What happened to the Irish in Britain in gerontology research?

Willis, Rosalind (2023) What happened to the Irish in Britain in gerontology research? British Society of Gerontology 52nd Annual Conference, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom. 05 - 07 Jul 2023.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

Seminal studies show the Irish in Britain had poorer health and socio-economic status compared with the White British population, and disadvantages persisted into later generations. Particularly concerning were disadvantages in mental health, suicide, and mortality outcomes. However, academic interest in recognising the Irish in Britain as a distinct ethnic group has declined over time. More recent studies on ethnicity and health collapse all white people into one category and compare a single white group with selected minority ethnic groups, which may reflect an implicit assumption that the circumstances of the White Irish are almost identical to the White British. This ignores the basis of the arguments that led to the White Irish category being included in the Census for the first time in 2001, as well as the accumulation of disadvantage theory. Furthermore, the existing research has tended to ignore Irish people of colour. This means that we do not have complete up-to-date knowledge on the health experiences of the Irish population in Britain, and more specifically on the older Irish population. This presentation will track the change over time in research on Irish people’s health and using a critical lens will offer explanations for the shift in focus within Gerontological research.

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