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Northern Ireland Sikh Association
Founded in 1995 in Derry, one of two gurdwaras in Northern Ireland
Location(s)
16 Simpsons Brae
Londonderry
BT47 6DL
Northern Ireland
About
The Northern Ireland Sikh Association was established in 1995, in a former school which was built in 1919. It was founded by Kanwar Panesar, a medical doctor who was based in Altnagelvin and served as the organization’s first President. Before its opening, Derry’s eighteen Sikh families would take turns to host prayers and provide langar once a month. As Derry’s Sikh community grew, a formal place of worship became necessary to accommodate Sikhs from across the north-west of Northern Ireland. Alongside providing space for prayer and langar, the gurdwara hosts Punjabi language classes and facilitates school visits. In 2021 the gurdwara was closed due to an accidental fire, which caused significant damage. It reopened in April 2024. Its current president is Amerjit Singh Nagra.
Kanwar Panesar
Gohil, Neha, ‘"No other place to go": NI Sikhs Eagerly Await Reopening of Place of Worship’, Guardian (7 February 2024)
Kapur, Narinder, The Irish Raj: Illustrated Stories about Irish in India and Indians in Ireland (Antrim, Northern Ireland: Greystone Press, 1997)
McGee, Elaine, ‘Derry's Sikh Temple Given New Lease of Life’, BBC (28 January 2024)
Ryan, Maurice, Another Ireland: An Introduction to Ireland's Ethnic-Religious Minority Communities (Belfast: Stranmillis College, 1997)
Image credit
© Remaking Britain: South Asian Connections and Networks, 1930s – present
