AN Irishman has drawn comparisons from the GAA’s influence on immigrants in London in the 1960s to the present day in a new online documentary.
Newry native Ruairi McEvoy, who has lived in London since 2013, produced the 22-minute video as part of his Masters in Documentary Practice at Queen Mary in Mile End.
The 27-year-old spent two months filming and editing the piece – which is called The Exiles in London – for his part-time course, all the while holding down a full-time job, and he admits his research proved an eye-opening experience.
“One of the things that struck me was that the experience of a Gael coming to London today isn't all too dissimilar from fifty years ago,” he told The Irish Post.
“I say this because Ambrose Gordon, who arrived in London in the early 1960s, explained that he found his feet in the city thanks to the GAA. His new club found him work and also accommodation eventually.
“Then when I spoke to Lloyd Colfer, who only came over a few years ago, I found out that Kingdom Kerry Gaels had done the exact same thing for him.
“Rob Mulhern was an invaluable source of help for me and was most generous with his time and advice. His book on the GAA in London (A Very Different County) was one of the first things I read and he also put me in touch with people in the city.
“I also had the help of Dr Tony Murray at the Irish in Britain Archive based in London Met on Holloway Road. Among the reams of material, there was every edition of The Irish Post from 1970 to the present, which had fascinating reports and photos.”
