‘The Holdings’ Poetry Project

Poetry and associated cultural participation are widely acknowledged as powerful tools in addressing trauma and social and cultural dislocation. From the 1840s the Irish grew to become one of Leeds’ largest migrant communities. Many members of this community experienced ‘historical wounding’ in the loss of family, place and belonging as part of their generational migration.

Collected over a 200 year period, Leeds Museums & Galleries collections hold a range of objects that evidence a, still largely unaddressed, prejudice towards Irish people. A key intention of the project was to allow members of the Irish community meet those expressions of prejudice and to process them in positive and empowering ways.

An anthology of the poems ‘The Holdings’, edited by Laura McDonagh and Ian Duhig, was published in May 2025 with a launch event at Leeds Industrial Museum. The launch was attended by Sarah Mangan the Consul General of Ireland for the North of England. The released of the anthology was featured in the Irish Times. 

A copy of the ‘The Holdings’ anthology and a hand-written copy of Ian Duhig’s poem ‘Beater’ have been acquired for the Leeds Museums & Galleries permanent collection. Ian’s poem is, in part, a cultural reclamation of the ‘Irish rioter’ cosh in our collections. A copy of the anthology has also been requested by the National Library of Ireland for inclusion in their catalogue.