Irish In Britain

About

Cormac Conway, Director of Conway Landscapes, explains why his company have become a corporate supporter of Irish in Britain

My father is from a little coal mining village called Arigna in county Roscommon. He was one of 12 children. He came over to England like many looking for work in 1968 and met my mother.

I am the eldest of four children and we were brought up in Harlow, Essex.

When I first left school I initially worked in the bank but soon got the urge to work outside. And after ten years working for a construction company, I started up my own landscaping company Conway Landscapes.

It has gone from strength to strength and we now enjoy a national profile. We have built many gardens at Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court, and some of these have been awarded gold medals, best in show and People’s Choice awards. I have a great team around me creating domestic and commercial spaces in our day to day routine.

Childhood memories of growing up and holidaying in the west of Ireland, seeing my cousins and always having a great time. In later years it has left an explainable feeling of belonging to Ireland, a lot of the time more so than here in England.

Growing up there was always a sense of community amongst the Irish people in Harlow and surrounding areas. As a result, many of my friends were Irish or of Irish heritage. 

It has always given me a feeling of belonging and when I found out about the work of Irish in Britain it made sense to get involved after moving away from where I grew up.

I’m pleased to be part of the story of this organisation which does so much to ensure our community’s contribution is recognised, valued and provided for. 

We have much to be proud of and being part of the Irish in Britain network is so important at this time of uncertainty. 

We look forward to supporting Irish in Britain over the next year.