Yet another oral history project detailing the experience of elderly Irish emigrants has come to your correspondent’s attention. “I Only Came Over for a Couple of Years”, a documentary that was completed in 2005, is now available on DVD from the Irish Studies Centre of London Metropolitan University. The film is a collection of interviews… Continue reading “I Only Came Over for a Couple of Years” records experience of London Irish
Tag: publications
Ireland’s Hidden Diaspora examines abortion trail
“Ireland’s Hidden Diaspora: The ‘abortion trail’ and the making of a London-Irish Underground, 1980-2000” by Ann Rossiter tells the story of the London-Irish women who have supported many of the Irish women who have travelled to Britain for abortions. The book, which was launched in Dublin on Wednesday by Senator Ivana Bacik, is an oral… Continue reading Ireland’s Hidden Diaspora examines abortion trail
Colm Toibin focuses on reluctant exile in “Brooklyn”
Colm Toibin’s new novel, “Brooklyn”, garnered substantial press over the weekend. The author’s sixth novel is about a reluctant emigrant from Enniscorthy who moves to the New York borough knowing “the rest of her life would be a struggle with the unfamiliar”. The book reflects on the pangs of homesickness and depicts the struggles of… Continue reading Colm Toibin focuses on reluctant exile in “Brooklyn”
Ringsend native publishes memoir on American life
Angeline Kearns Blain, a woman raised in 1950s Ringsend who today is an adjunct professor of sociology at Boise State University in Idaho, has published a memoir. “I used to be Irish” is being lauded by critics for its insight into a story too little told: the experience of Irish women emigrants. Angeline Kearns Blain… Continue reading Ringsend native publishes memoir on American life
Emigrant stories make great Christmas gifts
There have been plenty of emigration-related publications this year that would make delightful Christmas gifts. Several Irish centres have produced oral histories detailing the lives of emigrants to America and Canada, as well as the stories of those who have returned to Ireland. Here’s the rundown of this year’s publications: “Memory Brings Us Back: Irish… Continue reading Emigrant stories make great Christmas gifts