The organisation IamIrish which represents Irish people of black heritage has marked Black History Month with an event in the Irish Cultural Centre in London.
Lorraine Maher who founded the group in 2020 said there had not been a 'space' for Irish people who are black to express their identity.
The not-for-profit group represents Irish people of black, Asian or Arab descent in Britain and Ireland.
Last night the event feature musical and spoken word performances by Irish-black women as this year's Black History Month is 'Saluting Our Sisters'.
Founder of IamIrish, Lorraine Maher, came to London 35 years ago from Carrick On Suir.
"I didn't feel like Irish places were spaces for me in fact you know coming to the UK I met an Afro-Caribbean community that completely embraced me and actually taught me how to love being Irish."
"Our organisation came from frustration of the lack of representation of the black-Irish experience, and it feels really important for us to shine a light on those who are part of the Irish diaspora particularly during Black History Month.
"The thing that is the common denominator for us is that we will always say that we're Irish first. That's who we are, that's the identity that we know that's crystal clear for us."
Louise Durand is originally from Waterford but has been in London for 10 years. She works with IamIrish and hosted the event at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith.
She said in Ireland she did not know people of the same background but discovered a sense of community after coming to a meeting of IamIrish in London two years ago.
"I looked around a room of these beautiful biracial people and they all had Irish accents, it was nuts because I had never experienced that before and it's like finding that community and the thing that I have been searching for, was in one room and it was here the whole time."
Sara Keenan only arrived from Ireland last year but has completed a Masters in Journalism. She also said the IamIrish group has given her a sense of community.
"London is much more diverse, there are more black people around so I don't different, but I still wanted that Irishness when I moved here."
She said being with IamIrish is like having found family.
Tanya Bridgeman is an actor and writer who was brought up in England but still has a strong sense of Irish identity. One set of grandparents were from Ireland and the other from Barbados.
"Heritage is like the core of identity; family is the core of identity. I would hardly ever call myself English, but I would call myself Irish or Bajan just because they're my community, the people that brought me up."
