Jasus that poor soul Jim didn't get much of welcome at home! 😢

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars” Oscar Wilde.

My mum left Kinsale after my grandfather Frederick Crean died in the mid 1950s and met my dad when she was working in a factory in London making car engine valves. Life was hard then in Ireland my mum had lost three brothers to the sea drowning as they were fishermen and one a sailor. I think it affected mum badly. And I think that and the lack of work in Ireland was the reason she decided to go. My mum died aged 96 in Farnborough, Kent, two years ago. I got my Irish passport because of BREXIT. For me it was the proudest day of my life. My Mums two brothers and her cousin were also over working in London all of them worked and settled had families and died and buried in England. My mum had seven children. I can honestly say all my life I wondered where I belonged. Mum told me I was Irish and when I was at my schools I always told that even my dad is English. So I always got a good beating for that. I just don't see any point in loyalty to Britain because it is not loyal to the people who built it. I think any country that kowtows to a monarch can never be really true to the majority of its people. In the 1990s my mum got a call from Ireland a relative had been contacted by an Irish friend who had been on a trip to Newcastle in England. While he was there he saw an obituary about a Crean with the same name as one of my mothers other brothers. My dad phoned to the police up North and it was my mums brother. For years he had written how well he was doing and all was fine but it turned out he had lived in terrible conditions all that time. My dad paid for his funeral and mum and dad went up to see him laid to rest there. And my mum outlived the whole family and was the last to be laid to rest. Mum was still the fighting Irish up until the end and could take on the home help that came as she had Alzheimer's at the end and thought she was in Ireland and had conversations with the dead. She was happy in her own world at the end. The video above brought back a lot of memories to me. P.S. By 1965 my dad had his own building company for quite a few years and it was doing really well. We all went over my two sisters and I to Kinsale so my mum could see her mum and family. We went over in a 3.2 liter green Jaguar and toured all over that part of Ireland. What a beautiful country. So I sat on the dock behind my grandparents fisherman's cottage in Kinsale with a cousin catching little crabs we were both about 7 years old. My cousin went home and I was still there a group of kids came over and asked me where I was from I said England and they beat the crap out of me. It is a funny old life when you look back at it. It is F-ing balmy all of it :)

Great show

Thanks for this documentary, I just watched it with my mum from Kerry, in London since the late 50s. Yes, Irish people suffered terrible racism here, as 2nd generation kids we only really caught bits of it. Largely Irish people receive little to no racism in England now I'd suggest, there are new, more foreign targets. However, a lot of the problems of the Irish here were caused by other Irish people. The documentary maker seems very aware of this but a lot of the commenters on here seem to be wearing emerald tinted spectacles. From the heartbreaking stories of the poor fellas in the institutions, to the Irish publicans, landlords and subcontractors in the UK, some of whom are as good as gold of course but some of whom are exploitative evil feckers beyond compare. What should also be known is that there are plenty of Irish people in the UK who defied the odds and have had very successful lives here. I know 100s of them! Sadly many of those don't feel very welcome at home, though most in my experience do. There are good and bad in all nations. Thanks again @mosweeney1

I watched a documentary on it my feelings at the end NO WONDER THEY HATED US

So many times you may be standing on the other side of the room and have the same feelings as that other person across the room but its getting the ball rolling in the right direction and keeping it going, just sharing your story helps more, thank you for this video for these men they are so good.

Yes sick to day getting invaded were government do nothing about your not self to walk the streets .

😂😂😂😂

flights are £50 FFS 😎

Ireland gives me a feeling of home.. but my name is mcc. My heart goes out to them.i was walking along the coastline I could have thrown a stone and had it land on Ireland from the Scottish coast. 25 miles,(a lovely man told me) at it's shortest crossing from Scotland. We didn't treat people from Arran ( another island literally 26miles on the Waverly from Ayrshire) but the Arran folk are quite wealthy,gorgeous houses and farms small businesses that they transport locally made expensive goods from,like beautifully scented wax melts and toiletries or home made tablet and macaroon,works of art woollen clothing etc things like that. But they were under the British government and a lot of wealth was transported to this small island, the people speak middle class well spoken english. A lot of very famous musicians and writers go there for the isolation but also the material comforts. Ireland with investment could equally have kept it's rural beauty and community life, had Britain not excommunicated them ( I'm guessing based on religion, southern Ireland was Catholic and northern Ireland protestant,there it looks more British colonial style ,rather than the rural ruins we saw there. Just pure neglect of what was left of subsistence farming and skills that will be lost to my ancestors. Though they never really die,my family and I are musical by nature,the written word is another talent of the Irish and art. I cannot stand bare walls. If I couldn't afford paint it'd materials,thankfully for now, I have enough. I think it was again class systems and material wealth. Very lonely and England in the cities, belching smoke..ugly. oh lovely ending,I'd volunteer to do work like that to bring love and order,what a blessing just to bring humanity and compassion. Obviously being probably third generation Irish, these are my ancestors. My great grandfather owned a tobacconist,everything you could want, lovely red sandstone building with our name above. Strangely, it was just as our new arrival came, I thought McCafferty and someone made me think I should be ashamed, all of a sudden synchronistically, my brother found the old grand shop,a gentleman told me of how he shopped there as a child. Another said this business was part of historical Ayr . Therefore I discarded the fools who put down my maiden name and I did call my son his name and carried on the family name that I realise,was nearly lost due to all the girls. Lovely documentary,they've left a lot of generations in their wake.

At 14 my mun put me on train in limerick and I asker her how will I get to Euston station she said you brother will be waiting for you and you have to asked how to get thair it was so fringing put we all hade to do it I was one of 12. 😮

Looks like they are forgotten again today but here in our own country ireland

We lived there 1980..all London..

Understanding history does help to trace the threads of discontent, abuse and hatred that the Irish endured. Saw a post from a person from Algeria detailing the nature of the French colonization of that country. Sadly, that went on for 132 years, and she was talking about that legacy, of a subjugated people. I really do not think that people understand that Ireland was subjugated by the British for 800 years!!! It is no wonder that the legacy of this resulted in all of this sadness. The wonder is that their success on leaving Ireland, especially for America, eventually resulted in a hugely successful immigration story, so that now their story is told in the halls of Congress, business, the law and medicine. The comparison of immigrating to America or England is very telling. It isn’t that there weren’t failures here, especially among men, but into the 60s, 70s and 80s, no. God please bless these survivors.

Never knew this story of the Irish immigrating to England. Interesting to me that this did not happen in America, as far as I know. The Irish here certainly drank hard, worked as laborers, and had a hell of a hard time. But, this is a terribly sad story of the decline of an entire group of Irish men, and their very tough memories and lives in severe conditions. Heart breaking.

I don't know what it was . But I spent 4 yrs in luton England. I felt as raw of a rasher. I was so lonely. Ended up an alcoholic in the first 18 Mt's. It was just work and sleep 6 days per week. I came home again n gave up drinking. I found it very hard to settle there.

All four sides, US, Irish. My Grandmother, Dingle, and her husband, Cork, married and settled in Manhattan. Did very well, not rich but very well. She lived with us all our lives. I thought every family had a Nana but nope, very few. We became best friends, went to Mass together, 1953 at four years old, Latin Mass etc. I will never forget how depressed she was having to take the Queen Mary to visit her brothers in Kerry. She said, "Brian, they're so poor!" They were, it was sad but glad she made it back to Rockaway, NY to give us warmth and her sayings. Best of all, "Brian, stay away from the pills"! Thank you Ireland and Nana Doody.

As children we never went on holiday to Ireland. My mum always said we are 'Going Home:

My daddy went to England to work age 16 with his friend. They were met with no blacks,no dogs, no Irish in that order when looking for accomodation. He worked in Wolverhampton until the Birmingham pub bombings then moved home to Ireland due to the anti Irish feeling at that time. Such a fantastic but sad documentary

We owe these people so much . But we are more interested in looking after leeches from around the world. Shame on us

No plotical asylum then . No work no food

Why didn't the Pope of the time do something about that terrible sexual abuse

So horrified about the latest revelations about 'Bishop' Eamonn Casey so called 'prince' of the Roman Catholic Church with his big Mercedes driving around Eyre Square, Galway raping his own niece from the age ofb 5. Total hypocrisy.

Sexual abuse is never ok

God will judge those evil people, who abused innocent children

My Father-in-law went to England in 1957 when he was 25

Yes, some Irish did abuse alcohol, but not all

No Blacks, no dogs, no Irish. Total discrimination

Their is a fifty pence coin with the words 'Diversity built Britain' on one side,This folks is it.God bless you all.

They don’t appear to have any idea of the IRA or De Valera or the bombing in Coventry before the war started in fact just less than two weeks before Chamberlain’s declaration of war against Nazi Germany AND because of that Country’s joint invasion with Soviet Union against Poland, a Roman Catholic Nation not unlike at least in that respect Ireland! You’d think Catholic Ireland would’ve joined in to fight the good war against pagan Nazi Germany and atheist Communist Russia, wouldn’t you? But no, not a bit of it! They chose to keep their diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany, murder by cowardly bombs in a shopping area of the saintly City of Coventry before Goring even knew where to drop his bombs two years on! Bet the Irish were all boozing’ their beers down at the IRA clubs an’ pubs when they heard the news of Goering’s new verb: “coventrieren” to coventrISE ie bomb the Brits where they built bicycles… So they boast and brag they did the work where the Brits got better jobs in bomb-threatened factories like those in Surrey, in Croydon and Weybridge…Then why work in Britain where they hated the Brits there…How many Brits scooted off to NEUTRAL Ireland to keep clear of the bombs? NONE! Why did Ireland remain NEUTRAL? And these creeps have no bloody idea of why they are not wanted!

There is no forgotten Irish in England or anywhere around the world the love and freedom of Ireland will never be lost. ❤️🇮🇪❤️🇮🇪❤️🇮🇪❤️🇮🇪❤️🇮🇪❤️🇮🇪❤️🇮🇪❤️🇮🇪,

My Da worked in England for 10 years building, and My Mother left Dublin for London to be a nurse in live in quarters, she was there for 20yrs. Then they met married and settled and had myself and my siblings in Dublin ireland.

I remember growing up in the 1950's when we had new gas mains installed. Most of the workmen were younger Irishmen. Boy could they do manual work. After a couple of days me and our street gang got to know a couple of them. Even as a ten year old I could tell they were lonely as they talked about family back home. Good drinkers and good fighters but Godfearing all the same. I have met and worked with many Irish folk over the years. It wasn't until later in life that I learn't about the way they were treated by the English establishment in times past, the Scots and Welsh as well. The World hasn't only just gone crazy. We all appear to be in the excrement nowadays.

My heart skipped for a second seeing Rosslare Harbour, as this is where my mum and dad where from. Came to Liverpool in 1958, we were all born in the 60s.

My parents came to Liverpool, from Co. Wexford Ireland in 1958. We were all born in the 60s. My dad died in 1990 and was buried back in Ireland, my mum too when she passed in 2014. When they came to Liverpool, they said they where looking for somewhere to live and there was signs in windows saying ... " NO Irish, No Polish."... That always stayed with me, made me angry.

this is a compelling piece of film starved by a government then put to work for that same government . thank you for this film

Man I can relate, I’ve spent the last 18years an illegal immigrant! It’s hard!

Brilliant programme full of great characters. Any idea where I can watch part 2?

You have a good thing there in Ireland just dont loose it,like other co's in Europe.

AMAZING ....EXCELLENT WORK THANK YOU FOR THIS....AND VERY SAD AT THE SAME TIME .....

I was born in lpool, all grandparents were Irish. All the lads in my catholic school had Irish surnames. But I don’t think anybody knew they were ‘Irish’. Or they definitely didn’t think of themselves that way. It’s a strange experience if the Irish in England. There are so many of ‘us’ who don’t even know who we are and have no connection to Ireland or Britain. ‘Forgotten Irish’ is an apt term. Forgotten and forgetting.

Never forgotten

16:28 the "Shakespeare" is gone (closed 2014) also the "Antelope" (closed 2008) and "The Lion and Lamb" has been demolished and the "Black Horse" is gone... all the local pubs, gone!

Reminds me of movie BELFAST .many left to work in England, when riots started. They left for good.

Same thing in the 80 "s in New York. CASH in hand spend a bit on the weekend sore head on Monday but getting on with it.

The Irish put the Great in Britain and the USA And Australia.

Sad to see how the left in Eire is hellbent to sell the culture out to some no name politicians in Brussels. SO SAD

Very good documentary. So sad and lonely for those men

Anybody know a man called Simon Gaskin came over from wicklow ireland ? He Was a carpenter & lived in the east end of London & married Gladys in 1936. Would like to know about the man if you knew him. Think he traveled around the uk on jobs on the building.