Irish migration to Great Britain
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| Regions with significant populations |
| Throughout Great Britain, especially London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. |
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| Related ethnic groups |
Irish migration to Great Britain has a lengthy history due to the close proximity of, and complex relationship between, the islands of Ireland and Great Britain and the various political entities that have ruled them. Today, millions of residents of Great Britain are either from the island of Ireland or have Irish ancestry. Around six million Britons have an Irish grandfather or grandmother (approximately 10% of the UK population).[3] The Irish-born population in Britain is the world's fourth largest overseas community of any country-of-birth group behind Mexican immigrants to the United States, Turks to Germany and Indians also to the US.[4]
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[edit] History
Irish people have been the largest minority group in Britain for centuries, regularly migrating across the Irish Sea. From the earliest recorded history to the present, there has been a continuous movement of people between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain due to their proximity. This tide has ebbed and flowed in response to politics, economics and social conditions of both places.
The most significant exodus followed the worst of a series of potato crop failures in the 1840s - the Great Famine. It is estimated that more than one million people died, and almost the same again emigrated. A further wave of emigration to England also took place between the 1930s and 1960s, because of various socio-economic reasons involving the long and brutal struggle against the British for human rights and political independence and the resulting civil war which revolved around the splitting of the island into north and south. This was furthered by the severe labour shortage in Britain during the mid-twentieth century, which depended largely on Irish immigrants to work in the areas of construction and domestic labour. The extent of the Irish contribution to Britain's construction industry in the 20th century may be gauged from Sir William MacAlpine's 1998 assertion that the contribution of the Irish to the success of his industry had been 'immeasurable'. Ireland's population fell from more than 8 million to just 6.5 million from 1841-51. A century later it had dropped to 4.3 million. By the late 19th century, emigration was heaviest from Ireland's most rural southern and western counties. Cork, Kerry, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Tipperary and Limerick alone provided nearly half of Ireland's emigrants. Some of this movement was temporary, made up of seasonal harvest labourers working in Britain and returning home for winter and spring. By the mid-1930s, England was, by necessity, the choice of many who had to leave Ireland. Britain's wartime economy (1939-45) and post-war boom attracted many Irish people to expanding towns such as London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Luton.
According to the UK 2001 Census, white Irish-born residents make up 1.2% of those living in England and Wales.[5] In 1997, the Irish Government in its White Paper on Foreign Policy claimed that there were around two million Irish citizens living in Britain, the majority of them British-born.[citation needed]
[edit] Terminology
The terms 'British Irish' and 'Irish Briton' are not normally used for Britons of Irish ancestry; it is most often applied to politically and culturally pro-British Unionists in both the Republic and Northern Ireland. It is more common for people of Irish descent within Great Britain to describe themselves as "English/Scottish/Welsh of Irish heritage" or "English/Scottish/Welsh Irish", than British.[citation needed] The term 'London Irish' relates to people born in London of Irish descent[citation needed]. London has Great Britain's biggest Irish population and the Irish community in London has been traditionally based in the (affectionately known) 'County Kilburn' area of North West London. With urban gentrification and higher housing costs, the vast majority of London's working-class Irish-Catholic community have moved further out from Kilburn to Cricklewood. The Camden Town area of London, as well as Shepherds Bush were also known for their large Irish communities.
[edit] Irish in Britain
[edit] Irish in England
In 2001, there were 674,786 people in England (1.4 per cent of the population) who had been born in Ireland. This is the greatest concentration of Irish-born—as distinct from persons of Irish ancestry—abroad anywhere in the world and was equivalent to 12.1% of the population of the island of Ireland (5.6 million) in 2001.
Sports teams with links to the Irish community also exist in England, although this is not as marked as in Scotland. In football, Everton and Arsenal have a tradition of representing the Irish communities in their area. For example, Arsenal has featured ethnically Irish players such as Terry Neill, Pat Rice, Niall Quinn, David O'Leary and Graham Barrett. Everton F.C. were originally known as Liverpool's Irish Catholic team; however, that is no longer the case as both Liverpool F.C. and Everton today no longer carry signs of sectarian identity. With the managership of Sir Matt Busby, Manchester United also emerged as a club with a considerable Irish following[citation needed], both in Great Britain and in Ireland itself. In Rugby league, Dewsbury Celtic represented the large Irish community in Dewsbury, and St Helens RLFC represent communities in Merseyside. The rugby union club London Irish represents the community in London. There is also a GAA Londáin (London in Irish) team representing the GAA clubs in London, that plays in the Connacht province (in Gaelic football) and Ulster (in hurling); see London GAA.
Liverpool traditionally is known as having the strongest Irish heritage of any British city. The Irish have played a major role in Liverpool's population and social fabric for a good part of the city's eight-hundred year history. Most Liverpudlians are of at least partial Irish ancestry. The Irish influence is heard in the local Liverpool dialect, often called Scouse, and seen in the faces and names of the populace. At least three of Liverpool's most famous citizens, the Beatles, had some Irish ancestry. George Harrison was of full Irish-Catholic derivation exclusively, as was bandmate Paul McCartney. John Lennon's paternal ancestry was Irish-Catholic. Ringo Starr's, (born Richard Starkey), ancestry is less clear.
Liverpool's near neighbour, Manchester, also has strong Irish connections. It has been estimated that around 35% of Manchester's population has some Irish ancestry. As in Liverpool, city residents of Irish heritage have been influential in the music industry. All four members of The Smiths had Irish roots, as do the Gallagher brothers of the band Oasis. [2] Manchester's Irish Festival, including a St Patrick's Day parade, is one of Europe's largest.
[edit] Irish in Scotland
There are long standing migration links between Scotland and the province of Ulster, including between County Donegal, County Antrim, County Down and the west of Scotland. Considering the Dal Riada kingdoms and the Irishisation of Scotland in the early Middle Ages, it is difficult to determine how many Scots have genetic ancestry from Ireland historically or how many were Picts who adopted Irish lifestyles, although the general consensus is that both happened as Pictish culture vanished by the 11th century. In 2001, around 55,000 people in Scotland (1.1 per cent of the Scottish population) had been born in Ireland, while people of Irish (either Protestant or Catholic) heritage make up 20% of the Scottish population. Scotland has a greater number of persons born in Northern Ireland (0.66 per cent) than in the Republic of Ireland (0.43%). Despite having lower than average numbers of Irish people resident the Lanarkshire town of Coatbridge are more than 50% catholic.[6] The town is populated by the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th generation children of Irish immigrants. In 2006 more than 28% of adults in Coatbridge had surnames with Irish origins. [7] Coatbridge holds the largest St. Patrick's Day Festival in Scotland.
Famous Scots of Irish-Catholic ancestry include actors Sean Connery, Robbie Coltrane; comedian Billy Connolly, musician Rod Stewart, and author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Support for particular football teams often reflects Catholic or Protestant heritage. Celtic F.C. are overwhelmingly supported by people from a Catholic background. Hibernian F.C. and Dundee United F.C. were formed as clubs representing Irish Catholics, however there is little vestige of these founding values today. Rangers F.C. are associated with anti-catholicism,although in recent years have made attempts to distance themselves from this image. Teams such as Dundee F.C., Heart of Midlothian F.C. and Lanarkshire teams such as Motherwell FC and Airdrie United are perceived by some as Protestant clubs.
Today a very small minority of the Irish Catholic community in Scotland take part in Irish republican marches (mainly in Strathclyde) though these marches do not have exclusively Catholics in attendance with many Protestants and others of various faiths or none involved, and the Orange Order has a large membership in Scotland, predominantly in Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. As well as Scotland's own parades, many Scottish bands parade in Northern Ireland on or around July 12.
[edit] Irish in Wales
Starting in the 4th century CE, Irish raiders settled Wales extensively, their impact being so great that many Gaelic words were introduced into the Welsh language.[8] Many Irish emigrants came to Wales as a result of the famine of 1845-52. They were often very poor, and seen as carrying 'famine fever' (typhus, but over time they acquired a notable presence - in the thousands, particularly in the Welsh coal mining towns in and around Swansea and Newport. In 2001 there were 20,569 people in Wales (0.7% of the population) who had been born in Ireland.[citation needed]
Probably one of the most famous Welsh nationals of Irish-Catholic ancestry is screen actress Catherine Zeta Jones.
[edit] 2001 Census
The 2001 UK census was the first which allowed British citizens to express an Irish ethnicity. In all previous British censuses, figures for the Irish community were based on Irish birthplace.
In 2001, the percentage claiming Irish ethnicity in England and Wales were 1.2%, while the figure for Scotland was 0.98%. These figures were grossly below expectations, as those who filled out the ethnicity question confused it with the more familiar country of birth question. The Irish have been the largest source of immigrants to Britain for over 200 years and over 6,000,000 Britons currently have at least one Irish grandparent, with one in four of all UK citizens claiming some degree of Irish ethnicity.
The distributions across the country were:
- Urban areas:
3.07% of Londoners were Irish (of 7,172,036 inhabitants), 4.65% of Luton, 4.15% of Southampton, 3.77% of Manchester, 1.2% of Liverpool, 3.46% of Coventry, 3.22% of Birmingham, 2.89% of Watford, 2.8% of Trafford, 2.28% of Corby, 2.19% of Hertsmere, 2.07% of Solihull, 2% of Warwick, 1.98% of Glasgow, 1.64% of West Dunbartonshire and 1.44% of Edinburgh.[citation needed]
- Regions:
1.39% of the West Midlands, 0.85% of the East Midlands 1.15% of North West England, 0.35% of North East England, 1.14% of East of England, 0.66% in Yorkshire and the Humber, 1.03% of South East England, 0.66% in South West England, and 0.61% in Wales.[citation needed]
[edit] Places with significant Irish population
See also: Lists of U.K. locations with large Irish populations
There are many people in Great Britain with Irish ancestry and they are found mainly in the following towns and cities:
- Birmingham
- Cardiff
- Coventry
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Coatbridge
- Leeds
- Liverpool
- London
- Luton
- Manchester
- Middlesbrough
- Preston
- Portsmouth
- Sunderland
[edit] Culture and influence
Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated throughout Great Britain, owing to many British people's ancestral links with Ireland as well as the general popularity of the event. The biggest celebrations take part in London and Birmingham where over 400,000 people in each city attend the parades. Liverpool and Manchester also have big St Patrick's day parties.
[edit] Contributions to literature and the arts
[edit] Notable Britons with Irish ancestry
[edit] Deceased
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Census home: Office for National Statistics
- ^ Onein four Britons claim Irish roots
- ^ Six million Britons are entitled to Irish citizenship
- ^ Place of birth data collated by OECD based on 2001 UK Census
- ^ UK Census 2001
- ^ Scottish 2001 census
- ^ http://originsinfo.com.au/pdf/Sunday_Times_Scot_Barra_the_most_Scottish_place_060910.pdf
- ^ A History of Language, Steven Roger Fischer, Reaktion Books, 1999, pp. 117
- ^ Paul McCartney's family tree
- ^ George Harrison's family tree
- ^ External link: John Lennon's family tree
- ^ The article "More Britons applying for Irish passports" states that 6 million Britons have either an Irish grandfather or grandmother and are thus able to apply for Irish citizenship. [3].
[edit] External links
- Irishlinks.co.uk
- irishinbritain.com
- Irish Community in Britain Archive
- BBC News article 16 March, 2003: "City celebrates Irish influence"
- One in four Britons claim Irish roots
- Photo Gallery: Liverpool's streets broad and narrow
- Statistics Online
- Liverpool University's Institute of Irish Studies
- Reassessing what we collect website – Irish London History of Irish London with objects and images
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