About Us

The Leeds Irish Centre opened 20th January 1970. Leaving the former premises known as the 'Irish Nash' which was formally called the Irish National club on lower Briggate in Leeds City Centre. The Nash had been there since 1880's. The committee of the late 1960's saw an increase of Irish people to Leeds, mainly for the construction of the motorway system. On approaching the Leeds City council, and they were eventually given the choice of ½ an acre in the Burley Rd area, or 3 acres adjoining to the A64 Leeds York Road, they opted for the latter.

The 3 acres granted by LCC were bought in 1973, making facilities for young people play GAA football and it was also used for family events such as garden parties, fundraising and BBQ's, including sporting events. The main reason why the Centre was so successful is its high standard, its willingness to engage in charity work, but mainly to be involved in the city of Leeds.

Our main concert hall licensed for 800 people was built on 2 levels. This leant itself to dividing the room into 2 separate places. The division was done so that the room could be easily moved back to 1 large room. This meant we could hire rooms for private hire. And this soon became the extremely successful part of the Centre. As said previously, high standards were always maintained. Discos were started and it soon proved successful. We couldn't begin to tell the amount of money that has been raised over the years for charity. This was done mainly under the radar. We list just a few of our achievements. Mini buses for disabled people. Thousands of pounds raised for scan machines in the new cancer unit in the St. James hospital. Also, for the heart unit in the Leeds general infirmary. Many local charities include homeless and young people.

We saw another historic visit when Mary McAleese, Ireland's second female President, came to the Irish Centre. Her visit further strengthened the Centre's close ties with Ireland and was a great honour for the community. Following the visit of her predecessor just two years earlier, it highlighted the Centre's continued importance and the recognition of its work both locally and nationally.

This was the year COVID-19 affected everyone. Due to government restrictions on hospitality and social gatherings, our premises were forced to close. This had a significant impact on the business, but thankfully, careful financial planning meant we had the funds to keep going during this challenging time. While closed, we turned our Tara Suite into a temporary food warehouse to support families who were struggling. During this period, we prepared and distributed 400 food parcels and 400 toiletry packs to those in need within our community. This was also meant to be the year of our 50th anniversary. A large celebration had been planned for members and supporters past and present, but unfortunately, the event had to be cancelled. It simply wasn't meant to be. However, the release of the book "50 Years in the Making" by Sheron Boyle kept us busy. Orders were flying in, and even while our premises remained closed, we were able to package and post books to everyone who had placed an order. Despite the challenges, the year showed our resilience, community spirit, and determination to keep moving forward.