Black & Irish by Leon Diop & Briana Fitzsimons

🇮🇪🫱🏿‍🫲🏾 Bookish Reflection 🫱🏿‍🫲🏾🇮🇪

"It’s a new identity, it's fresh, and it's still being defined." ~ Yemi Adenuga

I think you all know just how much I love my visits to Ireland (Dublin, I'm going to explore a bit further afield when I next visit). During my most recent trip, I visited @epicmuseumchq & I came across a book that I hoped would exist & here we have it: Black & Irish: Legends, trailblazers & everyday heroes.

Consisting of 25 fact files/anecdotes focusing on the lives, impacts & feelings of both Black & Mixed-race Irish people. Their experiences of both the past and present state of Ireland in respect of diversity + race.

Judging by the amount of times I have visited Ireland within 1 year, I have been yet to face any discrimination whilst travelling, I always note how welcome I feel there, it is literally a home away from home for me. I'm not naive to the fact that Ireland is a place that isn't free of discrimination & racism, but rather that it hasn't been my experience whilst there.

The lived experiences of those featured in Black & Irish were varied, but it was clear that whilst racism may not have been prominent in these figures younger years, it was very prevalent in their teenage & adult years.

Identity is a huge part of this book. I won't lie, I found it odd (but not surprising) that being Black & Irish has been met with such levels resistance. Maybe that's because being Black & British is something that has been relatively accepted.

This book took me quite long to get through, namely because I spent so much time researching those featured 🤣 I was so intrigued by their stories.

This is the book that I never thought that I needed, but the book I am very glad exists.

Defo one to add to your reading stack if you are interested in learning more about what it means to be both Black & Irish

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