Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We will discuss the topic London Irish Centre - supporting the Irish community. I welcome from the London Irish Centre Mr. David Barlow, chief executive, and Mr. Gary Dunne, director of arts.
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Last October the clerk to the committee and I visited London. Among other activities, we attended an interesting climate change conference at Westminster and took the opportunity to visit the London Irish Centre. There is not a family in the country that has not been affected by emigration. That is the case with many of my family and social circle. It was an enlightening and insightful experience to witness at first hand the work being done by the centre in Camden. The committee's remit generally covers a great deal of environmental work, given the Departments we mirror. We cover the arts, but we need to maintain our focus on the cultural aspect. We should take advantage of any way we can to support the work of the London Irish Centre. We forget that during the years the centre became the fulcrum of activity for many Irish people who travelled to London not just socially but also in the context of people's identity. The sense of belonging we have as Irish people is well provided for in a variety of ways by the centre and that is important. The reality of the economic downturn is that 20,000 Irish people emigrated to the United Kingdom last year, the majority of whom went to London. The support the centre gives is as relevant today as it was when it was set up almost 60 years ago. I hope the committee will become more aware of that work during our deliberations. Most of our visitors come here by train or car, but the delegates had to fly from Heathrow Airport. I acknowledge their effort and the extra mile they had to go to attend. I ask Mr. Barlow to address the committee.