Archive for January, 2007
« Previous EntriesIrish Abroad Unit outlines its work
Monday, January 29th, 2007The Irish Abroad Unit updated the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs about their work and the current status of Irish emigrants earlier this month. Their update focused on the achievements of 2006 and their plans for 2007.
Ray Bassett of the Unit spoke of the possibility that immigration reform could be passed by the US Congress in September or October, but warned of the importance of caution in these matters. He paid tribute to the work of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, and said that the Irish presence has been helpful as part of the wider campaign for immigration reform aimed at the wider group of undocumented immigrants in the US.
Mr Bassett also spoke of the improvements in the status of Irish emigrants in Britain with €40 million spent since 1984, 80% of that since 2000. The Simon Community credits increased funding for the fall in the number of Irish homeless from 600 to 100 since 1999.
He spoke of establishing good links with the GAA, referring to its ability to bring community together as “sport plus social inclusion�. He also spoke of how the Unit has extended funding to Australia, Canada and Argentina, as well as South Africa and Zimbabwe. The Unit has been given €15.1 million for funding next year, an increase of €3 million.
During the question period, Mr Bassett responded to the issue of free travel and broadcasting to emigrants by saying:
On issues such as RTE, free travel, etc., the Government is in favour. It is a question of how we proceed from here. We have extended the centenarian’s bounty outside the State for those who reach 100 years of age. It will take imaginative thinking to get around some of the obstacles, but we are committed to work with the relevant Departments to assist these people. There is a political and administrative will to do it, but we need the mechanisms to get there.
The update sparked a wide-ranging discussion on the status of the Irish around the world. Senators raised such issues as the special problems of Argentinians who feel a very strong link with Ireland and who would like to get citizenship, but who are too many generations removed under the current system. Senator David Norris spoke of a letter he had received from a young Irish man living in Paris who felt rejected by Ireland because he could not vote here. Senator Paschal Mooney raised the issue of differences between the professional Irish of the more recent generation of emigrants and the traditional Irish emigrants; he suggested there might be some sort of structure developed that would encourage the professional Irish to get involved with those from previous generations.
For the full transcript, see the Oireachtas website.
Sligo County Council says returning emigrants have right to build homes
Monday, January 29th, 2007The Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council has told the Sligo Association in London that the county is helping to bring emigrants home, according to a story in the Sligo Weekender.
Councillor Jim McGarry said, “From Sligo County Council’s perspective, I am pleased that the status of returning emigrants has been actively promoted in our County Development Plan. This plan outlines an explicit entitlement for returning emigrants to build their homes in their native community, and I feel this is a right that is fully deserved�.
He also praised the volunteers working with the emigrant community: “I have the highest regard for the many volunteers who give of their time and energy to assist our people in London.�
See the report on the Sligo Weekender website.
http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=31409&cat=business
Leeds report highlights needs of homeless
Monday, January 29th, 2007The Leeds Irish Health and Homes group has recently published a report on homeless Irish people called “Gan Didean� (“Without a Place to Stay�). The report highlights the importance of cultural awareness in service provision and makes a number of recommendations. These include:
- Consultation with Irish organisations in the planning stages of initiatives to deal with homelessness.
- Better ethnic monitoring to provide data for improvements in service provision.
- The inclusion of Irish ethnicity in diversity-training curricula
- Action plans by statutory authorities for culturally sensitive services to the Irish community
- Consultation with Irish organisations by statutory organisations to provide support
- Provision of culturally specific supported housing and care for Irish people.
The report also includes an overview of the work of LIHH and several case studies. It is available through LIHH at http://www.lihh.org.
Kenny invokes emigrant heritage in immigrant speech
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has stirred some controversy with a speech about immigration.
Mr Kenny invoked Ireland’s emigrant heritage in his speech, directed at a meeting of the party and its new general election candidates. He said,
We live in a country that exported our people, not by the boatload, or by the planeload, but by the generation.We live in a country where hundreds of thousands of families lived for the postal order that put food on the table and clothes on their backs thanks to a father and often his sons slaving on the building sites of London and New York and San Francisco.
So it’s safe to say that we live in a country where you’d have to have a very small mind, a very short memory and a very hard heart not to welcome the stranger who is trying to make a better life, a more hopeful life for themselves and their families.
Mr Kenny went on to call for a debate on immigration, saying that “I believe that immigration and multiculturalism can be good for Ireland but the current system is not being managed well. We need a system that is good for the Irish and good for the immigrants.”
Mr Kenny added:
Fine Gael has three priorities to make immigration work for Ireland: Immigrants have rights and responsibilities. They should have the right to be free of discrimination and have their contribution to the country recognised, but they have the responsibility to integrate into our community, comply with our laws and respect our cultural traditions. I do not want to see a situation developing in which our immigrant population live separate lives. We have a responsibility to facilitate and encourage this integration.
Several commentators have picked up on the fact that Mr Kenny called the Irish a “Celtic and Christian people” and questioned whether these labels apply.
Read the speech on the Fine Gael website.
US President calls for reform in address
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007US President George Bush included a call for comprehensive immigration reform in his State of the Union address last night. He said:
Extending hope and opportunity in our country requires an immigration system worthy of America, with laws that are fair and borders that are secure. When laws and borders are routinely violated, this harms the interests of our country. To secure our border, we’re doubling the size of the Border Patrol and funding new infrastructure and technology.
Yet even with all these steps, we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border, and that requires a temporary worker program. We should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis. As a result, they won’t have to try to sneak in, and that will leave border agents free to chase down drug smugglers and criminals and terrorists. We’ll enforce our immigration laws at the worksite, and give employers the tools to verify the legal status of their workers, so there’s no excuse left for violating the law. We need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals. We need to resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country, without animosity and without amnesty.
Convictions run deep in this Capitol when it comes to immigration. Let us have a serious, civil, and conclusive debate so that you can pass, and I can sign, comprehensive immigration reform into law.
Argentine navy to honor Irish founder with visit
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007The Argentine navy’s tall ship, the Libertad, will visit Ireland in June as part of the celebrations commemorating the 150th anniversary of the death of Admiral William Brown. The crew will visit Foxford, Co. Mayo, the birthplace of the founder of the Argentine navy, during their ten-day visit to Ireland.
The ship will conduct a salute off the Mayo coast around June 17, according to the Western People. It will then dock in Galway, Dublin and Cork.
The Admiral William Brown Society is planning a number of commemorative events marking the anniversary. Admiral Brown was born in Foxford in 1777; after emigrating to Argentina he fought in several wars and eventually founded their navy. He is celebrated as a hero in Argentina and this year’s events are likely to raise his profile in Ireland.
The full story is on the Western People website.
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