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Arts event celebrates town's 'rich Irish heritage'

Louise Parry
BBC News, Bedfordshire
Hayley Bromell Hayley standing outside the Painters Arms in High Town. She has long straight brown/reddish hair with a short fringe, wears a nose ring and has bright red lipstick on.Hayley Bromell

An artist whose home town has a strong Irish heritage invited people to celebrate its culture and memories.

Hayley Bromell grew up in Luton and has been "squirrelling away for six months" to put a project together that culminates on Saturday night.

"I interviewed members of the Irish community and ran creative workshops with the participants," she said.

Their works will be displayed at a "memorable evening" along with poetry readings and traditional Irish music.

Hayley Bromell Revoluton Arts Showcase- A photo from my Revoluton Arts Showcase in December 2023, where I made a short film accompanying a poem I wrote called 'Luton Town'. Hayley Bromell
A previous event showcased Luton's link to the Irish community

Ms Bromell said the "large Irish community" stemmed from immigration to Luton during the 20th Century.

"A lot of it has to do with people coming over from Ireland to London, for example to Cricklewood and Hendon, then moving up to Luton which is not far from North London," she explained.

"But also the industry here: manufacturers, Vauxhall, it's a big factory town."

After receiving a commission from charity Revoluton Arts, Ms Bromell set about creating the project and participants made art and wrote poetry about their experiences.

Hayley Bromell A table covered in newspapers and the arm of someone using a pencil and paintbrush to design a picture showing groups of people in a pub. The people are wearing green and black clothes. There is a paint pallet with green and black paint, and a piece of notepaper with a bullet point listHayley Bromell
Hayley's workshops encouraged members of the Irish community to produce art and poetry

"With all of that I produced a zine (a small book) which showcases their everyday experiences, and the places and spaces that are important to them," she added.

"It's been amazing how open people have been to share their stories. It's easy to think your story doesn't matter or you just carry on day to day with life without stopping to reflect on the experiences that you've had.

"It's been a really lovely opportunity for people to reflect on those times and have them written down is really special too. It's going to be a really special night."

The free event takes place at The Pavilion from 19:00 GMT on Saturday.

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