South Asian people in Ireland

The port city of Cork where a number of South Asians settled from the eighteenth century onwards

Early South Asian presence in Ireland can be traced back to the role played by the East India Company in the eighteenth century.[6] White Irish men working for the East India Company often returned to Ireland with domestic servants and lascars from India, many of whom found themselves in a state of vagrancy, particularly in port towns like Cork.[7][8] On their return to Ireland, some Irish men working for the East India Company were also accompanied by their Indian wives, mistresses, and mixed race children. This may have been the case for Captain William Massey Baker, a Company officer and the brother of Godfrey Evans Baker who was the patron of Sake Dean Mahomed.[9] Historian Michael H. Fisher speculates that Captain Baker may have been accompanied by his Indian mistress and their teenage Anglo-Indian daughter, Eleanor, on his return to Cork from India.[10] Through the import of Indian domestic servants and lascars, and their relationships with their mistresses, wives, and children, Irish men working for the East India Company played an important role in creating a sizeable South Asian community in Ireland from the eighteenth century onwards.[2]

Sake Dean Mahomed, one of the most notable South Asian residents of Ireland

The late eighteenth century also saw the arrival of Dean Mahomed, an Indian entrepreneur and the most notable Indian resident of Ireland during the eighteenth century. Unlike the domestic servants and lascars imported as cheap labour from India, Mahomed was supported by Godfrey Evans Baker, an East Indian Company officer. Baker sponsored Mahomed's education in Cork where he met his wife Jane Daly, a Protestant woman from an Irish gentry family.[11][12] Mahomed's connections with Baker allowed him to build his wealth in Cork, and his notable work The Travels of Dean Mahomet was published with the support of Ireland's wealthy elite.[11] After two decades in Cork, Mahomed and his family emigrated to London in 1807.[13]

South Asians continued to visit and settle in Ireland in the nineteenth century. One of the most prominent South Asians to arrive during this time was Mir Aulad Ali (1832–98), a Muslim Indian scholar who worked as Professor of Arabic, Hindustani, and Persian at Trinity College, Dublin.[14][15] Beyond his academic engagements, Aulad Ali was an example of significant South Asian presence in Dublin's social circles, well-regarded and lauded for his charitable work in the parish of Rathmines.[14] He frequently attended formal events in traditional Indian attire and was often one of the main local dignitaries present to greet and guide foreign parties upon their arrival to Dublin.[15] In this respect, Aulad Ali represented a South Asian community that was not only accepted and welcomed in nineteenth century Ireland, but one that also directly contributed to the enhancement of social and political life.[15] He also represented an increasing presence of mixed race families in Ireland during the nineteenth century, marrying an Englishwoman named Rebecca with whom he had a son, Arthur, who was baptised at the parish of Rathmines.[14]

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, South Asian doctors began to settle in Ireland. Ireland has long had a shortage of doctors and nurses, partially due to the emigration of indigenous doctors,[16] and therefore hires many foreign medical staff.[17] Most of the foreign medical staff come from India and Pakistan.[17][18] 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.[19]

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.

South Asians are diverse in their cultures and speak different languages as well. 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.[22]

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.[23] 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.[24]

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.[25]

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 an abortion because Ireland is "a Catholic country".[26] This led to protests outside the Irish embassies in New Delhi,[27] London,[28] Berlin[29][30] and Brussels,[31] 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.[32]

• Leo Varadkar, current Taoiseach
• Cyrus Pallonji Mistry, businessman; former chairman of the Tata Group
• Moosajee Bhamjee, former TD for County Clare