Irish Community
Ireland is a small island on the western edge of Europe with a population of approximately four million people. The proximity of Ireland and Britain has ensured a close, if sometimes troubled relationship between the two countries for centuries…
Apart from a small area around Dublin, known as ‘the pale’ England did not attempt forced rule over Ireland until the late 16th Century when the Tudors began a resettlement programme of English and Scottish settlers in Ireland, known as the plantations.
Traditionally Ireland is regarded as a migrant nation. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Ireland was a very poor country, where ruling classes dominated the best land leaving the majority of the population living in overcrowded conditions and poverty. Many seasonal migrants from Ireland travelled to Britain for the summer months to do harvesting work and earn enough money to cover rent and debts in Ireland during the winter.
In the 1840s there was a famine in Ireland caused by the failure of the potato crop, emigration of Irish people escalated and the population of the country halved. Many people emigrated to America, Australia and to Britain. By 1851, there were over 590,000 Irish people living in Britain, of these only 633 lived in Hertfordshire, The majority lived in cities such as London, Liverpool and Manchester.
By 1901, there were almost 1200 Irish people living in Hertfordshire. Some Irish women moved to England because they could not afford a dowry and that meant they could not marry in Ireland. In England, they did jobs that the English did not want to do. Irish people commonly worked as labourers, domestic servants and in factories.There were also a large number of Irish serving in the English Army. In 1851, 37% of The English Army was Irish and many thousands of Irish Soldiers fought for Britain during World War I. Anti-Irish prejudice was common in Britain, the Irish were accused of driving down wages by offering cheap labour and they were often depicted in the media as drunkards living in squalor.
Many famous and distinguished Irish people lived in England during the 19th and 20th centuries, including the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw who lived in Ayot St Lawrence, near Welwyn in Hertfordshire for over 40 years.
In 1922, Ireland was partitioned; six counties in the North of Ireland remained part of Britain, the remainder of Ireland became a free state. In the Ireland Act of 1949, Ireland declared a Republic and left the commonwealth. However, importantly the act retained citizenship rights for Irish citizens in the UK so they could continue to live and work in Britain freely.
The post war shortage of labour ensured that Irish emigration to Britain reached its peak during the 1950s. Many Irish women came to Britain to work as nurses in the National Health Service. By 1971, 12% of Britain's nursing staff were Irish - there were more Irish-born nurses in Britain than in Ireland. Many men were employed as builders and labourers, contributing to post war reconstruction and building of New Towns such as Stevenage in Hertfordshire. Irish centres opened across the country, which provided support and advice. They also provided opportunities to socialise with other Irish and maintain cultural traditions such as traditional Irish dances (ceilidh’s) and music.
Since the late 1990s Ireland has experienced an economic boom. This ‘Celtic Tiger’ economy has made Ireland one of the wealthiest countries in Europe and witnessed a phenomenon of reversed migration. Many Irish people who previously emigrated are returning to live in Ireland along with large numbers of foreign nationals, particularly from countries in Eastern Europe and African countries such as Nigeria. A smaller number of Irish people continue to arrive in Britain to live and work but today they are more likely to be highly educated, working in professional jobs and the IT industry.
