Buaileann an tUachtarán Connolly le Coatbridge Irish Diaspora Community

I would also like to acknowledge, of course, the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lady Susan Haughey, and the Provost of North Lancashire, Councillor Kenneth Duffield, who I had the pleasure of meeting earlier on.

As you know, even more than I, St. Patrick's Church, which hosts this parish hall, is a building of huge significance to the Irish community in Coatbridge.

It was established in 1848 against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution, but also amidst the disastrous man-made famine in Ireland, just following Black 47, 1847.

Rebuilt, of course, in 1896, to accommodate the growing Irish Catholic population, St Patrick's and its parish have been essential sources of support to the community for over 180 years.

Known as Little Ireland, by 1851, 35.8% of the population were Irish-born, compared to 7.2% in Scotland as a whole.

Many came from Ulster, and in particular Donegal, looking for a life and a livelihood, and in search of work in the coal mines and the ironworks, and indeed anywhere they could find it.

They endured appalling living and working conditions, poverty and discrimination, and of course, amidst all of that, sending vital remittances home to their families, back home, which kept the families at home going, and enabled them to get an education.

It is a testament to the hard work, the resilience and the perseverance of these today that the deep connection with Ireland is so evident still.

This cultural connection thrives and continues to evolve in the GAA clubs, notably Coatbridge David and St. Patrick's branch of Coltis in the numerous Irish dance, skipping because of the glasses, persist another little bit, numerous Irish dance schools in the area and of course in Coatbridge's annual St. Patrick's Day festival in Scotland and indeed I was earlier on in the council in Glasgow and they were telling us that it was a major feat to get their parade two years ago and they're on their second one they've just done.

This morning I had the pleasure just now of meeting with the pupils and staff of St Patrick's Primary School where Gaelic Games are part of the PE curriculum and what a marvellous achievement.

Three centuries, we're into our third century since the founding of the GEA back in 1884. in Hayes' Hotel in Thurles and here we are three centuries later.

It's a magnificent achievement and their hard work was acknowledged this summer when the school received the North Lancashire Council Gold School Sport Award.

It's been mentioned by the council that a lot of you have travelled to be here today and I would like to pay tribute to the community groups from Edinburgh and I understand that the Little Ireland Arts Collective hosts a regular Kirchall Poro and celebrates Irish culture through music, literature and the arts.

And indeed, I visited London a few months ago and I had the privilege and the honour of being in the company of a group of Irish people who travelled from all over the country and the whole meeting was in Irish and that was also a landmark for me.

Similarly, the Edinburgh Emerald Irish Social Group has done great work in bringing members of the community together through social inclusion initiatives.

The positive lasting impact made by the Irish community here in Coatbridge and indeed throughout Scotland shines a light on the many ways in which immigrant communities add to their new homes.

At a time when the dominant narrative seeks to impose distinctions on the basis of them and us, restricting and impoverishing our language and thought process.

The brave immigrants who derived here all those years ago are a powerful example to us.

They have left a legacy which honours the nuances of their Irish and Scottish identities, while recognising that these identities are interwoven on so many levels.