South Asian people in Ireland

South Asian people in Ireland are residents or citizens of Ireland who are of South Asian (Indian Subcontinent) background or ancestry. There has been an important and well-established community of people of South Asian descent in Ireland for many decades. Non-Chinese Asian people (the category which mainly includes South Asian people) were reported to be the fastest growing ethnic group in Ireland in the 2011 census.^[2] Some of these people self-identify as being fully Irish, while others prefer to identify with their original country of ancestry.

There is great variation in how much the South Asian people are integrated into Irish society. Many people of South Asian descent are well-integrated and embrace the culture of Ireland. Many children of South Asian descent are born in Ireland or have come to Ireland at a very young age, and therefore learn the Irish language in schools (which is compulsory to children who have been living in the country before the age of 7). There are South Asian people who are up to 2nd and 3rd generation Irish-born. However, many South Asian people still maintain their ancestral customs and languages, and therefore many South Asian festivals (such as Diwali) are well-known and accepted within Ireland.^[3]

As the Irish government does not collect detailed data on ethnicity in Ireland, population estimates vary, and non-Chinese Asian people are generally grouped in one category rather than groups based on people from individual South Asian countries.^[1] Estimates say that people of South Asian ethnicity make up around 1 to 3% of Ireland's population. The Irish India Council estimates that there are approximately 91520 Indian-born people in Ireland.^[4]

Background

Some of the first South Asians to settle in Ireland came as doctors in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ireland has long had a shortage of doctors and nurses, partially due to the emigration of native doctors,^[5] and therefore hires many foreign medical staff.^[6] Most of the foreign medical staff come from India and Pakistan.^[6][7] This is probably due to the large numbers of medical graduates in those countries who are attracted to Ireland by its use of the English language, living standards, salaries, opportunities and new lives in Europe and the Western world.

While South Asian doctors continue to come to Ireland, over the recent years (especially during the Celtic Tiger, a period of major economic boom in Ireland), a significant number of other non-medical South Asians have come to live in Ireland, seeking labour, opportunities, better standards of living and money to support their families at home. These people may be skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled and have varying knowledge of the English language. Thousands of South Asians work in construction, business, industry, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, management and education in Ireland. There are hundreds of Indian restaurants and Kebab shops that are entirely South Asian-owned and run in nearly all of Ireland's major urban centres.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest within students from South Asian countries or South Asian background to undertake third level education in Ireland. Some of these students decide to stay on and work in Ireland after they graduate. Many of Ireland's major third level institutions, most notably Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology, National University of Ireland, Galway and National College of Ireland have a substantial number of students of South Asian descent. The Irish government wants to double the number of overseas students in Irish universities by 2015, and has shortlisted India as one of the key areas for bringing in foreign students.^[8]

Many of the South Asian people that come to Ireland do not come directly from their South Asian countries and instead from other countries such as South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States.

Demographics

These figures are based on the 2011 census figures. As the Irish government does not take detailed statistics based on race and ethnicity, these figures may not be exactly accurate and should therefore only be taken as an indicator.

Population in major Irish cities and towns

Religion

This table gives a brief indication of the religions followed by the people of South Asian descent in Ireland. These were the figures from the 2011 census. There are numerous Islamic centres and mosques and many Hindu temples in Ireland, although as with most Irish the most-confessed faith by South Asians is Catholicism.

Culture

Many South Asian people are well-integrated into Irish society and embrace the culture of Ireland. However, the presence of South Asian people in Ireland has noticeably affected many aspects of Irish life. Festivals such as Diwali and Eid al-Fitr are celebrated every year in Ireland by South Asian people and native Irish people alike. There are many different organisations in Ireland that promote South Asian events in Ireland.

Every year, there is a large Diwali celebration in Dublin, with fireworks demonstrations, performances from well-known Indian musicians, traditional dancing from different parts of India, art, children's activities and a wide range of Indian cuisine and merchandising stalls selling traditional jewellery, clothing, Henna, etc. The use of fireworks are generally restricted in Ireland, but the government makes an exception due to the importance of the festival to the Hindu people. There are also such gatherings during the festival of Holi. The Ireland India Council, a voluntary council made to serve the needs and business relations of the Indian people in Ireland, organises many events and gatherings on a regular basis.^[4]

Some South Asians have also been influenced by parts of Irish culture. For example, every year in Ireland many South Asian people participate in the annual St Patrick's Day parades throughout the country. The Sligo parade is one example that has regular participation from the local Riverstown Cricket Club, mainly represented by people of Pakistani origin.^[11] In Dublin, Indian people are known to have regular involvement. Also, there is a huge interest in Indian cuisine within Ireland. There are many Indian restaurants in Ireland, some are even being set up run by native Irish people.

South Asians have also influenced sport in Ireland. There are numerous cricket clubs throughout the country that are run by South Asians or have large South Asian involvement and participation. One example is Riverstown Cricket Club in Sligo. This club also promotes cultural events such as parties for Eid-ul-Fittr.^[12]

Contemporary and social issues

There have been very few cases of problems experienced by the South Asian people in Ireland, and in general the South Asian people live happily alongside the native Irish population. However, a few known cases are noted here.

After the September 11 attacks, there was an increase of attacks against Sikhs, in response many Irish Sikhs decided to remove their turbans and cut their hair as they were being mistaken for being Muslim.^[13]

The most prominent case is the death of Savita Halappanavar, a woman of Indian origin from Galway, who died aged 27 after being refused an abortion. She was reportedly refused abortion because of the fact that Ireland is "a Catholic country".^[14] This led to protests outside the Irish embassies in New Delhi,^[15] London,^[16] Berlin^[17][18] and Brussels,^[19] as well as protests from local communities in Ireland. The Indian Minister for External Affairs, Salman Khurshid, summoned the Indian ambassador to Ireland, Debashish Chakravarti, to India for deliberations over the issue.^[20]

Notable Irish people of South Asian origin

• Leo Varadkar
• Cyrus Pallonji Mistry

References