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Our Deepest CondolencesJean Scullion

Looking for something fun to do with the kids these school holidays?

Come join us for a creative morning of crafting fun! 🧶🖍️✨

📅 When: Wednesday 9th July
🕥 Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm
📍 Where: 29 Domain Terrace, Spreydon
💵 Cost: $5 per child

☕ Morning tea provided!
👩‍👧 Children must be supervised by a caregiver - but don’t worry, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a coffee while we take care of the crafting fun! 😌☕

🎉 Spaces are limited - don’t miss out!

Click the link below to get tickets!

Get Your Tickets

School Holiday Crafts!School Holiday Crafts!

The Christchurch Irish Club warmly invites all members to attend our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM)

This is an important opportunity to reflect on the past year, discuss the club’s progress, elect committee members, and help shape the future of our community.

📅 Date: Sunday 20th July

🕒 Time: 11am Brunch 1pm Meeting Starts

📍 Venue: The Christchurch Irish Club

Your voice matters - we encourage all members to come along, participate, and stay connected with the heart of the Irish community in Christchurch.

Please could you let us know if you are attending by clicking on the link so we can gauge numbers for catering purposes, go raibh maith agat!

Tell us you are coming

(Tickets are free)

Annual General MeetingAnnual General Meeting

Bonfires and Sunlight: Celebrating the Summer Solstice and St. John’s Eve

As the sun begins its long, golden descent on Saturday, June 21st, 2025, if you are in the Northern Hemisphere will find yourself bathed in the radiant fullness of the Summer Solstice. At exactly 3:41 a.m., the sun will reach its highest point in the sky, marking the astronomical beginning of summer and the longest day of the year. In Ireland, where the rhythms of the land have long danced in step with the turning sun, this moment is more than a celestial event; it is a time steeped in meaning, echoing with ancient customs and a still kind of magic.

Just two days later, on June 23rd, Ireland marks St. John’s Eve, or more commonly known now as ‘Bonfire Night’ an ancient midsummer fire festival with roots older than Christianity itself. Once a widespread tradition throughout the island, bonfires would blaze across the landscape at sunset. People gathered around flames for protection, healing, and a touch of revelry. Herbs were tossed into the fire, stories were told, and some brave souls leapt through the flames, shedding bad luck and old fears with every jump.

In more recent times my memories of Bonfire Night are forever bound to the wild heart of the West of Ireland on the island of Inishmore, where the Atlantic winds carry whispers of older times. In the weeks leading up to the night, locals would quietly begin their preparations, gathering driftwood, pallets, and anything that might catch a flame, though now and then, someone might slyly slip in the week's rubbish for good measure. The fires are built high, stacked with care and anticipation, ready to greet the midsummer dusk.

Celebrating the Summer Solstice and St. John’s Eve Celebrating the Summer Solstice and St. John’s Eve

 

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Matariki Star Border

Dia dhuit and Kia ora to all our members, friends, and extended whānau.

"Matariki mā Puanga: Celebrating together."– may this season bring rest, remembrance, and renewal for you and your whānau.”

As the stars of Matariki mā Puanga rise once more in the midwinter sky, we are reminded of the diverse ways the Māori New Year is observed across Aotearoa. For some iwi, particularly in the South Island such as Ngāi Tahu (or Kai Tahu in regional dialect), it is Puanga the bright star also known as Rigel that heralds the beginning of the new year. In many southern regions, Puanga is more visible than Matariki, and so it is the first to be seen. Yet whether one looks first to Matariki or Puanga, the spirit of the season remains the same: a time of remembrance, renewal, and shared celebration. we want to take a moment to acknowledge this special season and offer our heartfelt wishes to you and your families.

Over the past few years, the Christchurch Irish Society has marked Matariki with special events celebrating the unique cultural fabric of Aotearoa. This year, however, after the busyness and joy of hosting the Rose of Tralee NZ Selection, we’ve made the decision to step back from organising a formal gathering. Instead, in the true spirit of Matariki, we’re embracing the opportunity to slow down, rest, and spend time with our loved ones. It feels fitting. Matariki is, at its heart, a time to pause, an invitation to honour the past, celebrate the present, and look with intention toward the future.

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The Monthly Blog You Didn’t Know You Needed (from Your Community Liaison Officer)

Dia dhuit, Kia ora,

Well, would you look at that – I’m nearly two months into the job as your Community Liaison Officer and what a whirlwind it’s been! Time flies when you’re figuring out where the coffee lives and how to spell “liaison” without checking three times (still a work in progress, honestly).

After the Easter break, I decided to kick off my tenure with a bang by organising my very first event – all by myself, thank you very much. Slightly terrifying? Yes. But I figured between my event experience and blind optimism, I could pull it off. And thus, the Mother’s Day Cookie & Crafting morning was born.

May I Muse?May I Muse?

Read more …

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