The Irish in Britain Census CampaignPosted on Thu, Mar 03, 2011
The Irish in Britain Census campaign – brought to you by the Federation of Irish Societies – is being run for and by the Irish community to encourage Irish people and people of Irish descent to register their Irishness in the upcoming Census.
When the last Census took place ten years ago, a substantial number of people of Irish descent, despite having one or two Irish parents, thought the Irish ethnicity tick box didn’t apply to them because of having been born here. We are doing our best to make sure everyone of Irish descent can choose to be included.
The Census (taking place on March 27 2011) gives you the opportunity to register your Irish ethnicity, by ticking the Irish ethnicity box.
So why tick the Irish ethnicity box?
Well first and foremost, it’s great to be Irish or have Irish roots. The Irish in Britain have made, and continue to make, an enormous contribution to society. They are leaders and pioneers in almost every walk of life. So if you’re Irish, or you have Irish roots, you can make this count for something in the Census by ticking the Irish ethnicity box.
How do I know if I’m eligible to tick the box?
This is a question that you have to answer for yourself and depends on your attitudes towards your ethnicity. Every person in the world is a member of an ethnic group. Ethnicity relates to your own sense of cultural values, often through a shared heritage, which can be very different to Nationality (or National Identity in the Census).
Example: Samantha was born in Newcastle. Both her grandparents were born in Ireland. Although she travels on a British passport, Samantha intends to tick the Irish box.
So nationality and ethnicity aren’t the same thing?
No, they are not the same thing. We often think of our nationality as being defined by what passport we hold, which is correct but it can also be related to factors such as local or regional attachments – possibly where you grew up. Ethnicity, on the other had, relates more to your sense of heritage or ancestry rather than where you grew up.
There’ll be a question covering nationality in the Census, separate from Ethnicity. You might be British, hold a British passport, but you can still tick the Irish ethnicity box.
What do I do if I am of mixed race or mixed heritage?
Perhaps this question is best answered with an example.
Example: Lucy’s mother was born in Ireland, her father is Turkish. She travels on a British passport. She wishes to record her Irish and Turkish heritages, so Lucy will tick the ‘Any other mixed/multiple ethnic background’ and write in Irish and Turkish in the write-in box provided.
So, if you are not white and/or consider yourself of mixed ethnicity and want to register your Irish ethnicity you can do this by ticking the ‘Any other’ box (in Section B of the Ethnic Group question) and writing in both ethnicities, e.g. Irish and English.
Further Reading
The Independent
The Irish Post
The Irish World
The Irish Times
The Irish Times (2)
The West-Midlands News
In Parliament
How Irish Are You? Campaign Website
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