About the ICC
The Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith opened its doors in 1995 as the premiere centre in the UK dedicated to the promotion and welfare of Irish art and culture abroad. The ICC welcomes and invites people of all backgrounds and cultures to participate in our 3 core activities: our culture, community, and education programmes.
Culture Programme
Every year we hold a varied and exciting culture programme that includes high profile Irish music, theatre, film screenings, storytelling, Irish literature, comedy, art exhibitions, and a themed lecture series strengthening the bond between the UK and Ireland.
Community Programme
Alongside our culture programme, we also run a low cost and free community programme of Irish music sessions, singer songwriter nights, classical musical recitals, ceili’s, tea dances for elders, poetry groups, afternoon film screenings, knitting groups, and exercise classes battling the effects of isolation, loneliness, and inactivity.
Education Programme
Finally, our education programme is open to people of all ages and backgrounds as we run varied classes from literature and film to Irish Music and Dancing, which has a large intake of age ranges, focusing on friendship with the person, not the age group. In 2008 we were awarded the Mayors Award for our services to the London community.
The Team
Board
Peter Power-Hynes
Chairman
Born in Dublin but raised in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. Educated in Carrick-on-Suir and Dublin, he subsequently trained as an accountant with E&Y in Ireland and operated his own private practice in London from 1990. He is also a Trustee of The Irish Literary Society (founded 1892) and Irish Heritage Limited and Assistant Curator of the London Irish Rifles Museum.
He is a Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts in London and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. He is also a member of The Military History Society of Ireland and the British Association of Irish Studies. He has a wide interest in Irish Culture, Postal History and Military History. He also has a keen interest in family research.
He did a Post Graduate MA in Irish Studies at St. Mary’s University, Strawberry Hill in 2013/2014. His dissertation was titled “Subaltern Voices of the Connaught Rangers 1914-1922.” He has lectured in Ireland and the UK on Irish Military topics.
Rosalind Scanlon
Culture Director
Rosalind is a Professional Playwright, Theatre Director and Producer, she is also a producer of Irish arts festivals and events, including the acclaimed festival ‘A Sense Of Ireland’ at The Riverside Studios. From 1995 she was the Irish Centre’s founding Artistic Director. She left in 2009 to pursue her theatrical career. She now serves as our Culture Director.
Rosalind has her own theatre company ‘Irish Repertory Theatre and Film Co. UK’. She has scripted and directed many new Irish plays including the hit show ‘Dance Hall Days’ at The Riverside Studios. She has also directed many plays by Ireland’s leading playwrights, Brian Friel, J.M. Synge and John B. Keane. Rosalind currently facilitates drama workshops for Older Irish Women (aged 55 plus;) and for young aspiring Irish actors. She established the ‘Older Irish Women’s Drama Workshop’ and also Act Your Age, Drama, which creates new community plays with older people. Rosalind said 'It's great to be part of this new and exciting phase of the Irish Cultural Centre - and it's an honour to have the opportunity to be part of The ICC Board and to play a role in creating a centre for the Irish Community, full of creative and cultural possibilities’.
Anthony Harte
Director and Trustee
Anthony oversees the philanthropy programme in Europe, Middle East and Africa at Bank of America as part of the Public Policy, ESG and Capital Deployment team. Before joining the bank, Anthony established the responsible business programme at Nomura for the EMEA region. He started his career at Lehman Brothers.Throughout his 15 years in Investment Banking, Anthony has helped organisations effectively broaden and deepen their philanthropic activities, combining financial and human capital to create social, economic and environmental outcomes. Anthony sits on a range of not-for profit boards and has several advisory roles,including as a founding Trustee of Right to Succeed, Director of The Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith and an Ambassador for The Careers and Enterprise Company. Anthony has been recognised for his contributions to Corporate Philanthropy with several industry awards, including the Lord Mayor’s Heart of the City Award.
David Boyd
Director and Trustee
David is a native of Antrim, but has lived in England for 14 years. Educated in Ballyclare, David moved to Bath in 2007 to study history, focusing on the history of Belfast during the periods 1919-21. From studying African, Islamic and Irish history, David decided to pursue a career in law with the intention of utilising the law for communities that are excluded. He moved to London to study an accelerated law degree at Queen Mary, University of London. He trained at international law firm, Clifford Chance, and is now a senior associate who also heads up the firm's pro bono practice for the UK & Ireland. David has degrees in history and law, and is a passionate advocate of access to justice.
Whenever free time arises, David will inevitably gravitate towards the most beautiful part of Ireland, south-west Donegal.
Anne Flaherty
Trustee
London-born to Irish parents and raised in Co Clare, Anne started her journalistic career on a local newspaper in Ennis before moving to the Irish Press in Dublin and later the Irish Times in Belfast. She spent several years living in South Africa and Hong Kong, covering international news for Irish and UK news outlets, including the Irish Times and RTÉ Radio. More recently, Anne has led the editorial team of a digital news outlet in West London. Anne's passion for the arts, and particularly literature, continues, as a presenter/interviewer with the ICC.
Anne holds a B.A. in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin, and an M.A . in Anglo-Irish Literature from Queen's University Belfast, as well as an M.A .in Children’s Literature from the University of Surrey.
Welcoming her new role, Anne commented; “ I’m delighted to join the Board of the Irish Cultural Centre as a trustee and to be part of the vibrant team as we move into an exciting new era for culture and the arts."
Troy Gallagher
Trustee
Troy is a native from Letterkenny in the beautiful county of Donegal and has lived in England since 1995. Educated in Donegal, he moved to Oxford to study English and currently works in HR within the civil service. He is a Fellow of the Chartered institute of Personnel and Development.
Troy has 20 years experience in public life and is currently a local councillor in the London borough of Islington. He has previously served on the board of EC1 New Deal for communities which was set up by Tony Blair’s labour government to tackle poverty in the most deprived areas in the UK. In his role a local councillor in Islington for the past 14 years holding senior committee roles and chairs, overseen Islington Olympics torch relay procession and programme, was Deputy mayor and in 2021 became the first Irish born Mayor of Islington. Troy has a wealth of experience working with the Irish diaspora and tackling poverty, community engagement and linking the rich history of culture and heritage into community and education.
He is a board member of the British Irish Trade Alliance (BITA). Troy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Lucy Briggs
Trustee
Born and raised in Helen’s Bay County Down, Lucy is extremely passionate about her Northern Irish up bringing and engagement with other cultures, having spent time working and studying in the United States of America, China and Belgium.
Lucy is currently Programme Director of University College London’s Bicentennial Programme for their 200th Anniversary in 2026. She is responsible for developing and managing the overall strategy for all activities and events related to UCL’s 200th Anniversary. Prior to this, she spent over five and half years working for King Charles III and Queen Camilla at both Clarence House and Buckingham Palace. Most recently, she was the Project Lead for The Coronation Concert, an event attended by 23,000c individuals and watched by over 11.4 million around the world. Prior to this, Lucy worked for The King (as Prince of Wales) on both domestic and international strategy, leading the planning, delivery and coordination of Royal visits including several significant visits to both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Lucy has also worked for the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels where she supported the delivery of Northern Ireland’s Cultural Platform in Europe.
Ambassadors
Seamus McGarry
Ambassador
Seamus McGarry is a native of Kilkenny and has been a prominent member of the Irish community in Britain for over 40 years. He was well known in the GAA in the 60's as a hurler in London and Hertfordshire. After 30 years of service with BT, Seamus retired in 1992.
Seamus has spent his life dedicated to the betterment of the Irish in Britain. He served over 10 years in office as the chairman of the Federation of Irish Societies over two terms. He was a founding member of the Ireland Fund of Great Britain in 1988. He retired as a trustee of the fund in 2022 He was appointed the Director of the Safe Start Foundation in London 1992-1998.
He served as a member of the Irish Government’s Emigrant Services Committee for 28 years, retiring in 2022. Seamus retired as a secretary of the Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith in 2022
The ICC is delighted to call him an Ambassador for his service and friendship over the years.
Mary Walker
Ambassador
In March 1995, on behalf of Hammersmith & Fulham Council and its residents and together with Rosalind Scanlon, Mary opened the Borough’s original Irish Centre to the public and ran it with an explicit mission to promote Irish culture - not only because it is amongst the richest and most vibrant in the world but because arts and education bring people together and have the capacity to cross divides, within communities and between heritages.
Twelve years later - after hundreds of staff, volunteers, artists, musicians, academics, performers, bookworms, polemists, teachers, students, audiences and many more had embraced the Centre and breathed life into its vision - Mary and Rosalind negotiated and managed transfer to the independent voluntary organisation which has led the Irish Cultural Centre since March 2007. Mary then served as a director for a decade in which the ICC established itself, purchased the freehold and redeveloped the site and for its first year of operation in the new building.
The ICC is delighted to call her an ambassador for her founding role and friendship going forward.
Staff
William Foote
Centre Director
William is from Bangor, Co. Down, graduating from the University of Glasgow with a degree in History and Theatre, and a Master's degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Classical and Contemporary Acting. From his studies and personal interests, William has gained valuable experience in events management and marketing having performed and worked with many theatre and film companies, most notably Shakespeare's Globe, London and Bard in the Botanics, Glasgow.
He also launched his own theatre company 'Now What Theatre' which toured the UK and the USA, gaining fantastic reviews and winning multiple awards, such as 'Best of the Fringe' at Capital Fringe, Washington DC, and 'Critics' and 'Audience Choice' Awards, Portland Fringe. William took a year out from the world of arts and became the assistant manager of a successful children's education company in London. He is very excited to be a part of the Irish Cultural Centre's management team, and believes it is the perfect role, allowing him to blend his passions of arts, history, and Irish culture into one.
Connect with William Foote on:
Emma Byrne
Digital Media & Events Manager
Emma is from London, with Irish family from West Wicklow and Waterford. She studied Literature and Philosophy at university (completing a final dissertation on William Butler Yeats) and is a passionate advocate for music and the arts. After previous PR and Marketing roles within London corporate startups, Emma joined the management team at The Irish Cultural Centre in 2021, where she continues to lead the organisation's digital marketing, social media and event communications. Emma is very proud to bring her creative and digital skills to the ICC, enjoying the opportunity to explore the roots of her heritage whilst promoting the richness of Irish culture in the UK capital and beyond.
Look out for the ICC's weekly events newsletter, sent out by Emma every Monday! 🙂
John Byrne
Librarian
John, whose parents hailed from Wicklow and Waterford, was brought up in Wandsworth, South West London. As part of his Modern Languages degree, he studied at the universities of Pisa and Nancy. After completing his Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and an M.A. specialising in Italian history and politics, he taught for nearly forty years in a number of high schools in the Borough of Ealing. He taught languages, History and Global Politics, and was responsible for Citizenship, while also running a school library for nearly thirty years. Following his retirement, John did some exam invigilation and enrolled in Irish language and history courses at St Mary’s University, before pursuing some research in the role of Irish revolutionary women. Though still conversant in French and Italian, Irish has proved to be more of a challenge, but he lives in hope of a breakthrough some day. In 2021, he volunteered to establish a new library at the ICC. Through generous donations, the collection is already nearly three times larger than its predecessor. This has been a huge undertaking, but with additional charitable funding, a new catalogue and library management system are being introduced, and John hopes to make this valuable and unique collection available to Library members and the wider Irish community of West London, over the coming months.
Roisin Finn
Events Officer
Roisin hails from County Galway where she grew up and completed her undergraduate degree in Biopharmaceutical Chemistry. She moved to London to complete the MA Acting programme at the Arts Educational School in Chiswick and now is enjoying immersing herself in all the London creative scene has to offer. Through many years of involvement with theatre, active engagement in University societies and an internship with the renowned Galway International Arts Festival, Roisin has developed a deep passion for the arts and Irish culture.
Roisin is thrilled to have found a little slice of home at the ICC and, better yet, gets to play a part in making the centre a truly special Irish oasis in the heart of London.
Chomh maith le sin ar fad is Gaeilgeoir í! Mar sin, má tá Gaeilge agat déan cinnte í a labhairt leí!
Our Patrons
Volunteers
The Irish Cultural Centre is very lucky to have many wonderful and dedicated volunteers, who help with most aspects of our work. Without their tireless support, the ICC simply wouldn't be able to survive. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their time, energy, and moral support. If you would like to become a volunteer at the ICC, we would be delighted to hear from you. If you think you might have a spare couple of hours each week then please contact us at [email protected]
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