Editing Irish diaspora (section)

=== Colombia ===
The presence and impact of the Irish in Colombia dates back to the time of Spanish rule, when in different historical periods they migrated to the [[Iberian Peninsula]] and from there to the American continent, enlisted in the colonization, trade, army and administration companies. One episode in which this group had a special impact was the colonization of the Darien ([[Gulf of Urabá]]) in 1788. In this place 64 families and 50 single individuals from [[North America]] were established, to which were added families from the interior. Of these families, 28 were of Irish origin, which shows their numerical importance and valuation as an emerging social group within the Hispanic world.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=News & Events – Irlandeses en Colombia y Antioquia – Department of Foreign Affairs |url=https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/colombia/newsevents/irlandeses-en-colombia-y-antioquia-.html |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=www.dfa.ie |archive-date=26 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826014128/https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/colombia/newsevents/irlandeses-en-colombia-y-antioquia-.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

There is no doubt that the greatest concentration and contributions to the country occurred during the emancipation campaigns. It is enough to look at the list drawn up by researcher Matthew Brown to understand their importance and impact, for out of some 6,808 Europeans, the Irish represented 48%; we are talking about more than 3,000 Irish who fought to give freedom to Colombia. These would have come enlisted in the Irish Legion, where they were famous officers like: Casey, Devereux, Egan, Ferguson, Foley, Lanagan, Rooke, Larkin, McCarthy, Murphy, O'Leary, O'Connell, O'Connor and Sanders.<ref name=":1" />

Once the wars of Independence were over, a good portion of them would have remained to form part of the Colombian army. Others, on the other hand, would have abandoned military life to integrate into society as businessmen, merchants, musicians, doctors, poets, miners and settlers. The economic sector in which the Irish participated the most was mining: they formed small mining colonies in the north and south of [[Antioquia Department|Antioquia]]. In the middle of the century, the English miner Tyrell Moore, presented to the Sovereign State of Antioquia a project to colonize with 200 Irish families in the [[Northern Antioquia|north]] and [[Bajo Cauca Antioquia|lower]] Cauca, an intention that apparently met with local disapproval and added to other logistical problems made its materialization impossible. But the largest mining colony was established in the south (currently [[Caldas Department|Caldas department]]), in towns such as [[Marmato, Caldas|Marmato]] and [[Supía, Caldas|Supía]]. Among the hundreds of British, French, German and Swedish miners who moved there were some Irishmen such as Eduardo MacAllister, Joseph Raphson, Nicolas Fitzgerald, Juan O'Byrne, David Davis and the Nicholls.<ref name=":1" />

In addition, this immigration has been highlighted in dozens of literary and academic works, the most important of which are: Irish Blood in [[Antioquia Department|Antioquia]] (''Sangre irlandesa en Antioquia)'', by Aquiles Echeverri, Irish descendant; The Mysters of the Mines (''Los místeres de las minas)'', by Alvaro Gartner and The Sanctuary: Global History of a Battle (''El Santuario: Historia global de una batalla)'', by Matthew Brown. For all of the above, it is evident that Irish immigration has not been alien to us and its presence, traces and impact also constitute an important part of our past and historical and cultural heritage.<ref name=":1" />