THIS year marks the inaugural Heart of Ireland Festival celebrating the ‘goodness’ in Irish people around the world.
With nominees from every corner of Ireland, Britain and further afield, this week nine people will be awarded a Heart of Gold at the three-day street festival, which is taking place in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath from July 10.
The winners will all receive a bronze sculpture depicting the famous Irish story of The Children of Lir, as well as their Heart of Gold title.
We meet the two winners from Britain, who are living in Leeds and Manchester.
Eddie Lavelle
Sligo native Eddie Lavelle has lived in Leeds since the 1960s.Eddie Lavelle was born in Sligo in 1945 and spent his childhood on Ireland’s west coast.
Times were tough in Ireland when Eddie decided to up sticks and move to Britain.
“Life in general is challenging, especially back in the 1960s when I came to England,” he said. “My gran always said, ‘Eddie the hills are green far away’.”
But Eddie embraced his new home in Leeds, although he always kept in touch with home sending hand written letters back to family in Ireland.
Luckily, there was a strong Irish contingent in Leeds in those days, which helped the Sligo man to settle in.
A committee member at the Leeds Irish Centre for the past 25 years, Eddie is also on the St Patrick’s Day parade committee, is president of the Irish Heritage Society and is involved with GAA.
In the 50 years since he left his native Sligo, Eddie has never forgotten his roots and has managed to get back to Ireland every year since he left. But there have been difficult years in Britain too.
Having been struck by cancer twice, he faced another challenge last year when his wife was diagnosed with the illness. Thankfully both have now overcome their health problems and Eddie helps out at local cancer charities.
The qualities Eddie values most are generosity, kindness and empathy – all of which he has in abundance which help him to live by his own words of advice: “Go out in the world and reach for the sky.”
Bridie Breen
Bridie has been in Manchester for 21 years.Living in Britain for the past 21 years, Bridie Breen is originally from Athlone in Co. Westmeath.
A former mental health nurse, Bridie also worked with later life services.
“I have met truly inspiring older people in Manchester who have stories to tell about life, many are carers,” she said.
Like Eddie, Bridie has immersed herself in the Irish community in her adopted home of Manchester. She is a member of both the Manchester Irish Writers Group and the Manchester Irish World Heritage Centre.
She is also involved with the Irish Community Care (ICC) network since she first moved over and worked as a psychiatric nurse in Britain. She is hugely proud of her Irish background.
“We are an intelligent nation of survivors, mariners, farmers, travellers, with every level of success home and abroad, we are steeped in a rich heritage in literature and language,” she said. “I truly believe our core values are etched into identity. So no matter we go, we stay Irish and proud.”
“I think someone with a generosity of heart that they put into action every day, just be being themselves, has a heart of gold,” she added.
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