The Irish Centre

What The Irish Centre does

The Leeds Irish Centre is a privately held, community-interest venue and cultural hub based on a 3-acre site on York Road in Leeds, West Yorkshire, founded on 20 January 1970. It operates five distinct event spaces — the 800-capacity Tara Suite (flagship concert and event hall), Claddagh Room (300), O'Meara Suite (180), Avoca Suite (150) and the members-only Davitt Bar (180) — equipped with LED lighting, full AV rigs, staging, three bars, in-house catering kitchens, and accessible facilities. The Centre is governed by a committee (Chairman Liam Thompson, Vice Chair Padraig Flaherty, Secretary Rena Cosgrove, Treasurer Willy Mullan) and managed by Tommy McLoughlin MBE, who has held the role for over 50 years. A second manager, Chris Power, is also listed alongside an assistant manager, office manager, and two catering staff, for a total of nine employees.

Its core products are venue hire (weddings, wakes, private functions, concerts, sports screenings, and community events), on-site bar sales, annual memberships, a walk-in Irish-themed retail shop, and a Tuesday Club for over-60s that has grown to 200+ weekly attendees. Ancillary services include wedding coordination, a passport witnessing service for the Irish Embassy, the Yorkshire Irish Hub Directory of 76 affiliated organisations, and the Leeds Charity Lunch annual fundraiser, which has raised £3.5M+ for 100+ charities since 2000. Pricing is set per event for venue hire, on a unit basis for shop goods (range £1.20–£20), and as a recurring subscription for membership; funeral wake room hire is provided at no charge with only catering billed.

The business model is event-driven and community-funded: revenue is generated through one-time venue licence fees, transactional bar and shop sales, and recurring membership subscriptions, supplemented by charitable fundraising events. The go-to-market motion is direct and relationship-led — phone, email, website contact forms, and word-of-mouth within the Irish community in Yorkshire and the North East — with newsletter marketing via the GoHighLevel platform. The customer base comprises the Irish community in Leeds and wider Yorkshire, including elderly members, GAA clubs, Irish dance schools, couples booking weddings, and families arranging wakes, with charities acting as beneficiaries of fundraising rather than as revenue customers.

Name

The Irish Centre

Legal name

The Leeds Irish Centre

Website

https://theleedsirishcentre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Leeds Irish Centre is a community-interest venue in Leeds, West Yorkshire, operating five event spaces (capacity 110–800) for weddings, wakes, concerts, and cultural events, serving the Irish community in Yorkshire and the North East through venue hire, bars, membership, retail, and the Tuesday Club for over-60s.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Venue and Hospitality Services

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Purpose Event Halls & Community Centers (THAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty & Historic Venues (Landmarks, Estates) (THAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Event venue hire
• Wedding reception venue
• Irish community centre
• Function room hire
• Bar and catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Venue Hire: Rental of venue spaces for weddings, funeral wakes, private functions, concerts, and sporting events. Catering services provided alongside venue hire.
2. Bar Sales: On-site bar operations across multiple bars in venue spaces. Davitt Bar operates as members' bar.
3. Membership: Annual membership providing access to members' bar and lounge, discounted event tickets, priority venue booking, and weekly social activities.
4. Retail Shop: In-person sales of Irish food products including confectionery, dairy, crisps, snacks, meat, deli, bakery, baking mixes, soups, condiments, preserves, drinks, tea, merchandise (polo shirts), and books (50 Years in the Making).
5. Charitable Fundraising: Leeds Charity Lunch annual fundraising event, whiskey auction tradition, lottery operations (St Benedict's Harps GAA Weekly Lotto), raffles, and donations supporting local and national charities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Leeds Irish Centre operates a multi-purpose event venue complex on York Road in Leeds comprising five distinct hireable spaces (Tara Suite up to 800, Avoca Suite up to 150, Claddagh Room up to 300, Davitt Bar up to 180, O'Meara Suite up to 180) used for weddings, funeral wakes, private functions, concerts, sporting events, and community gatherings. The Centre also provides in-house catering, multiple on-site bars, an Irish-themed retail shop, community programming such as the Tuesday Club for elderly members, and passport witnessing as a courtesy to the Irish Embassy.

Product overview

Leeds Irish Centre operates as a multi-venue community and entertainment complex offering five distinct event spaces (Tara Suite, Avoca Suite, Claddagh Room, Davitt Bar, and O'Meara Suite) that collectively accommodate events ranging from intimate gatherings of 110 to large celebrations of up to 800 guests. The venue provides managed event services including weddings, funerals, and private functions alongside regular community programming such as the Tuesday Club for seniors, live sports broadcasts, traditional Irish music sessions, quizzes, and Bingo Lingo. Additional offerings include an Irish Centre Shop retail outlet, passport witnessing service, and the Yorkshire Irish Hub Directory connecting community organisations. The venue serves as a social hub for the Irish community in Leeds and across Yorkshire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tara Suite
• Avoca Suite
• Claddagh Room
• Davitt Bar
• O'Meara Suite
• Weddings and Functions Service
• Funeral Wakes Service
• Tuesday Club
• Passport Witnessing Service
• Irish Centre Shop
• Annual Membership
• Leeds Charity Lunch and Whiskey Auction

Quantifiable outcome

• £3.5M+ raised for charities since 2000 through Leeds Charity Lunch
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Leeds Irish Health & HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership for Irish passport application support. Leeds Irish Health & Homes provides assistance with Irish passport renewals and applications in Leeds, with contacts Anne Pearce and Megan McClean available for support. Leeds Irish Centre provides passport witnessing service as courtesy to Irish Embassy.
• Irish Dance Schools (32 organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Irish dance schools across Yorkshire and North East including Field Academy of Irish Dancing (York), Cassidy School of Irish Dance (Huddersfield), Gibbons Academy (Leeds), and 29 others. Dance schools use Centre for classes and performances.
• GAA Clubs (8 organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with GAA clubs including John F Kennedy's Leeds, St Benedict's Harps, Brothers Pearse (Huddersfield), Hugh O'Neill's, Cuchulainns (Sunderland), Sheffield GAA, York GAA, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne GAA. Supports Gaelic football and hurling community.
• Irish Centres NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected to Huddersfield Irish Centre, Tyneside Irish Centre, York Irish Centre, Halifax Irish Centre, Batley Irish Democratic League Club, Birstall Irish Democratic League Club, and Dewsbury Irish National Club through Yorkshire Irish Hub Directory.
• Funeral Directors NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking relationship with local funeral directors for seamless wake arrangements. Centre coordinates directly with funeral directors to make arrangements simple and meaningful.
• Cultural OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Comhaltas Leeds, Comhaltas Middlesbrough, Leeds Irish Choir, St Patrick's Day Parade organizations (Leeds and Huddersfield), and various county associations including Mayo Association and Pioneer Association.
• Yorkshire Cancer ResearchcoreOthersMajor beneficiary of Leeds Charity Lunch fundraising with £850K+ raised over 20+ years for cancer charities including Yorkshire Cancer Research, Macmillan Nurses, and Leeds hospitals.
• Simon on the StreetscoreOthersWeekly sandwich donations (10+ sandwiches) and charitable support for Leeds-based homeless outreach charity. Over £420K raised for homeless and crisis support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Huddersfield Irish Centre: Listed in the Leeds Irish Centre's Yorkshire Irish Hub Directory as a partner organisation. Yorkshire-based Irish community venue offering function-hire, bar, and cultural programming — directly comparable on footprint, geography, and operating model.
• London Irish Centre: UK's largest Irish community centre in Camden, London, operating multi-purpose venue spaces, a members' bar, community programming, and charitable events. Closest functional equivalent to Leeds Irish Centre in terms of community-driven event hosting, membership model, and diaspora engagement.
• Manchester Irish Centre: Established Irish community venue in Manchester offering function rooms, bars, and cultural programming to a large Irish-diaspora community. Operates an overlapping model of venue hire, bar sales, and community events comparable to Leeds Irish Centre.
• York Irish Centre: Listed in the Leeds Irish Centre's Yorkshire Irish Hub Directory. Local Irish community venue in York providing function space, bar, and community gatherings for the local Irish diaspora — closely comparable in scale and event offerings.
• Halifax Irish Centre: Listed in the Leeds Irish Centre's Yorkshire Irish Hub Directory. West Yorkshire Irish community venue with function rooms and bar — directly comparable in regional setting and operating model to Leeds Irish Centre.
• Batley Irish Democratic League Club: Listed in the Leeds Irish Centre's Yorkshire Irish Hub Directory as a partner organisation. Local Irish social club in West Yorkshire providing venue hire and bar operations — directly comparable in community-club model and regional footprint.

Others

• Conway Centres: UK charity running residential and non-residential conference/education centres with function rooms, catering, and event hosting. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — analogous in running event venue operations within a non-profit governance structure.

Regional players

• Birmingham Irish Centre: Major regional Irish community venue in Birmingham offering multi-purpose function rooms, bar, and cultural events for one of the UK's largest Irish-diaspora populations. Comparable operating model though on a larger scale and serving Midlands geography.
• Tyneside Irish Centre: Listed in the Leeds Irish Centre's Yorkshire and North East Irish Hub Directory. North East England's Irish community venue providing multi-purpose function halls, bar, and cultural events comparable to Leeds in scope though serving Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
• Glasgow Irish Centre: Scotland's principal Irish community venue offering multi-use function rooms, bar, and cultural events for Glasgow's Irish population. Comparable in operating model — venue hire, membership, bar — though serves a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/leedsirishcentrenl
• Instagraminstagram.com/leedsirishcentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-irish-centre

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Irish Centre