London calling!: After a five-year hiatus, the Limerick flag once again flies proudly in British capital

AFTER a five-year hiatus, one of the oldest Irish county associations in London is back in business.

Limerick Association of London members first met in a church hall at Hammersmith, in the west of the British capital way back in 1954.

Since then, the Association has provided vital support and a point of reference to Treaty men and women who are based cross-channel.

READ MORE: Limerick professor receives UN Honour for lifelong commitment to education

In recent years up to 2020, a number of events took place, including in 2018 and 2019, where the group held a reception to welcome Limerick’s senior footballers, who had Allianz League matches in London.

They have also held fundraisers for many good causes.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 saw the organisation’s progress stall.

Now, five years on, the ever-energetic John Giltenan, who originally hails from Caherdavin, has reignited the Limerick flame in London.

He began work on getting the Association back up-and-running this summer, after being contacted by two members of the original group.

“It is to fill a void and enhance the Limerick tradition which has always been here in London since 1954. We want to play our part to getting us back in the county association movement,” he said.

John, who lives in Kidbrooke, south-east London, has played an active role in the Limerick Association for almost 20 years.

Having come to Britain to work at Heathrow Airport, he did not have time to get involved at first.

However, he was fortunate enough to have the weekend of St Patrick’s Day 2006 off, and joined the Limerick Association in Trafalgar Square, where he marched under their banner.

It kicked off a long association, where he has held a number of roles in the organisation, most notably secretary and president.

“I’ve always been proud of the fact I’m from Ireland and I’m from Limerick. Even before I left Limerick to come to London, I’ve had quite a lot of friends back home in Caherdavin, people who had worked and lived in London in their previous lives. They were able to explain to me and share their experiences of all the wonderful Limerick communities there are in London,” John said.

A new Association Committee has been formed, led by Ballyhahill man Thomas Hynes.

Based in Chingford, east London, he has been in Britain since he was 16, and will mark his 53rd birthday this weekend.
In that time, he has set up two successful businesses, an estate agency, Thomas Hynes Estates and Thomas Hynes Double Glazing.

He admits John asked him a number of times to get involved with the Limerick Association committee, and has committed to at least a year as its chairman.

“I’d hope we can do a lot of stuff for Milford Hospice, for different charities. I was saying to John that maybe we can hold some race nights, there is other stuff we can do. Things here can often go off very well - mock weddings, dancing and the like.

There’s lots of stuff we can do to bring in money for charities,” he said.

The man in charge of the numbers is Shaun Connery.

Not to be mistaken with the original James Bond actor the late Sean Connery, Shaun is well-known in his own right.
The Kilmallock man, now living in Shepherd's Bush, West London, was a well-known musician in many of London’s big bands over the years.

Back home, he was part of the Vantones Showband, and occasionally plays an impromptu gig back on Shannonside, with his son John living in Castletroy.

A former publican - running bars in London’s west-end, and beside Brentford soccer club’s old stadium, Griffin Park - Shaun recalled responding to an advert placed in this very newspaper by John Giltenan looking for new Association members in the late 2000s.

With the rise of the internet, it’s fair to say attendances at Limerick Association events have declined.

But, perversely, in a world where we are more connected than ever, loneliness is on the rise.

This is where Shaun feels the Limerick Association of London can help.

“In London, you can be lonely in a crowd. It’s that kind of city,” he said.

He’s seen this himself at big band events and dances in the British capital, where many people would hang on until the small hours.

Shaun recalls a priest from Caherconlish, a Fr Fitzgibbon, who was based in London.

“At 2am or 3am, there would still be crowd around having a drink. If I was talking to someone who was down or had a problem, I’d call Fr Fitzgibbon and he’d talk with them and have the craic. To me, he was a proper type of priest. Someone who would talk to someone in a dance hall at three o’clock in the morning, instead of preaching from the pulpit,” he said.

Treasurer Shaun hopes to reach out to similarly marginalised Limerick people in London.

The life president of the newly re-established Limerick Association is Willie Roberts, originally from Thomondgate, now living in Acton, west London, with sister Marie O’Halloran.

Remarkably, the now 91-year-old was at the first ever meeting of the Limerick Association 71 years ago.

John recalls being told this a number of years ago.

“I remember, cool as a cucumber, he told me. Talk about being blown over by a feather! How appropriate is it that you have your life-president as one of the original people there the day the Association was founded. You couldn’t write the script,” he smiled.

There are many high-profile Limerick people in London: Castletown-Ballyagran's Danny Maher heads up the homeless charity Ashford Place in north London.

South of the River Thames, Kathleen Sheridan - originally from Ballyneety - is chief executive of the Lewisham Irish Centre.

And John Gilhooly, the well-known musician from Kilmallock, leads the prestigious Wigmore Hall concert venue in west London.

One should also never forget the late Athea man Tom Moran, and his family, who for decades, ran the Crown Moran hotel in Cricklewood, a traditionally Irish area of north-west London.

Despite Tom's sad passing in 2023, his family remain strong supporters of the Limerick Association.

The first major event the new incarnation of the Limerick Association will hold will also honour two famous Limerick people, who have since gone to their God.

On Sunday, September 14, there will be commemoration at the grave of Sean Og Hanley.

A Kilfinane man, and a member of the first ever All-Ireland winning hurling panel, he is buried in Kensal Green.

In a neighbouring cemetery lies the remains of world-famous soprano Catherine Hayes. Born and raised at Rutland Street in

Limerick city centre, it is in her honour that the €200m Opera Square development has its unique name.

To join up with the Limerick Association of London, please call John at +44-7956 855957.