Islington’s ‘Little Italy’ procession celebrates those who came to live in the south of the borough

ISLINGTON has always been a place of refuge for people forced from their homes ­– so perhaps there is little surprise that the authorities want to hold out a helping hand again.

Among those that have resettled here over the years are Hungarian and South African political refugees, German Jewish communities, West Indian people from the Windrush generation, Italian and Irish economic migration, and Somali war refugees.

The diversity this has brought to the borough has been seen by many as something to celebrate, rather than fear.

Over the past three centuries Islington also became a new home for thousands of Irish economic migrants.

The arrival of the Irish into Islington began in the 1700s, mainly as agricultural labourers. The early part of the 19th century attracted large numbers of Irish migrants, drawn by London’s rapid economic growth.

This increased when many from Ireland fled the effects of the Irish potato famine during the 1840s.

Over time, many of the pubs that hosted Irish musicians have shut down or been revamped but the Victoria in Holloway remains a symbol of the Irish music scene that thrived from the 1960s-1980s.

In the south of the borough, the south-western corner of Clerkenwell known as Little Italy goes back two centuries of migration, gaining a growing population of working-class Italians.

Also once known as Italian Hill or the Italian Quarter, Little Italy’s boundaries have historically been recognised as Clerkenwell Road, Farringdon Road and Rosebery Avenue.

St Peter’s Italian Catholic Church in Clerkenwell Road remains a focal point of the area, hosting Sunday worship especially at Christmas, Epiphany and Easter.