Irish In Britain

Members of Parliament and Peers from across Britain and Northern Ireland come together as part of this All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), which celebrates the Irish in Britain and the close ties between Ireland and the UK. Nearly every political party is represented.  

The APPG on Ireland and the Irish in Britain held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, 19 April 2023. 

The AGM saw all seven current officers re-elected to serve another year, including Karin Smyth, MP Bristol-South, as Chair of the group. Irish in Britain, the secretariat for the APPG, was asked to continue facilitating the group in this role. 

The Members of Parliament and Peers in attendance also heard from guest speaker Michael Lonergan, Counsellor for Political Affairs at the Irish Embassy, who gave an update on recent events around St Patrick's Day and the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.  

We shared our recently published report on the 2021 census and updated the group on several community issues surrounding RTÉ’s closure of their longwave radio and the cost-of-living crisis.

Susan Cahill, Project Manager for the Irish in Britain Heritage Project, gave a presentation on the 50th anniversary of Irish in Britain that inspired this initiative to, celebrate and archive the stories and experiences of the Irish community.  

The presentations were welcomed by attendees, with discussions on a wide range of topics, including support for RTÉ’s expansion of programme offerings in Britain, the changing demography of the Irish community and engaging with Irish in Britain’s 50th-anniversary heritage project. 

The APPG serves as a platform for discussion, debate, and policy development. This group is an important link between the Irish community, the Irish Embassy and our work in parliament.

The newly elected officers will work to ensure that the group continues to promote and support the interests of the Irish community in parliament.