The London Irish community has always been affected by the shifting political relationship between Britain and Ireland and at times the community has felt the impact in the most severe ways. The politics of being Irish in London has been embedded in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival since it began. Politics most affected the Parade in the early 1970s during the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and again in the late 1990s when the impact of the Good Friday Agreement reverberated across Britain and Ireland. In 2002, the first Greater London Authority began funding the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, changing the nature of the celebration forever and empowering the Irish community in Britain to raise its voice and celebrate a new role amongst the diverse cultures of the city.
Policing
Policing of the Parade, from containing a community under suspicion to the London Metropolitan Police Emerald Society leading the 2002 Parade.
Policing
Political Figures
Memories of some of the political figures that have been involved with the Parade.
Political Figures
The Peace Process
Impact of the Good Friday Agreement and Peace Process, and the Greater London Authority’s decision to fund the Parade in recognition of the London Irish community.
The Peace Process
The Troubles
Memories of the Parade through difficult times in the 1970s and 1980s, marching through the streets at a time when it was hard to be Irish in London.
The Troubles
Trafalgar Square
The banning of Irish demonstrations in Trafalgar Square during the Troubles and the significance of reclaiming the Square in 2002.
Trafalgar Square
