On Thursday in the Parliament a session that was entitled St Patrick’s Day: Irish Diaspora in the UK took place in the afternoon. The event was organised by Rebecca Long-Bailey who is the Labour MP for Salford and Eccles which began with “I beg to move, That this House has considered St Patrick’s Day and the contribution of the Irish diaspora to the UK.” and she then stated the comment that is below. The whole of the session is available from here.

As we know, the feast of St Patrick will be celebrated on Sunday. Here in the UK, we will be celebrating the strong cultural, political and business ties between Britain and Ireland, and the immense contribution of the Irish diaspora in Britain—and what a contribution it continues to be. Niall Gallagher, the chairman of Irish Heritage, has described the contribution of the Irish to cultural life in the UK as “incalculable”. The contribution of Irish labour to the British construction industry was described by Sir William McAlpine as “immeasurable”. As of June 2023, 13,700 members of NHS staff in England reported their nationality as Irish, including around 2,300 doctors and over 4,200 nurses. When President Higgins came to Manchester 10 years ago, he said that 55,000 directors who are Irish sit on the boards of British companies, and that number is even bigger today. The brightest and best who lay claim to an Irish heritage are smashing the glass ceiling in every aspect of working and public life, and I am proud to celebrate them today.