Extracts from a letter from Frederick H. Boland to Seán Nunan (Dublin)
(Copy)

As arranged, I travelled to Birmingham on 27th January to attend the Gaelic League Concert held in the City Hall, Birmingham, that night. I had lunch with Mr. Tomas O Floinn and Father Connellan, OMI, President and Secretary respectively of the Birmingham United Irish Societies. Subsequently I had a talk with the officers of the local Gaelic League organisation and later with Mr. Frank Short, National President of the Anti-Partition League. In the evening I attended the concert at which I met the officers of other Irish organisations in the area, including Father Michael Ford, PP, Vice-President of the local Board of the GAA. The following morning I called on the Lord Mayor of Birmingham¹ and later on the Archbishop of Birmingham, Dr. Masterson, before returning to London in the afternoon. I used these interviews to try to get a picture of the present position and living conditions of our people in the Birmingham area.

[matter omitted]

6. The conclusion to be drawn from what I heard from Father Connellan, Mr. O Floinn and the other people I interviewed is that the overcrowding which a year or eighteen months ago obliged so many of our people in Birmingham and Coventry to live in such humiliatingly wretched conditions is no longer a serious factor. On the contrary Father Connellan and Mr. O Floinn pointed to some encouraging aspects of the situation of our people in Birmingham. Owing to the lower earnings, there is less drinking and more morals than there was before. Although they complained that the national spirit was lamentably low, particularly among recent immigrants, Irish organisations in Birmingham are making headway. The Birmingham United Irish Societies have increased their membership. The local Anti-Partition organisation which had been expelled by the League owing to a dispute about finances is getting on its feet again with the help of a capable organiser, Mr. Kealy. The Irish Confraternity at St. Chad’s Cathedral, which was founded by the Irish Jesuit Missioners during their visit two years ago, is still going strong and has a membership of 5,000. As a result of an arrangement made by Father Connellan some years ago, the ‘Irish Press’ is easily obtainable at all book stalls and newsagents in the city and, according to Father Connellan, sells as many as three or four thousand copies a day.
7. The information given me by Father Connellan and Mr. O Floinn was confirmed by the officers of the Gaelic League whom I saw later. They complained of the lack of national spirit among young people coming over from Ireland although they told me that, generally speaking, the Irish people in Birmingham attended Irish dances and similar functions in preference to others and their own language and Irish dancing classes were well supported. I was very favourably impressed by the calibre of the people running the two Gaelic League branches in the city.

[matter omitted]

9. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is the son of a Rhondda Valley coal miner. He is prominent in the local Labour party and is very sympathetic to our people. In the short time available I didn’t attempt to go into detail with him about the problems which our people had experienced in the city, but I asked him whether I might communicate with him direct in the event of similar problems arising in future. He assured me that, whenever I did, he would do anything in his power to help.
10. 10. The Archbishop of Birmingham, Dr. Masterson, while agreeing that the conditions as regards the Irish people in Birmingham had improved for the reasons I have stated, told me that he thought it very desirable that there should be something like an Irish Consul in the city to deal directly with problems which arose as regards our people.

[matter omitted]

I told His Grace that our Minister was considering the possibility of appointing an officer on the staff of the Embassy who would be primarily concerned with welfare problems and would visit the various large centres of Irish population at intervals, organising and inspiring voluntary effort for welfare purposes in those areas. His Grace said he thought this would be an admirable arrangement and would go a long way towards meeting the need he had in mind. I told him however, that although I knew that our Minister was thinking on these lines, it would be for the Minister for Finance to provide the necessary funds and whether he could see his way to do so in the present circumstances of financial stringency, I could not say.