Irish Indians
 
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (15,000+ ) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Dublin, Galway | |
| Languages | |
| Indian born: Indian languages | |
| Religion | |
| Catholicism · Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Irish diaspora |
An Irish Indian is an Indian who is fully or partially of Irish descent who is aware of such ancestry and remains connected, to some degree, to Irish culture. As per article 366(2) of the Indian Constitution, an Irish Indian can be categorized as an Anglo-Indian.
Irishmen have been known in India right from the days of the East India Company. While most of the early Irish came as traders, some also came as soldiers. Prominent among them were the generals Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington who later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and his brother, Lord Charles Wellesley, both of whom were Irish landowning class. Later, in the Victorian period, many thinkers, philosophers and Irish nationalists from the Catholic majority made it to India, prominent among the nationalists being the theosophist Annie Besant. It is widely believed that there existed a secret alliance between the Irish and Indian independence movements. Some Indian intellectuals like Jawaharlal Nehru and V. V. Giri were certainly inspired by Irish nationalists when they studied in the United Kingdom.
One of the cultural activities that Indians of Irish descent (who are aware of their Irish ancestry) participate in is Saint Patrick's Day.
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Wikipedia