Trinity Catholic College student Che McGivern is welcoming Dunedin residents with Irish ancestry to a ‘‘pop-up Irish consulate’’ in the city next week, where people will be able to seek guidance on Irish passports, citizenship and other consular inquiries, without having to travel to the Embassy of Ireland, in Wellington. PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN Like most Irishmen, Che McGivern says he has ‘‘a very particular set of skills’’. ‘‘Absolutely, I do, yeah - but they’re a little bit less violent, perhaps, than Liam Neeson’s.’’ The Trinity Catholic College student’s skills lie in having ‘‘the gift of the gab’’ and being able to bring people together. He has been so successful, he has managed to establish a new Irish Society in Dunedin. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Che moved to New Zealand in 2016. ‘‘I started this Irish Society because, to be honest, there had been a few one-off Irish events in Dunedin when I was growing up here, but they were always just that - one-offs. ‘‘Everybody in the Irish community here who went to those things loved them, right? ‘‘And we were always saying, well, we should do more of these, so it felt like something that people definitely wanted.’’ He said the other reason he established the society was he felt Irish culture was often portrayed as people being intoxicated. ‘‘When St Patrick’s Day rolls around, you see students drinking and throwing couches on to rooftops and stuff. ‘‘I just thought it would be nice if there was a bit more positive messaging in the city, to say that’s not just what we do.’’ He said he was keen to see the representation of Irish culture and heritage in Dunedin become less about student binge drinking, and more about authentic Irish elements, such as music, history, family, food and inter-generational mentoring. With support from University of Otago Eamon Cleary Chair of Irish Studies and Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies co-director Prof Maebh Long, Che has built connections between Dunedin’s Irish immigrants, descendants of Irish settlers, and others interested in Irish culture and heritage in the city. And now, the group has started hosting Irish community gatherings around Halloween and St Patrick’s Day, and he hoped more activities could be organised to further grow those connections. As a result of the 17-year-old’s work, staff from the Embassy of Ireland will be travelling from Wellington on Tuesday, to run a ‘‘pop-up’’ Irish consulate at Ebb Kitchen in Filleul St, where Dunedin residents will be able to seek guidance on Irish passports, citizenship by descent, visits to Ireland and other consular inquiries - all without having to travel to Wellington. ‘‘The presence of the society here, sort of lets them know that it’s worth doing a pop-up here. ‘‘The embassy’s visit would be of particular interest to people exploring Irish citizenship through parents or grandparents, Irish citizens needing passport assistance, those exploring family connections to Ireland, or thinking of visiting or moving there.’’ The pop-up consulate will be open from 1.30pm until 3pm on Tuesday. john.lewis@odt.co.nz
