It is a Saturday afternoon at the London Irish Centre (LIC) in Camden, in UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s constituency. Strains of The Fields of Athenry fill the autumn air.

The Irish Pensioners Choir sings on stage as part of community day celebrations for the centre’s 70th birthday. Many in the room are a lot older than that – the Irish are among the most aged ethnic communities in Britain, twice as likely to be pensioners as the rest of the population, UK census data show.

Many older Irish were drawn to this part of north London when they moved to Britain decades ago. The LIC was a gathering point for many, a sanctuary for some. The Ireland they left could be a harsh place.

Now the centre is looking to the future with a near-£35 million (€40 million) redevelopment in the works.

The other big Irish centre in London, the Irish Cultural Centre (ICC) in Hammersmith, has just celebrated its 30th anniversary and is planning to expand, too.

Between them, the two centres have clocked up a century serving the needs of the Irish in London. As older Irish emigrants now settle into their dotage and beyond, these hubs are trying also to meet the needs of a younger Irish influx, who, compared to those who came before, have arrived in London on their own terms.

As well as the Pensioners Choir at the LIC, there have been tradition