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Days out: The craic of the Irish
Conrad Astley2/ 3/2006
MANCHESTER'S Irish festival is celebrating its 10th
anniversary.
Concerts, plays, poetry readings and parties will be held across
the city over the next fortnight, and will build up to a huge St
Patrick's Parade through the city centre on March 12.
As home to Britain's biggest Irish population outside London,
Levenshulme will play host to many activities, with venues such as
The Pack Horse, The Union and M19 Bar opening their doors as
venues.
St Ann's Square will be home to Tourism Ireland's Island of
Memories showcase today (Friday) and will also house a traditional
Irish shop, Irish café and a covered area providing cultural and
craft activities.
There is a chance to learn more about Manchester's own Irish
heritage with a history walk on Sunday.
The tour will focus on the inner city areas which became known as
little Ireland during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Irish
immigrants who lived there, and how they were reported in the
newspapers and official publications of the time.
The tour has been organised by Mervyn Busteed, geography lecturer
at Manchester University, chairman of the British Association for
Irish Studies, and regular contributor to Irish studies
conferences.
The walk will start at 11am on Sunday at the Salisbury pub near
Oxford Road Station.
Anyone who wants to learn about Ireland's traditional Gaelic
language should go along to Manchester Town Hall later in the week,
where Manchester Irish Language Group will be holding taster
sessions.
Beginners are welcome at the event, which runs from 8.30-10.30pm on
Monday. But anyone interested in learning how to join Riverdance
should make their way there earlier in the night, when an adult
Irish dance class will be held from 7-9pm.
A night of traditional Irish music, dance and poetry will be held
in north Manchester's Irish World Heritage Centre. The drama A Wild
Irish Flower, commemorating the immigrants who arrived in
Manchester and Salford in the 50s and 60s, will be held there at
8pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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