30 years of LIHH - Caroline’s story
Caroline Murphy, known to many in the Leeds Irish Health and Homes’ community, took up her post with LIHH in 1999. This September, she celebrates 27 years of supporting the Irish community in Leeds.
Here, she tells us about some of her personal highlights from over the years - and why she feels that now is an exciting time to be part of the LIHH team.
Caroline not long after she started working for LIHH as an Older Person’s Outreach Worker.
In 1999, Caroline Murphy saw an advert for an Older Person’s Outreach Worker post at Leeds Irish Health and Homes in The Irish Post. “I read it,” says Caroline, “and I thought ‘That’s just the job I’d want to do.’”
Caroline, whose parents hailed from County Mayo (Belmullet and Bonniconlon), was raised in Leeds’ Irish community. “Nearly all of our friends and neighbours were Irish,” she says. “We went to the Irish Centre every week - I’d grown up with it and known it all my life.” She applied, saying she remembers her interview as “lovely”.
Not long afterwards, Caroline heard she had the job. However, her career with LIHH was nearly over before it started. ”My youngest hadn’t started school yet and I was struggling for childcare,” she explains. The following week, her prayers were answered: “I went to church and saw an advert for a childminder. It’s like it was meant to be!”
Caroline’s early days with LIHH involved travelling around to health and community centres enquiring about older Irish members of the community. “There was a lot of asking ‘Do you know anyone who might need our help?’” Caroline remembers. Through conversations with prospective clients, she realised there was a lack of social events for older Irish people running during the day. “The Irish pubs were starting to close and there weren’t as many people going to them. I was visiting a couple at the time and they didn’t really want to be going into the pub to meet people, but there weren’t really any other options.”
And so the idea for Leeds Irish Health and Homes’ lunch clubs was born. “I used to do all the cooking at first,” Caroline explains, saying that a ‘typical’ meal might consist of homemade soup and soda bread followed by a chicken dinner. The clubs quickly expanded from four initial members - “I used to pick them all up in my car,” Caroline says - and gained a reputation for being a great place to relax and enjoy a home-cooked meal. “We charged £1 at first - now they’re £4 which I don’t think is bad after 25 years!”
Similarly, Caroline remembers when the LIHH St Patrick’s Day party and Christmas Lunch were small affairs held in the LIHH offices or local church halls. “Now we’ve relocated to Leeds Irish Centre where there’s space to seat up to 200 guests and plenty of room for dancing.”
One of Caroline’s highlights was LIHH’s first supported holiday back to Ireland. “We went to Ballinrobe, County Mayo, with a group of community members including some of our tenants,” Caroline recalls. Days out included a trip to Hennigan’s Heritage Centre, Ballintubber Abbey, Lough Corrib and a meeting with President McAleese. It was a fantastic trip. “We had clients who’d been away from home for 40-odd years. They didn’t have the confidence to go back on their own. If we hadn’t taken them, they might never have gone back,” Caroline adds. Afterwards, she made a photo album for everyone who’d been on the trip as a special memento.
Caroline (second from left) on LIHH’s first supported holiday to County Mayo in 2000 where the group met President McAleese.
Caroline has seen plenty of changes over the last 26 years. “We have more staff now, for a start. And we’re working more with young people. We’re doing more with other community groups and have built great relationships with the likes of Leeds Jamaica Society. Our digital inclusion work and our arts projects are relatively new and bringing in new members…it’s an exciting time to be doing this job,” she says.
And the most exciting part is the recent purchase of an office premises: LIHH’s first permanent home in the city in its 30-year history. “We’re already bringing in groups,” says Caroline. “And once we get going with our renovations, there’ll be a lot more scope.” The current plans involve transforming the former family centre in Harehills into a vibrant hub for Leeds Irish Community, complete with a catering-standard kitchen to host lunch clubs and other groups.
When asked what she enjoys most about her work, Caroline answers quickly. “The variety,” she says. “I’ve done so many different things - from the dementia group, to filling in benefit forms, to taking someone to a hospital appointment or helping organise events like the St Patrick’s Day party or our popular tea dances.”
“And it’s lovely to put a smile on someone’s face or make life a little easier for them. Sometimes I don’t think we realise the impact we have.”
Caroline (left) with members of the LIHH team at the St Patrick’s Day Ball in aid of Fréa (March 2026). In recent years, Leeds Irisi hHealth and Homes has become part of the Fréa partnership of Irish charities working to support Irish communities across the north of England.