Birmingham Irish Association were delighted to host a visit from President Michael D Higgins and his wife Mrs Sabina Higgins on 11th February.
President Michael D Higgins started his visit with a civic reception hosted by Birmingham’s lord mayor Yvonne Mosquito and later visited the memorial to the victims of the Birmingham pub bombings, which Birmingham Irish Association had lobbied for a new memorial that symbolises peace and hope for the city.
The President and his wife Mrs Sabina Higgins then met members of the Irish community at the Birmingham Irish Association.
The President addressed the crowd at Birmingham Irish Association, and commented on the history of the Birmingham Irish: “In 2017, much of this history was brought together in the wonderful project, appropriately titled We Built This City.”
The project tells the stories of Irish workers who came to Birmingham after the Second World War, through their own words and those of their children.
“Through this project you can get a sense of what it meant to these people to leave home, and how they went on to build their lives in a new city,” he added.
Mr Higgins also thanked the people of Birmingham for welcoming the Irish people and their families into their communities.
