From the recently formed heterogeneous diaspora groupings to more decentralised distribution of diaspora organizations, Ireland is a unique field for studies on the Indian diaspora, often overshadowed by the higher Indian migratory flows to the neighbouring United Kingdom. The most recent bilateral brief by the Embassy of India in Ireland notes the number of diaspora members of Indian Origin in Ireland to be approximately 80,000, making it by far one of the largest diaspora communities here. The post-Brexit migratory environment has positioned Ireland as a unique English-speaking pathway to the EU. As a result, the Indian diaspora in Ireland is rapidly growing, constituting more than 1% of the population of Ireland. Nonetheless, the diaspora in Ireland remains heavily understudied. I, too, have migrated to Dublin from Vienna to start my PhD in diaspora geography, and among my first tasks is to map out the Indian diaspora in Ireland.
Unlike the Indian diaspora mobilization and community formation in most of the countries with recent and emerging currents of migration, Ireland has diaspora organizations representing the heterogeneity within the Indian diaspora. From regional organizations based in smaller towns in Ireland, such as Ballinasloe Indian Cultural Community, linguistic associations such as All Ireland Tuluvera Association (AITA), to anti-caste social movements such as the Ambedkarite Buddhist Society of Ireland, Indian diaspora organizations in Ireland offer complexity and uniqueness for an emerging diaspora. What adds to the diversity is that the active community and diaspora organizations are not only Dublin-centric but also dispersed spatially across different counties in Ireland. As I have desk mapped over a hundred Indian diaspora organizations, Bandhan Ireland in County Westmeath, COINNS (Community of Indian Nurses in Ireland) in County Cork and the Indian Community Centre in Letterkenny, Donegal are among a few very active community organizations which decentralize the concentration from Dublin.
The initial desk mapping also shows various waves in the establishment of these diaspora organizations. The initial wave from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s was predominantly religious, establishing religion-based community groups such as the Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar and the Ireland Vinayaka temple in Dublin. Towards 2008, the wave shifted more towards regional and linguistic community formation, mainly led by the Malayali community from Kerala in Southern India. The overlap with the timeline of the Celtic tiger migration boom also shows how increased migratory flows encourage diversification in the Indian diaspora community formation. The last two decades have also seen diversification with the formation of more diverse regional organizations, such as the Rajasthani Indian Samaj of Ireland (RISI) and Assam Society of Ireland. The Indian Doctors’ Association in Ireland (IDAI), one of the most recently established organizations, also signals another wave of professional groupings is emerging. It is important not to overlook the rise of digital diaspora spaces, such as sporadic diaspora mobilisation efforts that are primarily in social media, manifesting as digital diaspora media outlets as well as Instagram content creators.
Diaspora entrepreneurship is another visible angle of the Indian diaspora in Ireland. The Indian restaurants in Ireland don’t limit themselves to serving the popular and westernized “Naan and Butter Chicken” narrative around what constitutes Indian food. From Dosa centres to regional Indian restaurants such as Andhra Bhavan and Konkan Indian restaurant, the diaspora entrepreneurs in Ireland are striving towards serving more localized Indian cuisines. Indian diaspora entrepreneurship imaginary is not to be stereotypically limited to Ethnic grocery stores and restaurants as Rebel City Distillery in Cork and Natural Batters Limited signals success stories in food production and processing.
When Baby Pereppadan became the first Indian origin Mayor of South Dublin County Council in 2024, the diaspora columns of Keralite media houses celebrated the victory, attracting readership around diasporic political activism. As Irish citizenship is not a requirement for contesting in the local elections, they are more accessible and participatory for first generation immigrants to Ireland. This facilitates increased participation from the Indian diaspora at the local level elections, with over six politicians of Indian origin elected during the last local council polls in Dublin in 2024.
Apart from celebrating the achievements in various public spheres, 2025 was also a challenging year which saw a rise in racist violence targeting the Indian community in Ireland. Even at the edge of vulnerability, the community showed great resilience by organizing and advocating for addressing the situation, claiming back their agency. However, how this changes the diaspora mobilization efforts in Ireland is yet to be unveiled. It is important to not limit diaspora stories to economic success and socio-cultural reproduction efforts, but also to acknowledge how the community navigates a difficult phase.
The visible political activism, increasing tendency towards entrepreneurship and active community formation all point to a greater display of migrant agency in Ireland. What are the unique features of Ireland that give a more positive realm for the Indian diaspora to mobilize and claim their agency? With an increased wave of post-Brexit migration since the start of this decade, what would be the incoming trends in diasporic formation in the rest of the decade? Most importantly, how does this diaspora with greater agency and visibility act as diplomatic actors in Ireland-India bilateral relations? These are a few questions that the Indian diaspora strand of this project will explore in the following years.
