As Modi Visits Dublin, Here’s What We Have In Common With Ireland

As Narendra Modi becomes the first PM to visit Ireland in 60 years, here’s looking at the long history between us.

PM Narendra Modi leave for his trip to Ireland and the USA. (Photo: PTI)

Narendra Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to visit Ireland since 1956, as he stops over at Dublin for a day before his high profile visit to the United states. Most of us don’t know a lot about Ireland or the Irish people, except perhaps a bit about Bono and U2 and maybe James Joyce if you’re the literary type.

But India has long historical similarities to the Emerald Isle.

From the independence movement to cultural similarities, here’s a brief look at the India-Ireland bond.

Colonial Cousins

In India, we may have gone through do sau saal ki ghulami under British colonial rule, but Ireland had it much worse. Britain’s first colony, Ireland was under colonial rule for nearly 800 years. Just like in India, there is a long history of oppression, struggle and brutality in Ireland. In fact, many important aspects of the India’s freedom movement were inspired by Ireland.

Rice and Potatoes: Killers in India and Ireland

Like the Bengal famine in India (pictured above) many people died in the ‘Great Famine’ in Ireland. (Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)

Both India and Ireland lost millions of lives due to famine. The ‘Potato Famine’ between 1845 and 1852 killed over a million people in Ireland and another million emigrated to America. In India, about 3 million people died due to the Bengal famine. While there were immediate natural causes in both cases, the scale of devastation was because of unfair British land and agricultural policy.

Inspiring Revolutionaries

Surya Sen, the mastermind of the Chittagong Uprising was inspired by Irish revolutionaries. (Photo: Directorate of State Archive, East Bengal, Kolkata)

Many Indian revolutionaries, particularly in Bengal were inspired by their Irish counterparts. In 1916, Irish revolutionaries took over Dublin during the Easter weekend (April 24-29). The revolutionaries took over key military and government buildings and declared Ireland a free republic. The Easter Rising became a symbol of bravery and martyrdom for many colonised people around the world.

In India, the Chittagong Uprising led by Surya Sen and his comrades was modelled on the Easter Rising. The group even called themselves the Indian Republican Army after the Irish Republican Army.

Giving Us the Record Book

Cover of the 2014 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records

India is obsessed with setting records. In fact, we have the largest number of records and record attempts in the Guinness Book of World Records. Well, the record book was actually started by the Guinness brewery, manufacturers of Ireland’s famous stout (it’s black beer).

That’s not all, the Irish make some pretty good whiskey too, and quite a few people here like drinking it.

Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara

Nope that’s not the tiranga tilted sideways, it’s Ireland’s flag. (Photo: iStock)

With so much in common, it is only fitting that our most prominent national symbols - our flags - resemble each other so closely. Yup, Ireland has a tiranga too. It’s saffron, white and green flag is basically like ours without the Ashok Chakra and flipped 90 degrees.