This weekend, we marked our Irish heritage as our Irish legends, supporters, and community came together at Emirates Stadium for a special celebration.
David O’Leary, Liam Brady, Frank Stapleton, Niall Quinn and Sammy Nelson were joined the likes of Dermot O’Leary in N5 to celebrate the connection between Arsenal and our Irish community, and raise funds for the Arsenal Foundation and London Irish Centre.
300 people came together for engaging discussion, lunch, a stadium tour, live music, and a bespoke pop-up display of Arsenal and Irish football shirts to mark our special relationship.
Director of The Arsenal Foundation, Mairead King, said: “The Arsenal Foundation is proud to be part of celebrating Arsenal’s Irish community with the London Irish Centre. At Arsenal we have always understood our responsibility to our local community by creating a sense of belonging through our work.
"For Irish supporters everywhere, we celebrate the rich heritage and culture surrounding Irish connections with Arsenal. The support we receive from our Irish community connects us and creates pride in our club, and more widely throughout the local Irish community in north London and through Irish supporters across the globe.”
Gary Dunne, Creative Director of the London Irish Centre, added: "The London Irish Centre has loved collaborating on this celebration of Arsenal's Irish connections. It has been a privilege to highlight and celebrate the generations of Irish people who have played a part in the club, and for whom AFC means so much. Sincere thanks to The Arsenal Foundation, Arsenal in The Community, the players, Dermot O'Leary, and the local community for making it such a success”.
Reflecting on the event, Liam Brady shared: “When I joined Arsenal I was 15 and placed in lodgings in Finsbury Park, a very Irish part of London at the time. Highbury Stadium was a five-minute walk for me. Pat Rice and Sammy Nelson were the Irish players in the first team. Before the decade was over, Arsenal would have an Irish manager in Terry Neill and seven Irish players in the first-team squad.
"Just for good measure, our kit man Tony Donnelly was from Dublin. I'm delighted to be part of celebrating Arsenal's Irish connection and raising funds for two great charities, the Arsenal Foundation and the London Irish Centre”.
Ahead of St Patrick's Day, Arsenal in the Community also hosted an Irish Cultural Day at The Arsenal Hub. Also in conjunction with The London Irish Centre, 120 students joined us from two local schools to learn the history of the Irish community in Islington. They also partook in Irish drumming, Irish story-telling, Gaelic football, and hurling.
Find out more about The London Irish Centre
Photos courtesy of William Walsh
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