A group attending the annual London-Wexford Association reunion at the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, last Sunday night.
In the year of The Gathering, Cllr. Robbie Ireton persuaded the members of Wexford County Council to support the annual reunion of the London-Wexford Association in the county so close to hearts of our exiles, and last Sunday night, for the first time in 59 years the London-Wexford members sat down together on Irish soil – for the 60 people that travelled from the UK it was an emotional experience, for the 70 locals that joined in celebrating with them, it was a statement of support for those that tearfully took the boat so many years ago.
For almost six decades a delegation from various parts of Wexford would join the exiles in London, but as a gesture for The Gathering, it was wisely decided to reverse the situation.
The purple and gold was proudly on display by young members of the camogie brigade that had won the Leinster title earlier in the day, the perfect setting for a great night of celebration in the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy.
Long serving member of the Association, Michael Sills, from Murrintown, near Wexford, was delighted to be in Enniscorthy, however, the task of bringing the London-Wexford members home fell to Tommy Harrell, the new Chairman of the Association, with roots in the Clongeen area.
Cllr. Johnny Mythen, Vice-Chairman, Enniscorthy Town Council, led one of the many tributes paid on the night.
“We are all very proud and honoured as fellow Wexfordians – the Wexford yellow bellies – to welcome home for the first time on Irish soil the annual get-together of the London-Wexford Association,” said Cllr. Mythen.
Cllr. Mythen said that six million people living in England have Irish grandparents and 900,000 people of ethnic Irish origin live in London today.
“The movement of Irish people to England has continued throughout the decades,” said Cllr. Mythen, who continued: “This tide has ebbed and flowed as a direct response to political, economic and social conditions.”
Cllr. Mythen, and Cllr. Ireton speaking afterwards, both called for associations like the London Wexford association to be supported in every way possible because they have forged, in the past and present, an unbroken and unbreakable bond between the London Irish and their native Wexford.
Tommy Harrell spoke about The Gathering and what it means to different people in different times. “It is a great honour to be part of The Gathering,” he enthused on behalf of his members.
County Manager, Adrian Doyle, offered the London Wexford association and friends “a really warm welcome back to Wexford” and complimented the members who had kept the Association going, especially Michael Sills, who was at the helm for so many years.
Cllr. Robbie Ireton, who sparked off the initiative of holding the reunion in Wexford as part of The Gathering, and is a regular attender at the Association’s events in London, suggested the idea of having an annual Patron for the Irish dead in London, akin to the commemorations for the annual War dead. “The families of the people buried in London deserve it,” he said.
The emphasis for the occasion was firmly on celebration and meeting old friends, a recognition of people with so much in common on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Amongst the distinguished attendance were Cllr. George Lawlor, Mayor of Wexford and Cllr. Michael D’Arcy, Chairman of Gorey Town Council.
It was a special occasion for Wexford native, Liz Parle, now living in Leeds, who was two days short of her 90th birthday, and she enjoyed the cultural display of Celtic Roots and the dance music of Tommy Carroll more than anybody.
Full report this week in THE WEXFORD ECHO Group of Newspapers.
