'Coventry Irish': Community, Class, Culture and Narrative in the Formation of a Migrant Identity, 1940–1970

ISSN： 0047-729X

Source： Midland History, Vol.36, Iss.2, 2011-09, pp. : 225-244

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Abstract

Successful migration requires adaptation to the cognitive disjunction between 'there and here' and 'then and now'. One possible response is the emergence of a hybrid identity expressed in phrases used by diaspora members such as 'I'm Coventry Irish.' This article explores the role of community, class, culture and narrative in the formation of a 'Coventry Irish' identity in migrants to Coventry from Ireland across the mid twentieth century. It draws on archival sources to investigate the interplay between Irish migrants and the host community. The lived experience of migrants is explored through oral history interviews and archival recordings. It provides evidence of the processes through which migrants integrated within a working-class city whilst maintaining a distinct ethnic identity and how this identity is evolving over subsequent generations.