Archive for September, 2006
« Previous EntriesUS-bound passengers to go through all pre-clearance in Ireland
Thursday, September 28th, 2006US-bound passengers from Irish airports will soon go through all pre-clearance procedures through US officials based at Dublin and Shannon. The current system checks passports, but the US embassy says it is working with Irish authorities to implement the agricultural and customs checks that are now conducted in US airports after passengers arrive. The embassy says the move will offer significant security and commercial benefits.
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1695797&issue_id=14694
Mayo-born Argentine Navy founder honoured
Thursday, September 28th, 2006A monument to Admiral William Brown was unveiled by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday in Dublin’s Docklands. The Irish Independent says the Mayo-born founder of the Argentine Navy who died in 1857, has 1,100 streets, 420 schools, six football clubs and two cities named after him in Argentina.
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1695760&issue_id=14694
Minister for Foreign Affairs meets with ILIR, NY groups
Wednesday, September 27th, 2006The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, has met with representatives from the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) in New York to discuss the campaign on behalf of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States. The minister reiterated the Government’s strong support for the ILIR’s campaign. He added, “The plight of the undocumented gets harder by the day and the ILIR campaign has undoubtedly already had a strong impact in Congress and beyond. The Government will remain actively involved in representing the concerns of the undocumented in the crucial period ahead.â€?
During his visit to New York, Mr Ahern also met with representatives of the following organisations:
- Emerald Isle Immigration Center
- Aisling Center
- Irish Immigration and Pastoral Center, Philadelphia
- New York Irish Center
- Project Irish Outreach
- Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers
The Minister praised the work of the centres, saying, “The services offered by the Irish immigration centers are critical, particularly for the more vulnerable members of our communities here. I welcome the ongoing focus on supporting community networks and the development of services for older Irish people in this country. The work that the centers undertake to respond to the particular difficulties encountered by the undocumented in their communities is also of key importance�.
See the Department of Foreign Affair’s press release.
Eavan Boland comments on emigrant experience
Tuesday, September 26th, 2006RTE’s radio programme Rattlebag ran a rerun of an interview with Eavan Boland, in which she spoke extensively about her experience as an Irish woman abroad, beginning with her childhood as a diplomat’s daughter. She read her poem “The Emigrant Irish�. She characterized her own experience by saying, “I was never an emigrant. I was outside my country – it’s a much more luxurious experience�.
Film to focus on 1970s-era emigrants in Britain
Tuesday, September 26th, 2006Colm Meaney will be one of the featured actors in “Kings�, a film focusing on a group of Irish emigrants living in London. Based on Jimmy Murphy’s play “The Kings of the Kilburn High Road�, the film focuses on several friends who emigrated to England in the 1970s; they are reunited at the funeral of one of the gang, who has been killed by a train. The Irish-produced film will be shot around Belfast, Dublin and London. It will be bilingual in Irish and English. The ensemble cast also includes Donal O’Kelly, Brendan Conroy, Donncha Crowley, Barry Barnes and Seán Ó Tarpaigh.
http://www.filmboard.ie/stop_press.php?press=461
17,000 left Ireland last year
Tuesday, September 12th, 2006The latest set of CSO stats on emigration and immigration for the year up to April 06 has been released. There were an estimated 17,000 emigrants – interestingly reversing (though not by much) the downward trend of the last several years; the figure hit bottom last year at 16,600.
There were 87,000 immigrants – the highest recorded since the CSO began keeping track in 1987. About 20,000 of those were Irish nationals – Poles outnumbered returning emigrants however, with 22,900 immigrants.
- 4,400 emigrants went to Britain
- 2,800 went to the EU15
- 1,400 went to the US
- 1,100 went to the new EU states of the EU10 –some of these were likely returning emigrants from those countries.
- 7,300 went to the rest of the world.
See the full report on the CSO website.
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