Birmingham St Patrick’s Festival History project is proud to present one copy of ‘A great day: celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Birmingham ’ to each of the 40 community libraries in Birmingham . The presentation will be made on Friday 10th October at 9am at Erdington Library, Orphanage Rd B24 9HP to Cllr. Ray Hassall, the Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport & Culture from Birmingham City Council.
The book is a record of the voices of ordinary people in Birmingham , telling their stories, which could easily be disregarded or forgotten. The many ways we have celebrated St Patrick’s Day in Birmingham has enabled Irish people to feel like we belong here, that Birmingham is our home. Recording our celebrations can help us explore sensitive topics such as prejudice, fear and division, as a way of improving understanding and challenging stereotypes.
St Patrick’s Festival wants to ensure that all communities around the city have the opportunity to recognise and enjoy the impact on Birmingham of St Patrick’s Day celebrations by Irish people, and is delighted that this presentation is taking place during Black History Month.
The research remembers the very first St Patrick's Day Parade in Birmingham which took place on Sunday 16th March 1952. According to Professor Carl Chinn's book "Birmingham Irish: making our mark" Birmingham held the 1st St Patrick's Day Parade in England, beating London, which also had a Parade on the same day, by 45 minutes!"
Birmingham St Patrick’s Day Parade is considered to be one of the largest in the world, coming behind only New York and Dublin , with up to 100,000 people taking part on the Sunday before 17th March each year.
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