connection with the Global Irish Famine Way, completing The Walk of the Bronze Shoes pilgrimage in May. This saw us bring a trail marker from the National Famine Way (in County Roscommon, Ireland) to Liverpool, mostly on foot. These bronze shoes will feature at the heart of a new annual vigil and our official memorial (27 Oct), to which you are invited.

There we’ll release a new song into the world, called The Ullaloo, to honour the plight of all those who suffered within the Famine of the 1840s. This song will finally leave our care to be shared far and wide. A departure for us, but an arrival for others.

In summary

In considering ‘departures’, we are able to discuss new philosophies and share contemporary language on how we view identity or migration. We can discuss new vantages on history and heritage and take lessons from these new readings to direct our future.

By reconciling our understanding, we can pave the way for new communities to shine, whilst venerating those that have already formed. We can acknowledge work, kindnesses and grievances to improve our systems, approaches and the spaces we create for one another.

In short, by looking at how we leave things, we can look ahead to how we begin things; sure-footedly and with inclusion enmeshed into our practices. Soon we’ll be looking at 180-years since the start of An Gorta Mór and to 25-years of the Festival beginning in Liverpool… and as if by magic, #LIF2025’s theme will be ‘arrivals’. As we begin (and end) #LIF2024 we invite you to keep this in mind, so you can always look ahead and see if we uphold our mission to bring Liverpool and Ireland closer together using arts and culture.

Of course, we also want you to have fun and enjoy your experiences with us. Come and say hello before we all say goodbye to #LIF2024.