ABSTRACT
The first part of this chapter explores how the Irish came to India. This was connected with British colonial rule in both countries, which provided the main avenues for Irish contact with India from the outset. The chapter then focuses on the three main pathways to India: military service, colonial administration, and missionary groups. Each of these is examined in turn, looking at the size and scope of Irish involvement, identifying the reasons why Irish people moved to India in such numbers, and also addressing the question of their impact in India. The chapter then examines the decline of the Irish community in India and assesses the impact of this on contemporary Indian-Irish relations. It then reveals two paradoxes to be found in the relationship of Irish people with India. The first is a historical one, between imperialism and nationalism. The second is a contemporary one, between nationalism and internationalism.
