| Talk the walk  “London,”
says Tony McDonell, “is not the great Irish city that say Boston
or Liverpool is. Nonetheless when it comes to the political, artistic
and cultural development of Ireland London is only second to Dublin.”
Tony, a London Blue Badge guide (which means he is officially accredited
by the Tourist Board), began conducting people round Irish London during
the Irish in London Summer School at London Metropolitan University in
2002. So successful was this event that in 2004 Tony was approached by
the Greater London Authority to conduct a full Irish London walking tour
as part of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Tony now conducts the tours regularly and you’ll have a chance to
accompany him this weekend on March 17 and 18. You’ll hear how in
the 18th, 19th and well into 20th century London was where the Irish political
movement had its major base: Fenian leaders in the 1867 uprising were
based in London; Irish ascendancy aristocracy were based around Cavendish
Square in the 18th century; the great trio of Shaw, Wilde and Yeats were
permanent, or semi-permanent residents from the late 19th century; Burke,
Wolf Tone, O’Connell and Grattan were law students in London.
The walk will visit some of the sites associated with these great figures
beginning at Blackfriars and heading along Fleet Street into the Temple,
past the High Court, up Kingsway and into Covent Garden.
The subjects and figures are as diverse as the invention of the tabloid
press by various Irish hacks to William Butler Yeats’s inability
to get a taste for strong drink. Other topics for discussion include Oliver
Goldsmith’s trouble with his landlady, Wolf Tone’s plans for
extending the British Empire and Parnell being cheered by crowds as he
strolled down The Strand.
Tony will also regale you with tales of Sheridan enjoying a drink by his
own fireside. You’ll see the site of the Drury Lane theatre owned
by writer Richard Brinsley Sheridan (inventor of Mrs Malaprop) which was
destroyed just over 200 years ago.
The fire left the Dublin man virtually bankrupt but he appeared relatively
untroubled by this setback. Friends found him nearby in a coffee house
opposite the fire quaffing claret and appearing fairly unperturbed. “Sure
can a man not take a glass of wine by his own fireside?” he asked.
In his spare time Richard Brinsley Sheridan was an MP which leads us on
to discussion about David Cameron and his Irish roots. Never heard of
them? Well I’ll leave Tony McDonnell to tell you all about them.
These fascinating walks are free to the public they start outside the
Blackfriar pub by Exit 1 of Blackfriars Underground Station. One walk
at 10.30am and one at 2.30pm on both March 17 and March 18.
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