“The north-west of England is very much home away from home now. I don’t get homesick at all, because the people of Manchester are such friendly people, just like in Ireland. I’ll stay here for the rest of my life. Salford is home now.”
Tim Flynn is one of Manchester’s many Irish residents, who moved to the city permanently almost two decades ago on a whim. Coming over for a holiday in 2006, he never imagined it would end up being somewhere he would spend the rest of his life in. Fast forward to 2025, and the Co. Kerry-born man is the owner of The New Oxford pub on Bexley Square.
“I had no intention of ever living here permanently,” he said. “But I saw that the lease was up for a pub in the Salford area, and that was that. I still fly home often, mainly to see my mum and dad who are thankfully still alive.”
Irish people immigrating across the world is not a new phenomenon, but instead something that is steeped into the history of the island. It hit its peak during the famine, with an estimated 1.3 million people leaving the country in the space of six years. Many of those not able to cross the Atlantic to move to America opted for Liverpool, and as a result found their way into Manchester. Now, more than 150 years later, those born in Ireland are still making the same permanent trip to the British isles.
Many coming over in 2025 cite the reason for simply having better life opportunities abroad. That’s the case for Dominic Winters, who since making the trip as a teenager has gone on to become a pub owner at O’Shea’s on Princess Street and is now in charge of the Irish Festival Village that runs annually for St Patrick’s Day (March 17).
He said: “I came over as a student and I told my mum I’d be home in three years, but that never happened! I set up life here and got started at working in the Irish bars, and then became a manager, so now Manchester has become home.”
The festival will run throughout the weekend, coinciding with the parade on Sunday that has been running for over 30 years. The festival acts as an opportunity for all of Manchester to celebrate the holiday, but in particular also for those living away from home to find a sense of community.
“I think across the world where people have emigrated, they have more of a reason to embrace their Irishness more than they would back home. I used to play in brass bands and be involved in the parades in Donegal when I was younger and they were big, but I honestly think the holiday is almost bigger worldwide than it actually is in Ireland.”
Approximately 200 countries celebrate the holiday, evidence of the sheer magnitude of the Irish diaspora seen around the world. It’s an old cliché that you’ll find an Irish bar in any country you go to, but it’s often true. Dominic thinks they are vital for those living abroad to find homely comforts.
He continued: “The pubs help! It’s something that has never dwindled over the years, you can go to any part of the world and it will have an Irish pub with someone to chat to. Our music, our dancing, our accents, we have so many things we can brag about! Our history is there, and people seem to appreciate that. You look at the modern generation and the Guinness explosion that’s being seen with Gen Z as well, so it shows younger people are embracing that as well.”
The younger generation are also seemingly carrying on the tradition of moving abroad as well. Joey O’Brien is in his twenties and has found a new home in the form of Manchester. Born in Clonmany, a small village in Donegal, O’Brien sought a faster pace of life after Covid-19 and his university degree. Homesickness is something mostly unfamiliar to him, which he puts down to the vibrant Irish community already in place in the north of England.
“Maybe when I hear a few Pogues songs and see the parade on Sunday I might miss home a bit, but I’m very content here,” he said. “During a trip into Mulligans on a Saturday night you’ll hear pretty much every Irish accent you can think of.
“There’s historical groups in most places who are either related to Irish or Irish themselves, and that comes with the idea of looking out for one another who are in the same situation of being away from home. A lot of our culture is based in socialising either for music, sports or just chatting so those two together make the community come naturally”
Similar to Joey, Kate McElhatton is a student from Fermanagh, studying Fashion Marketing in Manchester and, after falling in love with the city, is choosing to stay after finishing her degree. Despite finding her feet, she admits there’s something about being home that can’t be replaced elsewhere.
“It hits the most when there’s a family event or something significant happening back home,” she said. “Little things like missing the Irish sense of humour, home-cooked meals, or even just the familiarity of my hometown can make me nostalgic.
“There’s something about Irish hospitality and humour that’s hard to find elsewhere. I also miss the scenery—the countryside, the coastline, and even just the fresh air. If I didn’t move to Manchester though, I would have never met my best friend Jena through university here, who’s from County Cork.”