Work has now started on the long-awaited new Irish World Heritage Centre in Manchester twenty five years after the original centre opened.

The new centre in Cheetham Hill, Manchester's most cosmopolitan area, will be unique in celebrating the history and contribution of Irish communities around the world.

The form of the new centre echoes that of an ancient Irish ring fort, with a large walled enclosure creating a unique outdoor public space.

This space is at the heart of a 25-acre complex at Queen's Road and includes a new attraction telling the story of Irish people worldwide - but before visitors can reach this, they will need to walk through the 'name walk' featuring every Irish surname and walk across the water feature representing the crossing that every Irish person had to make to leave Ireland.

The first phase of the project will also include a multi-purpose hall, bar and restaurant, shop, travel agent and business centre - all boasting cutting edge technology and restaurant filled with produce from the centre's own allotment and bee hives!

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It will also include the foundations for phase two, a conference centre, which will go ahead once funds have been raised. This will include a hotel development, an area celebrating the Irish heritage and history with education space, leisure facilities and football pitches.

Councillor Sue Murphy, deputy leader of Manchester City Council and chair of the Irish World Heritage Centre project, said: "The new Irish World Heritage Centre will be another internationally-significant Manchester visitor attraction.

"A much-improved Irish Centre has been a long-standing aspiration of the council and it's great news that it's underway, especially as part of a wider scheme which will create new jobs, facilities and business opportunities.

"The new centre will celebrate the contribution of the Irish community to Manchester and beyond, and allow other communities to learn about their experience."

Michael Forde, the Irish World Heritage Centre Chairman, said: "The new centre will be unlike anything else anywhere in the world and since we have been working on the plans for more than 10 years, it is really exciting to start telling people about it.

"Each element of the design has been chosen to represent an element of the unique Irish heritage - from the ancient ring fort outdoor space to the 'name walk' - and we hope it will become a place of reflection and remembrance for the millions of Irish people visiting from around the world."

The scheme will complement the wider regeneration of the area, which in recent years has included the creation of the nearby Manchester Fort retail park and the new Manchester Communication Academy in Harpurhey.

Improvements to this area are seen as one of the 'key drivers' in the council's North Manchester Strategic Regeneration framework, the document which is guiding the transformation of the whole area.

(CD)