This text examines the Irish experience in Britain as a minority experience which has been profoundly shaped by the reponse of both the British state and the Catholic church to Irish migrants. Research about the education of the Irish is used to investigate how a group who, in the 19th century were large, visible and problematized, were transformed into an invisible and silent minority by the mid-20th century. The book contributes to debates about racism, identity and minority groups in Britain. Despite the European location of Ireland and their white skin, the Irish are subject to colonial racism.