Founded in 1984, this unique collection of documents, audio and video recordings, books, photographs and ephemera catalogues the history of the Irish in Britain from the late nineteenth century to the present day.
The Archive is regularly consulted by researchers, students, academics and journalists from Britain, Ireland and further afield.
The collections mainly consist of 'grey literature' i.e. reports, newsletters, publicity leaflets and other forms of documentation produced by Irish Community organisations in Britain from 1945 to the present day. They also include some personal correspondence, oral history, postcards, minutes of meetings (of local associations and organisations), photographs, and publications.
Organisations represented include, among others, the London Irish Centre, the Federation of Irish Societies, the Hammersmith Irish Centre/Irish Cultural Centre and the London Irish Women's Centre.
Individuals represented include, among others, Bronwen Walter, Francis Fahy, Ultan Cowley and Alan Clinton.
A brief history of Irish Migration to BritainExtracts from article 'When did you come over?' by Liam Ryan
During the 20th century, Britain has been the main destination for people leaving Ireland. Between 1951 and 1961 over 500,000 Irish migrants came to Britain, whereas approximately 90,000 went to the United States in same period. By 1971 the Irish population resident in Britain had climbed to 957,830 (including those from Northern Ireland) and represented the largest migrant minority in the country. The best estimate is that in the 1980s about 60 per cent who migrated from the Republic of Ireland came over to Britain. During the past 30 years Britain has also been the primary destination for those leaving Northern Ireland.
One of the main reasons for these levels of migration are are economic factors. Until recently there were fundamental deficiencies in the Irish economy: declining domestic industry, under-exploitation of natural resources, small-scale and inefficient agriculture, poor dispersal of resources and a weak infrastructure.
During the 20th century, travel to Britain was largely by three crossings of Larne to Stranraar, Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead and Rosslare to Fishguard. The biggest change occurred in the 1980s with the advent of the 'Ryanair generation', cheap flights enabling quicker journeys.
In the 1950s most of the new Irish migrants went to the English Midlands, the ''corridor'' south, taking in Bedford and Luton, and to London. The migrants of the 1980s were even more concentrated, with the vast majority settling in the south-east of England and especially in greater London. About 50 per cent of the Irish-born population now resides in this area.
Read the full article - When did you come over?
A series of oral history interviews titled 'I Only Came Over for a Couple of Years... Interviews with London Irish Elders' by David Kelly in collaboration with the Irish Studies Centre, London Metropolitan University.
Online exhibition of oral history interviews collected for the 50th Anniversary of Irish in Britain.
The oral histories featured will be deposited with Special Collections at London Metropolitan University.
For an introduction to a history of the Irish in Britain, we have a number of books and publications on open (and closed) access in our Reading Room which can be searched on the main library catalogue.
To search the archive collections for The Archive of Irish in Britain please use the
Special Collections Catalogue, where you will also find Digital Galleries that highlight selected digitised material from across the archives.
We also have a over 2,500 digitised records available to view ePrints alongside a number of academic papers written using material from The Archive of Irish Britain.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries at:
The Archive of the Irish in Britain was originally donated to the Irish Studies Centre by the Irish in Britain History Group (IBHG) in 1991. The IBHG which was set up in the early 1980s began to collect documentation and oral interviews on the Irish in Britain as no other such collection existed at the time. Following their move to the Irish Studies Centre, the collections were significantly expanded.
