On Friday 18th May we were delighted to welcome the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs to the Lewisham Irish Community Centre and to London. The visit was part of a three day fact-finding mission focused primarily on Brexit, overseas aid priorities and engaging with Irish communities in the capital.

           (Representatives from LICC and members of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs)

 

Members of the committee; Brendan Smith, TD (Chair) Sean Barratt TD (Deputy Chair), Noel Grealish TD and Noel Murphy (Clerk to the committee) were accompanied by Ruaidhri Dowling from the Irish Embassy.

The centre was a hive of activity when the committee arrived which allowed them to get a real flavour of the work we do with both our local community and the large Irish community that calls Lewisham home.

After a very warm welcome from our youth club & playgroup the committee chatted with LICC employees and volunteers. This was followed by a meeting with our management committee. Amongst the topics discussed were Brexit, Lewisham’s Irish community, how Irish Government funding allows us to continue to deliver the invaluable services we do, the political environment in Lewisham and in Ireland and our exciting plans for the future.

Before heading home the committee met with our pensioners group who discussed, amongst other things, the importance of having a support network for the local Irish Community.

We would like to thank the Joint Committee for Foreign Affairs for taking the time to visit our Community Centre and for the Irish Embassy for helping organise the visit. We hope that we provided you with a good snapshot of the services we provide and the critical role we play within our community.