President pays tribute to diaspora

PRESIDENT Catherine Connolly made her first visit to Britain as she met with Irish community groups from across the country and was welcomed by King Charles in London.

Representatives from Irish community groups and organisations were invited south to Leeds, where President Connolly visited Leeds Irish Centre, and the contingent from north of the border were able to spend time in conversation with the President, sharing with her their own particular perspectives on Irish community life in Britain and extending a warm invitation to visit Scotland in future. President Connolly indicated her intention to travel to Scotland in the future, and was pleased by the warmth of the reception she was assured she would receive.

Strengthening ties

On a wide ranging visit, President Connolly was able to help strengthen the relationship with Britain in her meeting with King Charles, but the most pleasing aspect of the visit for the Irish community was the attention she paid to the contribution of the Irish in Britain in her events at London Irish Centre and Leeds Irish Centre.

Speaking at Leeds Irish Centre she told of her pleasure and being amongst the Irish community in Britain, and particularly to be back in Leeds where she had studied at Leeds University.

“I am so pleased to be visiting at a time when relations between our countries are so positive, with annual summits taking place, focussed on meaningful cooperation between our countries,” President Connolly said. “I am delighted to be joined by so many Irish community representatives from across the North of England, as well as by those who have travelled from Scotland. I would like to pay particular tribute to Leeds Irish Health and Homes, who are marking their 30th anniversary this year, and who have been at the heart of the Irish community in Leeds supporting some of the most vulnerable members of society for the last three decades.

“Last month I had the privilege of attending the Global Irish Civic Forum in Dublin’s Croke Park and I had the honour of meeting some of you there. The forum was an opportunity for me and for Irish society to recognise the many contributions that the Irish abroad have made, and the important role that the Irish diaspora has played, and indeed continues to play, in shaping the many facets of our Irish identity. It is a contribution that influences not only how we see the world, but also how the world sees us.”

Enriching communities

The contingent from Scotland was led by Consul General Jerry O’Donovan, and among the groups from Scotland who were welcomed to the audience with the President were Comhaltas, Scotland GAA, Edinburgh CCÉ, Article 12 in Scotland, Paul O’Kane, The Irish Voice, the Irish History Group, Edinburgh Emerald Irish Social Group and Hannah Walsh of University of Edinburgh Debates Union.

They, along with the legions of Irish people who made their home in Britain were praised by the President for their abiding love of Ireland.

“Above all, Irish people enriched the communities in which they settled and the society in which they made their homes, and often in very, very difficult circumstances,” President Connolly said. “They brought something special: a love of Ireland and Irish culture. Like emigrants all over the world, they brought Ireland with them.

“That love of Ireland, that desire to keep alive the link with home, has found expression in this wonderful centre which has served the community here for more than 50 years.

“It has been a place where people could walk in and find something familiar—a face, a voice, a game on the television, a music session on a Friday evening.

“For people who arrived here with very little physical possessions, that mattered enormously. And it continues to matter. Places like yours are sustained by people who show up, year after year, day after day.”

Reciprocal relations

Having met the community representatives, and focused on the terrific impact made by the Irish community in Britain, President Connolly also further committed to maintaining and improving the relationship between Ireland and Britain by inviting King Charles to make a state visit across the Irish Sea.

“As President of Ireland, I was delighted to meet with His Majesty King Charles, when I appreciated very much the warm welcome which he extended,” she said. “King Charles knows Ireland well and has been a positive voice for peace and reconciliation.

“In our discussion, we were mindful of the unique relationship as close neighbours and our intertwined history, recalling the significant State Visit of Queen Elizabeth to Ireland in 2011, as well as the State Visit here of former President Higgins in 2014. I was very pleased therefore to extend an invitation to King Charles to pay his own State Visit to Ireland.

“I am sure that he will receive the warmest of welcomes and this will represent a further deepening of our relationship as neighbours and as friends.”