ABSTRACT
The Irish were the largest birthplace group in London from outside Britain until 2001. However the position changed rapidly between 2001 and 2011 when the ranking of the Irish fell sharply to fourth overall by birthplace amongst the incomers, after Indians, Poles and Pakistanis, and ninth by ethnic group. In 2012–13 Irish were placed only eleventh for new migrants seeking National insurance numbers in Britain, many fewer than Poles, Lithuanians, Hungarians, Italians or Portuguese, though of course some young Irish people will have worked in London previously (Kennedy et al., 2014: 26–7). But Irish migration to London has a much longer history and Irish experiences offer an unusual opportunity also to explore multi-generational ethnic identities as they persist, hybridise and lose visibility over time.
