|
A knees-up in Mansfield  The
Mansfield and Dukeries Irish Association was formed after a response to
the great demand for tickets for a concert organised by the local St.
Patrick’s Social Committee featuring Diarmuid O’Leary &
The Bards in April 2005.
Tony Cummins and a small band got together and inserted a little slip
into the programme for The Bards concert for people to express an interest
in forming an Irish association.
Some of the responses received expressed an interest in forming a committee
and soon a meeting was arranged. Its very first public event was held
on November 3, 2005 — a Mass celebrated in Irish for the deceased
members of the Irish Community in Mansfield. The Mass was presided over
by Fr. Willie Dalton, Parish Priest of Callan, Co. Kilkenny.
Since then the association has gone from strength to strength with regular
Irish social functions held at Boothy’s club in the town.
The association now also organises Irish music and Irish language classes
in the Mansfield area.
Recently we called into the association’s latest social night at
Boothy’s club and met some of the Mansfield Irish and their friends.
(The Dukeries is a name used since the 18th century to describe a large
tract of Nottinghamshire which formerly contained the estates of five
dukes.) |
