AN EXHIBITION of photographs of Irish people living in London opened at the London Irish Centre in Camden this week.
The pictures were taken by Irish photographer Kim Cunningham and are described as "beautiful, contemporary photographic portraits of the Irish in London."
Cunningham's intention was to capture the "new faces of the Irish diaspora"
"Once again Ireland faces losing large numbers of its population to emigration, in particular the younger generations. Our close proximity to the UK has meant that London has been the destination of choice for many over the years. Our presence hasn’t always been welcomed however, and once again immigration is a hot topic in the UK. This time round, we seem to have avoided a lot of the backlash", she said.
Cunningham said she wanted to deal with the issue of second generation Irish too.
She said the second-gen Irish here "feel as patriotic and connected, but their accents and geographic location dispute their authenticity. I want to challenge also the exclusivity of being Irish, and include those who have chosen to embrace their Irish roots and sense of identity".
The free exhibition opened on St Patrick's Day and will continue for the coming months.
