I was recently at a family get-together and, as often happens at these types of gatherings, someone brought out some old photographs. Amongst these, we came across one of my dad and his workmates back in the sixties – my dad isn’t actually visible in the photo above, he’s in that hole you can see in the ground!
It got me thinking about the influence my dad’s background had on my career, as well as the huge contribution him and his fellow Irishmen made to the construction industry, and how that is still reflected today.
My dad arrived on English shores from Ireland at the beginning of the 1960s. Coming from a small village in County Laois (essentially a church and a pub), the culture shock he experienced must have been enormous.
Of course, he wasn’t alone on his journey. Thousands of Irishmen had travelled the same path to assist with the rebuilding boom of that time. Like many of his fellow countrymen, my dad was a tunnelling man, hand-digging drainage networks under roads in South London, working in unbelievably cramped conditions with the constant threat of danger in an age before any health and safety legislation.
They worked hard and played hard, gaining a reputation for owning and frequenting most of the drinking establishments in London – not a generalisation, but a fact.
Their contribution to the construction industry, both then and now, is immeasurable, but like many immigrants, they faced challenges of acceptance and experienced discrimination due to their religious leanings, ignorance around perceived cultural shortcomings, (not uncommon and accepted in the day for many cultures) and association with the troubled conflict in their homeland.
Over time, they established their own areas and districts, making a major contribution to the cultural diversity of London, which remains prominent to this day. Their hard work and sacrifices in the early days have been rewarded, with a number of the Irish construction firms incorporated in that era growing into some of the biggest players in the industry today.
These days, London is a multicultural hub, built on immigrant contributions from around the world. It might not always be easy, especially in the current climate, but it’s important to remember where we came from, how we got here and most of all, how we can contribute to improving things for future generations.
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