Innova Irish Dance Company outside No 10 Downing StreetSIR Keir Starmer hosted a St Patrick’s Day reception for the Irish community at No 10 Downing Street this week. Guests from across all sectors were treated to music, dance and refreshments at the Prime Minister’s residence in central London.
Guests included Ambassador Martin Fraser, Lisa Magee (writer of Derry Girls), Dermot O’Leary, Tara Viscardi (harp player), Seamus MacCormaic from the London Irish Centre and Elgin Loane, owner of The Irish Post.
Dermot O'Leary with Prime Minister StarmerSir Keir paid tribute to the Innova Irish Dance Company who performed on the evening. He said: “I was in a busy in a meeting downstairs when they were rehearsing up here earlier on, and we could hear the rhythms of what they were going to do, it was really fantastic. . . . “
The Prime Minister also spoke about his personal connections to Northern Ireland. “It’s a place close to my heart,” he said.
“I worked over there for five years, working with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on some of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement changes.
“And that, as I’ve said on many occasions, was really impactful and formative for me on my journey through life. I learnt so much about politics, about change, about working with communities.
“The importance of hope, and there was a lot of hope in the change that was going on, and about the people of Northern Ireland who are absolutely fantastic.”
Lisa McGee and Daniel Wiffen were guests on the nightTHE Prime Minister revealed a personal anecdote in his address: “Because I love Northern Ireland so much, soon after my wife Vic and I got married we flew over to Belfast, hired a car and drove around the entire island of Ireland.
“From Belfast, all the way around and then back out of Dublin for about three weeks. But we saw everything, but it was really, really fantastic to see, and a real big part of my life.”
Sir Keir spoke about the Good Friday Agreement, calling it “the greatest achievement of the Labour Party in my lifetime”.
He also spoke of his meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the inaugural UK-Ireland Summit in Liverpool, saying that the summit was a real opportunity “to make good on the reset of relations between the UK and Ireland with a real determination to take them forward with massive ambition”.
He concluded by saying that the St Patrick’s reception in Downing Street was “a chance to celebrate the incredible ties that bind us all together. The connections between families and friends across our islands”.
He said: “So let’s celebrate everything Irish. All of the huge contribution to Britain over many generations. From all those who settled in all sorts of places across the United Kingdom, including my own constituency of Camden.
“But also of course in Coventry, in Birmingham and Liverpool and who applied their skills in construction, the NHS and workplaces and businesses across the country.
“Or who created the music and art that has shaped us for decades.”
“I wish you all very Happy St. Patrick’s Day. And as I say, the Guinness bar is winking at us just over there so if you haven’t got a pint of Guinness, please do enjoy one.
“I’m about to do just that.”
All images by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street
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