It was on the eve of St Patrick s Day 2020, that the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson first announced new measures aimed at avoiding gatherings in crowded places, such as pubs, nightclubs and theatres.
The huge annual parade through London, which traditionally attracts up to 50,000 people, had already been cancelled due to Covid-19 health advice.
With few people yet familiar with the online world of Zoom, and with little time to organise any last-minute virtual events, the day was passed by many of the Irish in Britain and abroad, sitting at home for the first time. It was a very strange state of affairs. Basically everyone’s plans were cancelled, says Ruairí Cullen, policy officer with Irish in Britain, a charity supporting a wide network of Irish organisations across Britain.