Conor is the Member of Parliament for St Helens North in North West England, representing the Labour party, and hails from South Armagh. He is also the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ireland and the Irish in Britain and Shadow Minister of State for Security.
St Patrick’s Day will be celebrated in St Helens this year with the iconic Steve Prescott bridge being lit up in green for the first time as part of the #GlobalGreening initiative. Steve is a former rugby league player from the town who represented Ireland.
In his video below, Conor talks about his pride at the community’s response to the pandemic and pays tribute its tireless and invaluable work over the last year. In particular, he mentions Irish community organisations and the Irish contribution in St Helens and across Britain to the NHS and vaccination centres. The community has ‘put its shoulder to the wheel’ to help others. He also praises the work of the GAA in its social outreach in Britain and Ireland.
Conor tells us that he misses getting a pint of stout in Camlough and exploring nearby Slieve Gullion, a site associated with both Fionn Mac Cumhaill and Cú Chulainn.
It’s particularly appropriate to have our Armagh video up on St Patrick’s Day as Armagh city is associated with Patrick and has not one, but two cathedrals dedicated to him!
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!