Ireland and the Irish Dimension
The north west of England and Ireland have a lengthy shared past
A textile past
In the early 1700s, Irish linen yarn was imported via Chester, Liverpool, and the 'port of Wigan', for weaving into fabrics in Lancashire and Cheshire handloom weaving communities.
Were there handloom weavers in your U3A?
Irish immigration
An important aspect of town growth in the north west was that it attracted migrants from Ireland.
This is a well known part of our history. However, less study has been made of exactly which migrants settled where.
Some family history trails have shown, for example, migrants from Mayo settling in Rochdale. Liverpool to Rochdale is not as clear and obvious a route to take as, say, Liverpool to Warrington, or Liverpool to Manchester.
It might be that migrants were going to certain places because specific employers had recruited them, or it might be that they were following friends and family who had already made the move.
Coming from poor farming families to dirty industrial towns would have been quite a shock.
Looking at who the mill owners were and where they came from could throw light on these questions.
Another example of us 'thinking we know', but when you look closer, we don't really know enough!
A textile past
In the early 1700s, Irish linen yarn was imported via Chester, Liverpool, and the 'port of Wigan', for weaving into fabrics in Lancashire and Cheshire handloom weaving communities.
Were there handloom weavers in your U3A?
Irish immigration
An important aspect of town growth in the north west was that it attracted migrants from Ireland.
This is a well known part of our history. However, less study has been made of exactly which migrants settled where.
Some family history trails have shown, for example, migrants from Mayo settling in Rochdale. Liverpool to Rochdale is not as clear and obvious a route to take as, say, Liverpool to Warrington, or Liverpool to Manchester.
It might be that migrants were going to certain places because specific employers had recruited them, or it might be that they were following friends and family who had already made the move.
Coming from poor farming families to dirty industrial towns would have been quite a shock.
Looking at who the mill owners were and where they came from could throw light on these questions.
Another example of us 'thinking we know', but when you look closer, we don't really know enough!