Retro Clitheroe: A look back at why the town was once a popular destination for Irish workers

The reception was held in Stirk House, Clitheroe and its Clitheroe that my piece is about – Clitheroe Hiring Fairs.

In the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, many small farmers and labourers from the West of Ireland, particularly from counties like Sligo and Mayo, travelled to England to seek work during the lean farming months.

The market town of Clitheroe became a key destination due to its long history of hosting hiring fairs. These fairs provided opportunities for seasonal agricultural work, and many Irish families relied on this temporary migration to supplement their income. The hiring fairs in Clitheroe were a lifeline for small farmers struggling with poor land, low agricultural output, and limited local employment.

Young men, and sometimes even women, would often leave their homes after the local harvest and head across the Irish Sea. They would travel by ferry, usually landing in Liverpool or Holyhead, and then make their way to towns like Clitheroe where they would gather to be hired by local farmers or estate owners.

At the fairs, labourers would stand in groups while employers, mostly local landowners and farmers, would choose workers based on their appearance and reputation. The work ranged from general farm labor to more specific tasks like potato picking, sheep herding, or muck spreading. Most of the employment was physically demanding, but the wages earned, though modest, were vital for the families back home in Ireland.

These labourers often stayed in basic lodgings or in quarters provided by their employers, and they would work long hours, particularly during the harvest seasons. Despite the hardships, many formed strong bonds with local communities, and the tradition of Irish labour in towns like Clitheroe left a lasting cultural imprint on both the Irish workers and the townspeople. Names like Forde, Murray, O'Dowd, Mullarkey, Deehan, Kelly and Ruane come to mind as men who left the West of Ireland to go to Clitheroe from May onwards.

This migration gradually tapered off as Ireland's economy began to improve in the 1970s, and local employment opportunities became more available. However, the legacy of those who travelled to the hiring fairs during these decades remains an important part of both Irish and British agricultural history.

As I walked the grounds of Stirk House and travelled on to Lancaster, I felt I was walking and travelling in the footsteps of my ancestors where they toiled for long hours in the fertile fields of Lancashire. I knew many of the aforementioned names but sadly they have all passed on now. Perhaps some of your readers may remember some of those Irish men and women helped out with ‘The Hay, the Harvest and the Picking’ as it was known in those times. If you do, you can contact me at [email protected].