Liverpool Irish Festival

1 Feb is St Brigid's Day - the start of Imbolc or spring. St Brigid is often quoted as being a patroness of refugees and frequently connected with water (think of wells named in her honour). Thus, we are connecting themes and using her platform to raise awareness of Britain's treatment of the Chinese Seamen in this ongoing quest for justice, connection and knowledge.

In 1945-6, hundreds of Liverpool’s Chinese seamen were 'rounded-up’ and forcibly deported to China, Singapore or other locations.

Official evidence was hard to locate; with documents strewn across the world; often deliberately hidden from view, making the story difficult to confirm. Prior to their forced ‘repatriation’, many of these men met and married English and Irish women; creating Chinese-English and Chinese-Irish communities; a legacy that continues today.

What of those left behind? Of the men severed from their families and homes? Where did they end up and how did it affect the communities involved?

In 2013-14, The Sound Agents undertook interviews with members of the community, affected by these acts. From verbatim accounts of lived-experiences of the trauma and aftershock, they crafted an incredible play, which has now had a number of outings. As MP Kim Johnson continues to press the Government’s Home Office for official recognition and an apology for this “shameful stain on our history”, we create a memorial to testimony, featuring Moira Kenny and Ozzie Yue, available globally.

At the point of release, we would also note asignificant exhibition about the Chiese-British story, taking place in the Hornby Library at Liverpool Central LIbrary, 16 Jan-31 Mar 2023, held in partnership with the British Library. This exhibit has also been curated by The Sound Agents. Interestingly, Jack Yue and his son Ozzy Yue -featured in the podcast- are featured in the exhibit. To read more about the exhibit -and it's partner in show in London- click here to download a PDF leaflet.

The Curious Disappearance of Mr Foo is a story based on the forced deportation of Chinese seamen from Liverpool, in 1946, using verbatim Liverpool Chinatown oral histories, recorded in 2013.

Podcast commissioner: Liverpool Irish Festival

Writers, producers, recording team and editing: The Sound Agents

The Sound Agents hold all copywrite ownership. This recording has been licenced to Liverpool Irish Festival for this broadcast, but all other rights are reserved. Visit The Sound Agent website for more details of their work.

Mr Foo

Cathleen Delaney

Original webpage: https://www.liverpoolirishfestival.com/events/mr-foo-podcast

This song was commissioned by the Liverpool Irish Festival to use as its theme tune in 2021. This was part of a programme of commissions funded by the Government of Ireland's Creative Community Fund (#CreativeCommunity), a programme generated in response to the 2020 pandemic to support irish creatives in Britain. 

To find out more, click here.

This song was commissioned by the Liverpool Irish Festival to use as its theme tune in 2021. This was part of a programme of commissions funded by the Government of Ireland's Creative Community Fund (#CreativeCommunity), a programme generated in response to the 2020 pandemic to support irish creatives in Britain. 

To find out more, click here.

On 17 Oct 2020, the Liverpool Irish Festival led a Zoom interview between Patrick Kilety and two Commission For Victims and Survivors Forum members, Paul McCormac and Alan Brecknell. The #LIF2020 event was set up to consider reconciliation and what still needs to happen to assist community recovery following the Good Friday Agreement and the Troubles which led to its development.

This recording, is of that event. It is not remastered or edited, but is a document of what was said that day. It is not a professional recording and is offered simply for those who were not able to attend to hear what happened there. It is a bit scrappy, relying as it did on individual devices and connections, but it is representative of people's experiences and histories. 

Trigger warning: it is at times challenging, dealing as it does with the deaths of love ones. The Troubles saw over 3,700 people die and 40,000 people injured and traumatised. For some their stories may already have vanished from view, but these -at least- have not fallen by the wayside.

Not passing violence on to future generations is at the heart of the debate and there is a lot of hope to be found in understanding reconciliation and how society can build peace.

We hope you find it an interesting listen. 

The LIverpool Irish Festival gratefully acknowledges the funding it received from the Irish Government's Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade's Reconciliation Fund to mount this event, held in partnership with the Commission for Victims and Survivors as part of #LIF2020.