“Prairies or pampas?”: article explains why emigrants no longer ask
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009Argentina was once a powerful draw for Irish emigrants, although it is difficult to imagine given the country’s economic troubles today. How did it go from being an economic powerhouse to its current status today? Alan Beattie in the Financial Times documents the decline in a comparison of the policies pursued throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the United States and Argentina.
As he points out,
“Before the Great Depression of the 1930s, Argentina was among the 10 richest countries in the world. The millions of emigrant Italians and Irish fleeing poverty at the end of the 19th century were torn between the two: Buenos Aires or New York? The pampas or the prairie?
A hundred years later there was no choice at all. One had gone on to be among the most successful economies ever. The other was a broken husk.”
Beattie points out that America chose openness, innovation, skilled immigration and industrialisation – while Argentina concentrated land and political power in the hands of an elite who shunned the risk-taking nature of industrialisation until it was too late.
The article is worth reading for anyone interested in the history of the home of the largest non-English-speaking Irish diaspora community.
FT.com: Argentina: The superpower that never was
NY GAA not benefitting from Ireland’s downturn
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009The Irish Times takes a look at the New York GAA scene in the context of Ireland’s falling economy, as Mayo prepares to make the trip to play New York in the opening round of the Connacht championship.
The article notes:
It used to be an economic downturn in Ireland was at least good for something; the GAA in New York. When players here were laid-off or couldn’t find work they typically looked to America, and particularly New York, where the promise of employment and a vibrant GAA scene – along with several other perks – was more than enough to entice them across the Atlantic.
These days things are a little different
The article notes that stricter immigration laws have kept New York’s GAA scene from booming as it might have in tough economic times of the past. There has been talk of an increased numbers of players coming, but “it’s really only dribs and drabs”, according to NY GAA chair Larry McCarthy.
They key to the NY GAA’s future growth? The twelve underage clubs in the New York area, according to McCarthy, which bring players up from under-10s to minor grade. But McCarthy notes that that the dominance of American sport is a challenge in attracting young people, and many young people lose their connection to their GAA clubs when they go away to college.
Related web page:
Irish Times: New York build on underage structures
Surfing film highlights Irish role in origins of sport
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009The role of Irish-American George Freeth in establishing the modern sport of surf-boarding is explored in a film now playing in movie theatres. Waveriders tells the story of Freeth, who had a Hawaiian mother and an Irish father. He brought the sport of surfing from Hawaii, where it had nearly been eliminated by missionaries, to California, where he initiated a revival of the sport. Freeth also set up the first lifeguard unit in California and introduced the sport of water polo to the state.
The film, which won the audience award at the Dublin International Film Festival, also highlights the role of Irish-Americans in establishing the sport in Ireland.
Related sites:
- Waveriders – the official website
- Tribune.ie: Film of the Week – Waveriders
- Independent: The Unheralded god who walked on water
ILIR renews campaign as Obama gives mixed signals on reform
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform has resumed its campaign on behalf of the undocumented in the United States with a meeting outside Boston this week. More than 350 attended the meeting, which was held in the Irish Cultural Center in Canton.
ILIR President Ciaran Staunton said, “ILIR wants to make sure that this is the last generation of Irish in America that has to listen to a family member’s funeral on the telephone. It is our goal that this is the last generation of Irish to be undocumented in America.”
Former Congressman Bruce Morrison spoke about the proposal to create a visa similar to the E-3 that was established in a deal between Australia and the US last year. Even if such a deal could be passed for Ireland, however, this visa would probably not assist the undocumented already living in the US.
The Obama administration has given mixed signals on immigration reform in recent weeks. In March, President Obama told the Hispanic Immigration Caucus that he remained committed to comprehensive immigation reform; Obama had made a campaign pledge to address the issue in his first year in office. He said in March that he would initiate the process with a White House meeting this spring. However, Vice President Biden told a gathering of Central American leaders this month that the economy was an obstacle to immigration reform.
“It’s difficult to tell a constituency while unemployment is rising, they’re losing their jobs and their homes, that what we should do is, in fact, legalize (illegal immigrants) and stop all deportation.”
Related web pages:
- Boston.com:Irish on move again for immigrant rights
- Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform
- Arizona Republic: Obama sets new tone, but immigration action far off
ILIR to hold series of meetings
Monday, March 30th, 2009The New York-based Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform will be holding a series of meetings after a period of reorganisation. They report they will hold the first meeting in Boston at the Irish Cultural Centre in Boston on April 6 at 7:30 pm. Speakers will include Bruce Morison, ILIR chair Bart Murphy, vice-chair Ciaran Staunton and Executive Director Kelly Fincham.
Bart Murphy, a San Francisco-based immigration advocate, recently took over the position of chair from Irish Voice publisher Niall O’Dowd.
For more information, visit the ILIR blog.
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Taoiseach launches strategic review of Irish-US relations
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009Taoiseach Brian Cowan has launched a major review of Ireland-US relations entitled “Ireland and America: Challenges and Opportunities in a New Context”. The report was initiated following a visit by the Taoiseach to New York last year. It is the first significant review of diplomatic relations with the United States since the 1930s.
The report is an ambitious one, setting out the following key objectives:
- A revitalised relationship between Ireland and the United States, shaped to meet the challenges of a new era
- A strong and mutually beneficial economic partnership
- A deep and enduring engagement with the Irish diaspora in the US
- A vibrant Irish community with new possibilities for young people to work, gain experience and live in the United States
- A strong partnership with the Irish American community and with US authorities in caring for the ‘forgotten Irish’
- Continued strong partnership with US Administration and Congress in support of the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement
The Taoiseach has outlined a number of key initiatives:
- a new Ireland-US Strategic Policy Group, chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, which will oversee implementation and report directly to the Taoiseach
- A new Irish American Leadership Council
- Extended diplomatic representation in the US, with, in the first instance, a new Consulate in Atlanta, GA and later in Houston, TX
Expansion of the Honorary Consul network - Development and expansion of business networks to support Irish jobs and take advantage of new economic opportunities
- A reinforcement of the Embassy’s capacity to promote economic relations
- Development of bilateral dialogue foreign policy dialogue with the US on issues ranging from development assistance, human rights, disarmament and non-proliferation to conflict resolution
- Develop targeted engagement with individual US states
- Development of Ireland-US bilateral visa arrangements with a new reciprocal and renewable 2-year working visa arrangement, a reenergised J1 visa programme and a long term solution for the undocumented
- encouragement of new online links for Irish communities and the wider diaspora in the US
- A new certificate of Irish ancestry for Americans seeking formal acknowledgement of their Irish roots
- A fast-track naturalisation regime for those with Irish great-grandparents who have studied in Ireland
- Improved on-line access to genealogical records
- Annual arrangements to commemorate the Famine in the US
- A new leadership development programme to connect emerging leaders in US with counterparts in Ireland
- Improved coordination of activities by Irish universities and Higher Education institutes
- Expanded internship programme for US students with reciprocal placements for Irish students
- Enhanced secondary school linkages and the development of curriculum materials in both the US and Ireland
- Support for growing Irish studies programmes and development of an annual Summer School focussing on aspects of the Irish story in America
- Officer exchange programme between the US State Department and Department of Foreign Affairs
- A dedicated education officer in the Embassy in Washington
- A series of high-profile Irish cultural events in 2011
- Investment in existing Irish-American cultural infrastructure, especially in New York.
Related websites:
- Department of the Taoiseach
- Press release: Taoiseach launches strategic review of Ireland-US relations
- Speech by an Taoiseach at American Irish Historical Society in New York: Ireland and America – Re-energising a critical relationship