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An exhibition panel with a pink, green and gold graphic reading: Looking East: Ireland and India, as a woman looks at the panel behind

Looking East: Ireland and India

Exploring three centuries of diverse Irish connections to India

‘Looking East: Ireland and India’ is a multimedia exhibition exploring three centuries of Irish connection to India.

Developed by EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, it highlights both the diverse range of Irish people who went to India as soldiers, civil servants, activists and educators, and the history of Indian migration to Ireland.

A man looking at exhibition panels

Ireland was Britain’s oldest colony, and India its most populous. As well as providing a testing ground for imperial rule, Ireland supplied a large part of the manpower that secured and defended new territory for the British in Asia. By the late nineteenth century, Irishmen ran seven of the eight provinces of British India.

After World War I, Britain faced mounting resistance to its presence in both Ireland and India. Irish and Indian nationalists in many cases supported and took inspiration from each other’s struggles. Just as Irish republicans like Éamon de Valera stressed the common cause of Ireland and India, Bengali freedom fighters drew comparisons between our colonial experiences.

The Irish-descended Annie Besant established the All-India Home Rule League in 1916, and a year later became the first female president of the Indian National Congress.

A woman looking at a framed portrait of another woman

A diverse Indian diaspora in Ireland

Indians are today among the fastest-growing immigrant communities in Ireland. ‘Looking East’ features a short film capturing the experiences of this diverse diaspora, with contributions from former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, novelist Cauvery Madhavan, climate activist Theresa Rose Sebastian, Satwinder Singh of Eco Sikh Ireland and Pradeep Mahadeshwar, co-founder of Queer Asian Pride Ireland.

  • 1959

    A black and white family photo of 50+ people in formal dress.

    Agnes Footman and family in Secunderabad, 1959. Agnes’ grandfather, John Footman emigrated to India during the Great Famine after enlisting in the army of the East India Company. Courtesy of Ian Michael

  • 1932

    A gathering of Irish and Indian activists in 1932 sitting on a blanket in a garden.

    A gathering of Irish and Indian activists in 1932, pictured at the Dublin home of Molly Woods, co-founder of the Indian-Irish Independence League. Courtesy of John Wright and Lal Wright, née Dey, with thanks to Kate O’Malley

  • 1920

    A poster featuring 7 figures, reading the Seven Great Men of the World.

    An Indian nationalist print, showing Terence MacSwiney alongside Lord Christ, Lord Krishna and Lord Buddha. Collection of Vinay Lal, Professor of History, UCLA

  • 1920

    An old photograph of the guests at the India Freedom Dinner.

    The ‘India Freedom Dinner’ held by the New York-based Friends of Freedom for India in February 1920, with Éamon de Valera as guest of honour. National Museum of Ireland

  • 1930

    a

    Roscommon-born suffragette Margaret Cousins (front row, second right) at the AGM of the Madras-based Women's Indian Association in 1930. Adyar Library Research Centre, Chennai, courtesy of Prof Jyoti Atwal

But Indian migration to this country stretches back much further in time. Dean Mahomet, a former soldier with the East India Company, published the first English-language book written by an Indian while living in Cork in the late 1700s. A century later, Mir Aulad Ali, a Muslim scholar from modern-day Uttar Pradesh, was appointed professor of Arabic, Hindustani and Persian at Trinity College Dublin. V. V. Giri, the fourth president of India, studied in Ireland during the revolutionary years (1913–1916) and was deeply affected by the events he witnessed.

A woman looking at portraits, with an exhibition panel in the foreground of the photo.

As Ireland marks 75 years of diplomatic relations with India, ‘Looking East: Ireland and India’ draws attention to some of the many historic ties between our two countries. The exhibition can be viewed at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum from July 19 until November 30, 2024.

‘Looking East: Ireland and India’ is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs.