Manchester will be getting a visit from the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny next Monday when he will be meeting the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Naeem ul-hassan, ahead of a state visit to the White House.
Kenny will be given a tour of Manchester’s Irish Festival site and will also be given a gift from Manchester to present to President Obama and the First Lady during his visit to Washington, D.C.
Afterwards, the Taoiseach will be driven to Cheetham Hill where he will officially open the Irish World Heritage Centre and will be invited to officially open the Centre with a ceremonial cutting of a ribbon, before unveiling the opening plaque, while pipers play the Irish national anthem.
The centre, which was constructed 25 years after the original centre opened close by on Queen’s Road, has been designed and built to echo that of an ancient Irish ring fort, with a large walled enclosure creating a unique outdoor public space.
This space at the heart of the complex includes a new attraction telling the story of Irish people worldwide – but before visitors can reach this, they will need to walk through the ‘name walk’ featuring each and every Irish surname, as well as walking across the water feature representing the crossing that every Irish person had to make to leave Ireland.
The centre also includes a multi-purpose hall, car and restaurant, shop, travel agent and business centre – all boasting cutting edge technology and restaurant filled with produce from the centre’s own allotment and bee hives.
Plans for a phase town of the development have also been drawn up, which will include a new conference centre, hotel, educational space and leisure facilities and football pitches. The centre will also benefit from a new Metrolink stop as part of the expansion of the tram network.
