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You are here:
 Home : Introduction to Sikh Faith : Sikh Community in Ireland
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Sikhs
over the years, have migrated from Punjab to a number of countries
all over the world, and clearly the Republic of Ireland happens
to be one of them. Immigration of Sikhs to Island of Ireland started
in early 1900's. The earliest immigrants to Northern Ireland were
Sikhs who were mainly former members of the British army who arrived
in the late 1920s from India via East Africa and Britain. They settled
in the city of Derry. There are presently over 219 Sikhs in Northern
Ireland (2001 Census), most have come from the Panjab. In 1990 the
Northern Ireland Sikh Association was formed and shortly afterwards
the Northern Ireland Sikh Cultural and Community Centre was established
in the Waterside district of Derry. |
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the Republic of Ireland there are about 800-1000 Sikhs, mainly living
in and around Dublin, ranging from toddlers of a few months of age
to the very elderly. Most are from the migrant generation and have
settled comfortably, contributing to Irish society. There is also
a small but significant second generation of Sikhs, born and educated
in Ireland. The Gurudwara in Dublin is the main centre, for community
get together, prayers and community activities. In year 2004, Irish
Sikh Council was established to represent and communicate needs
of Sikh community in Republic of Ireland. |
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Sikhs
are well known for their honest hard work and sincerity, two principles
given them due regard in all professions. Thus in Ireland, Sikhs
hold respectable positions in the areas of medicine, IT, business,
the hotel and catering industry and only recently, a considerable
number of Sikhs have shown a lot of interest for recruitment in
An Garda Siochana. A sizeable portion of Sikhs here, also happen
to be the third-level students pursuing various courses in universities
such as Trinity College, the Royal College of Surgeons, DIT, Griffith
College etc. |
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Sikhs have
integrated exceptionally well in Ireland and have struck quite
a good rapport with the Irish people. Ask any Sikh the reason
for their smooth transition to the Irish society and the answer
inevitably will be, the easy-going nature and warmth common to
both the Irish and Sikhs alike.
Infact, the blend of the Sikhs and Irish culture is more evident
in the second generation of Sikhs - who may speak Punjabi at home
but perfect their Irish at school; love chips and beans as much
as they enjoy Allo-Gobhi and are as busy in their hurling practice
as they are in Gurbani (hymns in Guru Granth Sahib) lessons. All
these children are proud representatives of two cultures at the
same time -proof enough that the Sikh and the Irish culture do
not contradict each other, but infact go hand-in-hand and serve
to beautifully complement each other.
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Introduction to Sikh Faith