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Author Bridget could help you find your roots
 By
Elaine Sheridan
An Irish woman in Brighton is hoping to help the city’s blow-ins
unearth their past and rediscover their roots.
Bridget Whelan is calling on all budding writers to home-in on their skills
and put them to good use.
The former Daily Mirror researcher is running workshops once a month during
the summer and autumn for people who want to write about their experiences
and put them down on paper.
Bridget — whose Irish roots lie in Co. Kerry and Co. Offaly —
is hoping to attract people living in the area that might want to explore
immigration and what it has meant to them and their families over the
years.
The writer has just been granted a bursary by the Arts Council to complete
her first novel which is set in the London Irish community in the 1960s.
She said: “Brighton is a blow-in city. I’m hoping to attract
some of the people with Irish roots who live in Brighton and surrounding
areas.
“Most of us have come from somewhere else and that journey or exile
is one that often remains hidden.”
A special feature of the writing workshops is the one-to-one tutorials
that are on offer.
They are available to people who don’t have time to attend the workshop
or who don’t like the idea of attending a class.
Bridget said: “We want to reach out to as many people as possible.
“Everyone has a great story to tell. This is a chance to see that
story in print.”
As well as writing, Bridget is chair and founder of County Brighton
a new community group for the Irish in the south east of England.
It is a not-for-profit organisation set up to support and promote the
music, literature and culture of the Irish community in the Brighton and
Hove area.
Anyone with an interest in Irish culture is welcome to join.
The writing courses take place in Brighton Unemployed Centre in Tilbury
Place, Carlton Hill with the first one on Monday, July 16, from 10.30am
to 3.30pm.
n For details of further courses contact Bridget on 01273 530 539 or e-mail:
softrain@ntlworld.com. |
