OTLEY'S strong ties to Ireland will be celebrated this week with an evening of discussion and song.
The Manor House is hosting the event on Thursday, March 10 as part of the 2016 Leeds Irish History Month.
Proceedings will begin at 7.30pm with a talk by historian Chris Power MBE on his booklet Memorial to the Irish in Otley, Yorkshire, England: A Kilmoremoy Parish Development Ltd Project.
Mr Power will describe the research that led to the work, which gives an insight into the lives of the 500 or so refugees who fled the Great Famine in Ireland (1845 to 1852) and re-settled in Otley.
The Manor House is an apt venue for the event as the pub is named after the home of Thomas Constable - the Otley solicitor who, with his sister Mary, helped many of those who were fleeing.
The inn's licensees, David and Eileen Stephan, also happen to be Irish.
Mr Stephan said: “The tenth of March is about re-telling an age old story that was, up to a few years ago, virtually unheard of.
"It’s about giving recognition to those who made the hard journey from Mayo, Sligo and other parts of Ireland to Otley, but also about giving recognition to the Otley community in welcoming and embracing those who arrived, making
Otley one of the most inclusive, tolerant towns in West Yorkshire.
"The story of Thomas Constable has many facets and this evening will give those who are fascinated by this story the chance to hear from a renowned expert some of the events surrounding the arrival of the Irish in the 1840s."
Live music will also feature with local folk band Summercross, led by Otley's MP Greg Mulholland, performing after Mr Power's presentation.
Mr Mulholland (Lib Dem, Leeds North West) said: "I am very pleased to be taking part in this important event as part of Leeds Irish History Month.
"This is an important part of local history and recognises the role Otley and its residents, especially Thomas Constable, played in providing a safe haven for those who sought refuge here as a result of The Great Hunger.
"I am looking forward to being part of this event and performing Irish Fields - a song the band wrote about an Irish family who were forced to leave and settled in Otley - at the Manor House with Summercross."
The pub holds regular fundraising events for the Thomas Constable Statue Fund, which has been set up to raise money and campaign for a permanent memorial in the town.
The campaign was launched by Mr Mulholland and former Otley mayor Ray Smith on St Patrick's Day, 2014.