THE origins of Irish settlers in Haslingden during the last century are being celebrated over the coming weeks.

A calendar of events has been organised by the Irish Heritage in Haslingden Committee to commemorate the legacy bequeathed to the town by Irish migrants since the potato famines of the mid-nineteenth century.

One of the central figures is Michael Davitt, a radical and humanitarian who dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of the under privileged.

His family arrived in Haslingden in 1850, when he was just four, after they were evicted from their Mayo home. Homeless, they found a house to rent in Rockhall, where most of their neighbours were Irish.

Remaining in Haslingden for 20 years, their last home was in Wilkinson Street, where a memorial has now been set up.

Michael went to St Mary's School, then housed in an attic in his street, but soon went into the mills. He had had been employed for some time at Stelfox's at Baxenden before an accident caused the amputation of his right arm.

This tragic episode proved to be a turning point in his life when, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, he embarked on a further course of education and his life was spent fighting social injustices, for which he served a prison sentence. He founded and edited Labour World and served as a Home Rule MP in the 1890s. This year marks the centenary of his death.

There's also a memorial tablet to him at Haslingden St Mary's, which was was opened in 1859 from donations and was the scene of a confrontation nine years later when a band of militant anti-Catholics, known as the Murphyites, attempted a march on it.

As the mob approached, a young Michael Davitt fired several pistol shots into the air, and the crowd fled. It was some time though before religious animosities diminished and an armed guard had to be maintained at the church.

The community also opened the Irish Democratic League Club around 1880, which moved to its present building in George Street in 1911.

Apart from its obvious social outlet, the club provided library and newsroom facilities, invited guests to speak and organised a scheme to grant financial aid to children selected to attend secondary schools.

l Exhibitions, theatre, walks, song and dance are all part of the community celebrations, now running until April. Log on to www.ihihc.co.uk for more details.