Céad Míle Fáilte

Welcome to the Nottingham Irish Centre! We provide facilities for many groups and activities and clubs:

While our major commitment is the service of local Irish communities, the Irish Centre is very proactive in welcoming other communities.


UPDATE ON THE POSSIBLE SALE OF NOTTINGHAM IRISH CENTRE

As members and supporters of Nottingham Irish Centre will be aware the Centre has been struggling financially for some years. The re-opening of the night club and sandwich bar last year did not bring in enough revenue to keep these enterprises afloat, and earlier this year the committee took the decision that we had no other alternative but to put the premises up for sale.

We are glad to say that we have accepted an offer from a commercial company who want to invest heavily in the premises. The buildings would undergo extensive refurbishment but the good news is that the company want to incorporate the Irish Centre into their new enterprise and offer existing community groups access to continue their activities. An Extraordinary General Meeting of members on 18th July unanimously backed the offer that had been made.

Julie Cassidy, chair of the Nottingham Irish Centre management committee in an interview with the Nottingham Evening Post described the potential buyer as “a commercial enterprise with Irish at its heart”.

She said: “They have promised to invest heavily in doing the Irish Centre up. They won’t be running it as it is, they will make a serious investment in refurbishment. We’re committed to working in partnership with them to make sure the existing Irish communities are well served. If the present sale is completed it is on the understanding that the present Irish community groups will continue as long as they want.”

She added that this would be formalised in a contract, which is currently under negotiation. The venue is expected to be named Irish Centre Nottingham.

If the sale goes through then capital which will accrue after the payment of debts and taxes will be protected within a in trust for the collective benefit of the Irish community in Nottingham.


Nottingham Irish Centre: Our Vision of the Future

NOTTINGHAM IRISH CENTRE: THE FUTURE

The last 12 months have been a period of re-organisation, in response to a serious set of inherited financial problems. During this period, Nottingham Irish Centre has run predominantly on voluntary effort. We have however successfully developed a new constitution and we have put in place some basic management and financial systems.

And through all of this, we have kept our doors open and maintained a stream of income irrespective of our ‘dormant’ business activities. We have provided uninterrupted facilities for the following groups and activities:

Irish Dancers, Comhaltas, Irish Language, Irish History, Set Dancing, traditional card games, Gaelic Sports, Irish Golf, family and fun days, live entertainment nights, anniversaries, weddings, wakes and christenings.

We have supported the provision of well being, welfare advice and outreach support though FIANN and the Golden Shamrock Club and have a particularly strong relationship with our pensioners through these groups. Irish elders, along with people of Traveller heritage, have contributed to local university teaching and assessment programmes.

The pensioners of the Golden Shamrock Club have provided excellent catering services for a number of Nottingham Irish Centre private and member functions, making good use of the Irish Government funded kitchen facilities outside and above of their weekly lunch club activity.

While our major commitment in line with our objectives is the service of local Irish communities, including elders and other vulnerable groups, young people and families, and disenfranchised or disadvantaged people, within a wider societal and equalities commitment locally, the Irish Centre is very proactive in welcoming other communities.

The necessary reorganisation and re-structuring of Nottingham Irish Centre has required us to take a few steps back. Over the last year we have concentrated on building up a committee who can work together towards our stated aims and objectives. We have also audited committee skills and have developed a constitution which will enable us to conduct cultural, social, well being and social enterprise activity as a company limited by guarantee.

In the teeth of the present recession and the heavy costs of running the Centre however, we have had to make some hard choices and at an Extraordinary General Meeting on February 14th 2010 we made the decision to put the buildings up for sale. We remain committed to the view that an Irish Centre in Nottingham is both needed and viable and we will use the proceeds of the sale of the building to maintain our vision of an inclusive Irish Centre for the community even though it may have to be in alternative premises.

All of our regular activities will continue at Nottingham Irish Centre.