MORE than 100 people turned out to help the Irish Community Care Merseyside charity celebrate a double anniversary in Liverpool.
The event marked a “huge” milestone for the organisation as it honoured 25 years as a charity and 50 years as a community response service.
Irish Ambassador Dan Mulhall was among the special guests who made their way to the city for a special ceremony which welcomed ICCM staff, service users and local business, political and community leaders.
“From modest beginnings in the basement of the old Irish Centre at 127 Mount Pleasant in the 1960’s, ICCM has grown into a widely-respected organisation providing advice, companionship and as we celebrate 50 years of working to support local members of the Irish Diaspora,” ICCM director Breege McDaid told The Irish Post.
Senior figures from the public, private and voluntary sectors within health and social care in the city also came out the share the Ceiliúradh Airgid Agus Óir celebrations, which took place at the Bluecoat – one of Liverpool’s most historic buildings – on October 29.
There guests heard about ICCM’s journey from modest beginnings in the 1960’s to the centre of excellence it is today, which identifies and responds to the health and social care needs of Irish and Irish Traveller communities across Merseyside and the North West.
While congratulating the ICCM on its achievements, Ambassador Mulhall claimed the charity one of the “premiere welfare organisations in Britain” with an “excellent reputation for delivering high quality services and attracting additional sources of funding”.
ICCM patrons John Kennedy CBE and Professor Marianne Elliott, of the Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool, were also in attendance on the day.
Professor Elliott presented the Tommy Walsh Memorial Award, which recognises the achievements of individuals who make significant contributions to the community, to long-term ICCM staff members Mavis O’Connor and Breege McDaid.
Jennie McShannon, CEO of the Irish in Britain organisation, added: “At Irish in Britain we are always inspired by ICCM’s vision, energy, commitment and a professionalism that can always be trusted. They are a beacon of what can be achieved.”
