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Southlanders with Irish heritage are being asked to share their stories for a book celebrating the region’s Irish community and culture.
Next year, the Invercargill Irish Society will celebrate its 60th anniversary and vice-president Belinda Anderson wanted to mark the occasion.
“The whole idea of a book came out because at our monthly traditional music sessions we have at Waxy’s, new people would arrive and the first question they’d ask is what part of Ireland is someone from,” she said.
From there, conversations continued and evolved, leading to committee members starting saying things should be written down.
The Invercargill Irish Society was started in 1967 by a group of Irish immigrants trying to find a means of connecting.
Secretary and treasurer Mary Rae said it was music and Irish dance that united the original members and had continued to do so over the years.
“One of them was able to teach Irish dancing and that has come through with a lot of our members coming through from Irish dancing,” she said.
The society was a way for them to socialise, having the original minute book and being able to see what was discussed at those original meetings, Ms Rae said.
“Originally, they were raising money to build or buy clubrooms, but that never happened … they ran all sorts of fundraisers back then.”
The idea of a book had been on both their minds for a couple of years, but as it approached the 60th anniversary, Ms Anderson had said it was a good opportunity to make it real.
“We’ve been chatting about it at meetings and things … why not do this all together and make a real thing of it?
“It was a goal to get done rather than just talking about it.”
She wants to hear stories from Southlanders with Irish heritage to include in the book. She hopes it will “bring something positive for the community”.
“We just want people to come forward who want to share their story, so we can sort of start seeing a bit of a record of Irish settlers in Southland.”
Anything from their background, any funny or notable stories, and why their ancestors decided to move in the first place, she said.
“It’s really anything — if it’s half a page or four pages, it doesn’t matter.”
Ms Rae highlighted the importance of preserving the collection, not only for family history but also for those who wanted to learn more.
“Hopefully, it’ll become something useful for people researching, for our children, and for the people after us.”
Asking her parents or grandparents about their Irish roots was something she did not consider growing up, she said.
“I know when my great-grandfather arrived here and I know what ship he came on … what I don’t know is why he did leave Ireland.
“That’s what gets lost when you don’t ask the people before you who might’ve known that story. That’s the bit we’re trying to capture.”
They both see the book as a platform that those with Irish heritage can use to tell their family stories and connect with others from a similar background.
“We just really want to give people the opportunity to tell their story, and if we’ve got it all in one place, then I think that’s good,” Ms Anderson said.