The Craic’s Back: Inside the Irish cultural revival in a British city

In Chelmsford, a city in Essex just outside London, a monthly traditional music session at O’Connor’s Irish Pub has become the unlikely heart of an Irish cultural revival — led by first- and second-generation musicians, and fuelled by memory, music, and pride.

On a Sunday afternoon in Chelmsford, Essex — better known for commuter trains than céilís — a corner in O’Connor’s Irish Pub begins to stir.

The tables near the bar are pushed back, coats draped over chairs. An accordion starts up, quick and bright. A fiddle joins in, then another. Glasses clink. Laughter rolls in waves between tunes. Someone leans over to tell a story about their mam from Mayo, and before you know it, half the pub is listening.

This isn’t a staged performance or a tourist show. It’s something older and deeper — a grassroots revival of Irish culture, led by first- and second-generation musicians and fuelled by memory, music, and pride.

From a Few Tunes to a Movement

The group behind it, Chelmsford Irish, started with a simple idea: a monthly traditional music session. No tickets, no set list, no hierarchy — just a space to play and listen. But in a matter of months, it’s become something bigger.

Two of the sessions so far have fallen on some of the biggest dates in the Irish sporting calendar — the All-Ireland hurling and football finals. On those days, the music flowed first, with fiddles, guitars, and accordions filling the room for two hours. Then, as the last notes faded, the big screens came on. Jerseys from every county dotted the crowd — green and gold, maroon, red and white. The pub roared into life again as the matches kicked off, and strangers became fast friends over pints, songs, and sideline drama.

“It’s been electric,” says one regular. “It’s like we’ve found our place again.”

And there’s more to come. Plans are already in place for an Irish language circle, more GAA screenings, and even genealogy workshops for those tracing family ties back to Ireland.

“Many of our parents came here in the 1940s and 50s — mostly to build the houses, or work in the factories and hospital,” said local resident Teresa Cleary, whose Facebook comment struck a chord across the community. “We’ve given a great deal to this city over the years. It’s great to see the Chelmsford Irish community have recognition at last.”

Local Hughie Breen sings at the session (© James Hoctor 2025)

The Music at the Heart of It

At the centre of the sessions are four core musicians — a mix of first- and second-generation Irish whose shared love of trad has become the soul of the session.

One of them is Bríd O’Donohue, a fiddle player from Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. “We grew up with the music,” she says. “It’s in your DNA if you’re Irish — it’s raw, it’s soulful, it has edge. When we play, we’re standing on the shoulders of generations. It’s our common ground.”

The crowd listens to Ann-marie Dennis sing

She’s joined by fellow fiddler Joseph O’Connor from Co Tyrone, guitarist Paul Baynes, whose parents hailed from Mayo, and accordionist Elaine Finn Davies, born in Pimlico to parents from Tipperary and Roscommon.

“Ever since I was little, we’d go back to Ireland every year,” Elaine recalls. “Playing these tunes now brings me right back — it’s a reminder of my roots. You don’t have to be Irish to love the music… but if you are, it’s like coming home.”

A Diaspora Finds Its Voice

Chelmsford — like many towns on London’s fringe — has long been home to Irish families. Many moved out from East London in the ‘80s and ‘90s, part of a wave of second-generation Irish making lives in Essex commuter towns.

In those years, the Irish community was present but often blended quietly into the local landscape. There were Irish surnames on school registers, GAA jerseys tucked away in drawers, a fiddle in the attic — but no central place to gather.

Old pals catch up at the session

People travel from East London and all over Essex for the session

That’s changing. Thanks to the sessions — and the power of word-of-mouth and social media — people are travelling from across Essex and East London to join in. Some come to reconnect with their heritage, others to discover it for the first time.

Songs That Bind Generations

It’s not just instrumental music. Singing is the emotional heartbeat of the afternoon — from older voices recalling ballads passed down through generations to younger ones finding their voice for the first time.

Sometimes it’s a sean-nós lament, other times it’s a pub favourite like The Fields of Athenry. Whatever the song, the moment always shifts the room — conversations hush, the fire crackles, and you can feel the connection stretching back across decades and seas.

“There’s something very special about playing with first- and second-generation Irish people,” Bríd says. “You see people in different jerseys, from different counties, but the music brings us together. It’s universal.”

And there’s no stage, no microphones — just a circle of musicians and the sense that everyone belongs.

More Than a Pub Session

In Ireland, traditional sessions are part of the landscape — woven into village pubs and family kitchens. In Britain, especially outside the big Irish hubs like London, Liverpool, and Birmingham, they can be harder to find. That’s why what’s happening in Chelmsford feels significant.

It’s a cultural homecoming — not to a particular townland or parish, but to a sound, a feeling, a shared identity.

For the younger generation, it’s a first glimpse into something their parents or grandparents grew up with. For the older generation, it’s a reminder that the culture they carried across the Irish Sea still has life and relevance.

For some, the music is even a spark to learn more — a tune heard in the pub leading to a search for its story, a conversation at the bar turning into an exchange of family names and county origins.

The Craic Goes On

For those who gather at O’Connors, this isn’t just a music session. It’s a declaration: the Irish community here is still alive, still proud, and still ready to celebrate its heritage.

And with each month’s gathering, the circle widens.

“We didn’t start this thinking it’d would grow so big — we just wanted a few tunes,” says Bríd. “But people showed up. And they kept showing up. They brought their parents, their kids, their stories.”

For updates on the trad session at O'Connor's, follow Chelmsford Irish on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

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