A CO. LEITRIM midwife who cycled from house to house in London delivering babies is just one of the many stories being told as part of a new Diaspora project in Newcastle.
A group of Tyneside researchers are currently touring the north east collecting stories about emigration from the Irish community.
The Raised on Songs and Stories project aims to preserve these stories from the past and pull them together to create a one-of-a-kind drama, to be staged next year.
The goal is to collect Irish songs and anecdotes and give a unique insight into the life of the Irish community in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s.
“We go in with some Irish music, play a few tunes and sing and we have a hot meal and everyone gets together and tells their stories,” explained Tony Corcoran, director of the Tyneside Irish Cultural Society (TICS) who are leading the project.
“Maisie Cartwright, for example, came over to London from Leitrim. She worked as a midwife and met a Geordie man but she told us about her time as a midwife in Hammersmith, she used to go down the road on a bicycle delivering babies.”
Taking its name from the opening line of The Rare Ould Times, Raised on Songs and Stories has dates planned in South Shields, Hebburn, Gateshead, Consett and Newcastle between now and September, having already visited Middlesbrough and Cramlington.
The project not only aims to preserve the stories of an older generation but also to educate the younger Irish community about emigration in decades past.
Funded by the Arts Council of England and run by TICS in conjunction with the Northern Stage theatre company in Newcastle, Mr Corcoran believes Raised on Songs and Stories is a way to bring the community together.
“People can’t all easily access the Irish club,” he said. “We’ve got quite a lot of isolated Irish people coming in to us, so it’s nice that we can get out to these places and hear their tales. Everyone has a story and anyone can get involved.”
If you would like to take part contact the Tyneside Irish Centre on 0191 2610384.
London Theatre’s 1916 history project...
Meanwhile further south, a London theatre company is hoping to put together a similar history project by collecting stories from the Diaspora for a celebration of Ireland’s 1916 centenary.
Green Curtain Theatre Company will hold a festival of plays to reflect the experience that the Easter Rising had on the Irish in Britain.
“If you have an idea for story — happy or sad that should be told,” said Anne Curtis, who runs the theatre. “We are particularly interested in stories from those who have lived longer in England than in Ireland.”
To get involved contact Green Curtain Theatre Company via www.irishinlondontheatre.co.uk.
