The Irish Diaspora Foundation (IDF) is a Registered Charity, founded in 2000 by the Irish World Heritage Centre. Its aims and objectives are to advance the education of the wider community on all aspects of Irish culture and heritage, and the positive contribution of Irish emigrants worldwide. This is achieved through the promotion and development of Irish arts, history, cultural heritage and sporting activities at the Irish World Heritage Centre and by working in partnership with other Irish organisations and community groups.

Education Aims

• The development and enhancement of Irish cultural education in the UK.
• To tell the story of the Irish Diaspora worldwide through the delivery of various themes and by enriching peoples understanding of Irish heritage and history.
• To promote the value of the IDF as a provider of lifelong learning and to provide a range of opportunities to encourage regular return visits.

Education

When we say education, we are not just referring to mainstream education (although this is an important element of our programme), but also to lifelong learning for those not associated with any institution, but who are interested in learning about the culture and heritage of Ireland, about the Irish Diaspora, and gaining new skills and knowledge through research, craft activities and the arts.

Here at the Irish World Heritage Centre, we run the following Educational Activities;

• School Workshops
• Talks and Conferences
• Exhibitions
• Arts Showcases
• Oral History Collection
• School Workshops

We welcome visits from Primary schools, High schools and colleges for these school workshops. We can tailor our programme to meet the needs of individual classes and our school workshops are delivered in line with National Curriculum. We usually chose themes that offer teachers an alternative to the usual ones studied in the class room. For example;

Art and Design, Music and Drama Traditional Irish Music, Celtic Art

Groups are welcome to visit for a full, or half day. We begin our workshops with a learning session, where students are introduced to the chosen topic through a presentation. This is followed by exciting hands on arts activities, where they can roll their sleeves up and get creative, producing an artwork that can be displayed in their own classroom or school. In the past we have worked with students to create banners, collages, lanterns, puppets and many more.

If you would like further information on these workshops, please call our office on 0161 202 1200 where we can check our availability.

Talks & Conferences

We have well established links with many organisations and individuals, whom we invite on a regular basis to deliver talks, as part of our series or conferences. These talks are usually based around historical or literary themes and are well received by our audience.

These events are open to the public so for information on any upcoming Exhibitions, please visit the Whats On section of the website.

Exhibitions

Each year the Irish World Heritage Centre plays host to a number of exhibitions which arise from our ongoing projects. The content of these exhibitions varies from photography, to historical timelines, and also can also include the showcasing of students work.

These events are open to the public so for information on any upcoming Exhibitions, please visit the Whats On section of the website.

Arts Showcases

We hold a number of events throughout the year which showcase the heritage and culture of Ireland through music, dance and theatre.

These events are open to the public so for information on any upcoming Exhibitions, please visit the Whats On section of the website.

Oral History Collection

We consider reminiscence and the collection of Oral Histories to be of great importance as a way of documenting the lives and experiences of Irish emigrants, to the UK and all over the world. We have an ongoing process of oral history collection at the Irish Diaspora Foundation and we often use the information we have collected as an education or exhibition resource.

If you would be interested in telling your story about your experiences of living in Ireland, or of emigrating, please contact Margot Power on 0161 202 1200.

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