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Irish clubs need our support
 Regarding
your recent Comment piece on Irish clubs. Over the last decade or so Irish
theme pubs have sprung up all over the country be it an O’Neill’s
pub (which at the best of time isn’t very Irish!) or a Wishing Well
(we have three in North London!) or some other corny-sounding establishment.
The Irish community have abandoned the Irish centres and church clubs
in droves and headed for one of the new breed of plastic pubs.
The National in Kilburn has gone, the Shannon Centre Alford is no longer
Irish and the Irish Centre Tottenham has had to open its doors to other
community groups to survive.
Many church clubs once the backbone of the Irish community have been
closed due to lack of numbers and whilst the Irish abandon the local centres
in favour of these characterless establishments this trend will continue.
Support your local club and not the plastic pub!
Noel Sainsbury Enfield
Your Comment piece on Irish clubs and their future was well-timed.
More and more are disappearing and those that are still surviving are
struggling to attract custom.
Why? Because not enough is done to bring in the younger, second-generation
Irish.
When the Irish clubs were in their pomp the people running them had little
to do. Custom simply poured through the door as they were the places to
go to meet your own.
Now there is no end of competition yet many clubs have failed to react
and so have seen a decline.
It’s time these establishments got their act together and did more.
You only have to look at somewhere like St. Kentigern’s in Manchester
which has worked to attract a wide-range of ages and is now regularly
packed to see what can be done.
So come on you Irish clubs follow St. Kent’s lead.
John Worsley
Manchester
In reference to Mr Colin Scott’s letter regarding Irish clubs (The
Irish Post June 30). In the main members are Irish or of Irish descent
and yes they do go because it is an Irish club. I certainly would not
be embarrassed to take my friends along to our Welwyn Garden City Shamrock
Club. In fact I would feel very proud.
J. Hughes
Welwyn Garden City
Herts |
