❚ This is the Place, by Tony ‘Longfella’ Walsh
Tony Walsh’s poem is is the Place brought together a city in mourning a er the horri c Manchester Arena a ack on 22 May
2017 – a date imprinted on the hearts and minds of all Mancunians.
In the spring sunshine, thousands of Mancunians gathered in Albert
Square to grieve the 22 lives lost and hundreds more injured. Tony’s passionate recital of his ode to Manchester o ered a moment of catharsis for the mourners gathered, as it encapsulated the pride, passion, and de ance of Manchester’s people.
As Tony writes, Manchester is a city de ned by its people: “Some are born here, some drawn here, but they all call it home. And they’ve covered the cobbles, but they’ll never defeat, all the dreamers and schemers who still teem through these streets.” I am one of the thousands drawn to this city from across the world – welcomed with open arms and proud to call myself a Mancunian.
is poem reminds me of our city’s darkest hour, when hate took so much from us. But it also reminds me of the strength, resilience, and courage that de nes our people. In Albert Square that day, Tony showed us all why Manchester is the greatest city in the world and why our spirit could never and will never be broken.
"Because this is the place in our hearts, in our homes, because this is the place that’s a part of our bones.
Because Greater Manchester gives such strength from the fact that this is the place, we should give something back.
Always remember, never forget, forever Manchester."
“The poem reminds me of the strength, resilience, and courage that defines the people of Manchester”