The President of Ireland praised the work of an Irish community centre during a visit to Tottenham this morning.

Michael D Higgins visited the Haringey Irish Cultural and Community Centre, in Pretoria Road, as part of his visit to London.

During a speech to a crowd of about 100 people, he commended the centre for achieving a genuinely multicultural community space.

Mr Higgins said: “I was a good friend of the late Tottenham MP Bernie Grant so I have a long relationship with this area.

"Centres like this are very important because it’s from places like this that Irish organisations can take care of and collaborate with Irish culture.

“The impressive thing about this event is the inter-generational nature of the crowd and it shows just how wonderful the work here is.

“This centre does great work to support the needs of the Irish community and also to support the needs of immigrants who come to Britain.”

He was welcomed to the centre by the Mayor of Haringey Sheila Peacock, the MP for Tottenham David Lammy and the centre’s manager Tony Brennan.

Sharon Grant, the wife of the late Tottenham MP, is a personal friend of the Irish President and spoke of her delight during his fourth visit to the area.

She said: “Michael was a close friend of my late husband Bernie at a time when things were very difficult for both the black and the Irish communities.

“I think we are still reaping the benefits of that relationship.

“It’s absolutely delightful to see him here again. When he arrived he just came up to me and gave me a big hug and asked how I was.”

Jim Cassins, a member of the Haringey Irish centre and the borough’s Irish community, said there was no higher praise than a visit from the president.

He said: “The president made a very good speech and I think everyone in the crowd was really impressed.

“This centre works with groups for all over the borough and they really do some amazing work and it’s nice that’s been recognised.

“I came to London in 1959 and back then things were very difficult for the Irish because of discrimination but things have come a long way since then.”