Birmingham Irish has a long history of supporting people ..

Where it all began for Birmingham Irish ..

The Irish Welfare & Information Centre (IWIC) was founded in June 1957. Migration from Ireland was high during the 40's & 50's. People arrived in the city with little money, no accommodation or employment.

Support and services development ..

There were no welfare services established during the height of migration and so the parish priests at St. Anne's, along with many volunteers, decided there was a need to provide help and so the first seedlings of a 'Welfare' service were sown.

Its original site was a single room in Moat Row with only a small number of volunteers offering help and support to Irish immigrants. Though the provision of housing was high on the agenda of needs, the service had to begin by providing clothing and befriending to the needy along with as much financial support as possible.

The need to tackle the chronic accommodation did not abate, and out of a Catholic Priest's concern (Father Joe Taaffe) for the homeless and those living in inadequate accommodation, the Catholic Housing Aid Society and Family Housing Association in Birmingham was developed.

In 1974 new premises were required by the centre ..

 The Director felt that the next premises should serve both as offices and as a hostel for young men coming from Ireland to find work. The Organisation moved from Moat Row into Plunkett House, Shadwell Street, and the cost of the new premises being met by the Irish Episcopal Commission for Emigrants. 

One of the facilities set up during 1993 was the Drop in Centre. This provided those who were less fortunate with a hot meal during the day and clothing if required. Due to the ongoing growth of the team, IWIC moved to St. Anne's Parish Centre in January 2008.
1974 saw a new phase in the development of the Irish Welfare & Information Centre. 
people work at office desk

2009 : New partnership with Birmingham Irish Community Forum (BICF) ..

In 2009 IWIC developed a collaborative partnership with Birmingham Irish Community Forum (BICF). The Forum was set up in 1993 to help the Irish community in Birmingham to deal with economic, social, cultural and educational issues. During 2010 the boards of IWIC and BICF decided, after consultation with the community and members, to merge. This decision recognised the strength of the two leading Irish organisations in the city working as one entity, bringing financial and operational advantages to the delivery of services to the community.

In October 2011, following extensive consultation, the organisation was renamed Irish in Birmingham. Services were reshaped to better meet the needs of service users and new service developments were introduced. The impact of this re–branding was assessed in 2014 when it was felt that the image the organisation was trying to portray was still not hitting the mark. A further update of the name and branding took place and that resulted in the organisation adopting the name Birmingham Irish Association.

The organisation now sits proudly as the focal point for the Irish community in Birmingham and we celebrated 60 years in the city in 2017.

Where Birmingham Irish Association operates from now ..

From our central Digbeth hub we reach out to all areas of the city including community sites in Erdington, Cotteridge, Harborne, South Yardley, Sheldon, Hall Green, Brandwood, Shirley, Edgbaston, Acocks Green, Kingstanding, Handsworth, Maypole, and Kings Norton.
View Our Services
Share by: