London Irish Centre opened in 1955, providing accommodation (serving as a hostel in its early years), employment support and a starting point to those arriving. The Camden Square location was chosen for its proximity to Euston Station, where Irish people disembarked their trains from Holyhead Ferry Port. The London Irish Centre soon became the hub of Irish social activity, with dinners, dances and social functions; the settings of friendships made, spouses met, and the formation of a vibrant Irish community in London. At the core of the Centre's focus remains providing assistance to Irish expatriates in London, whether they have been there for
Leading activity has now been extended to several stages or periods in human development. The notion of a leading activity is part of a broader theory of activity that attempts to integrate cognitive, motivational, and social aspects of development. Despite many detailed descriptive accounts of the developmental forms of memory, perception, and cognition in various phases of childhood (e.g. Piaget's work), often missing is an explanation for "how" or "why" the child develops these psychological processes (Karpov 2003: 138). The exploration of leading activities seeks to illuminate these questions. Rather than biological maturation or stimulus-response learning, specific types of social activity are