Telling Our Story: Sharing the Experiences of Irish Emigrants Through Film

The purpose of Our Story: A History of the Irish in Derby was to gather the personal testimonials of the Irish diaspora in the city of Derby, England with a view to better understand their emigration and integration experiences as well as their contributions to the UK midlands region economically, socially and culturally. Particular focus was put on the members of the Irish community who migrated in the 1950s-60s as one of the largest cohorts of modern Irish emigrants. The 26-minute film of edited interviews offers a reminder of the diverse and multicultural make-up of modern British society, while celebrating the strong links that exist between Ireland and its closest neighbour, the United Kingdom, to foster greater understand and acceptance of other nationalities. This is especially poignant during the period of uncertainty caused by Brexit.

The recordings act as an archive and indelible record of their experiences so that future generations can understand and appreciate their Irish culture and heritage and use these to develop their own identities. This work demonstrates how important it is to be sensitive to social, cultural and historical context when examining the experiences and articulations of diaspora experiences. This paper will share some of the common themes that arose from the interview data which carry many elements of nostalgia as participants recount their migratory experiences. To offer context a 4-minute extract will be shown which offers a flavour of the project. It is hoped this project may help inspire further oral history projects involving not only Irish but other cultural communities in the UK.

Link to Our Story film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTIOdA3nh5Q

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