PUblished: February 23, 2012
by PAVAN AMARA and LAURA McPHEE

RECENTLY elected Irish President Michael D Higgins visited the London Irish Centre on Tuesday as the first stop on a three-day London tour.

He said his government would “continue to support a new, younger wave of Irish immigration”, and spoke of his country’s long historic links with Camden.

Speaking at the centre in Camden Square, he said: “There were many young Irish men who came with their families to build the railways here, and through determination and hard work they made a life for themselves in this vibrant part of London.”

Mr Higgins said the centre’s Aisling Project, which supports returning Irish migrants from London, would continue to be financially backed.

He said: “The project will continue to exist, but in different ways. If you are living in an urban area, get used to urban settings and then go back to a rural area you will find it changed, and people you knew may have died, and you may not be able to take it.

“Now, people tend to go home for summer, so they keep the attachment in an emotional sense, but don’t have to give up a place on a medical list or lose your connections here.”

The President met representatives from the centre, Camden’s Irish community, musicians and the Irish Chaplaincy. He was joined by his actress wife Sabina Coyne and Irish Ambassador Bobby McDonagh.