New Irish-American website launches
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009The publisher of New York’s Irish Voice newspaper and Irish-America magazine has launched a new website aimed at the diaspora.
The New York Times says of the venture, www.IrishCentral.com: “The new site includes genealogy information, top tourist spots in Ireland, breaking news and breaking fluff. Its target audience is the Irish diaspora, which numbers 36.5 million in the United States, more than eight times the population of Ireland.”
While the site claims to be the first global Irish website, there is little ground for the assertion. Numerous other other sites such as irishabroad.com, emigrant.ie, seventymillion.org and the now-defunct virtualireland.com and local.ie have also been aimed at the global Irish community. (I worked on two of these: virtualireland.com and emigrant.ie.)
Publisher Niall O’Dowd has gathered $2.4 million in investments and advertising commitments. Backers of the site include a number of prominent Irish-American business executives.
O’Dowd has been a prominent spokesperson in Irish-American affairs, and was the organiser of the first US-Ireland Forum held in New York in November 2007. He recently stepped down as chair of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform.
Related pages
Radio reports focus on emigrant destinations
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009RTE reporter Cian McCormack has done a four-part series on the station’s Morning Ireland radio show covering emigration to the US, Australia, Britain and Canada.
To listen, visit RTE’s archives:
- Emigrating to the US in search of work – 3 March
- Australia still popular with Irish emigrants – 4 March
- Emigrating to Britain – 5 March
- Emigrating to Canada – 6 March
Irish-born in US among oldest, least poor
Monday, March 9th, 2009Irish-born residents of the US are among the oldest immigrant groups, and least likely to be poor, according to a survey released by the US Census Bureau. The study examined demographic profiles of the 38.1 million foreign-born population in the US. In 2000, 269,831 of those were Irish.
The report found that the oldest foreign born populations tend to be from Europe, with those born in Hungary (64 years) and Italy (63.1 years) having the oldest median ages. Those from Greece, Germany and Ireland have median ages of about 60. The median age for the US population as a whole is 36.7, while the total foreign-born population has a median age of 40.2.
Immigrants from Ireland have a poverty rate of only 5%; those from Ireland and the Netherlands were the least likely to be poor. In contrast, 51% of Somali residents live in poverty, along with about a quarter of those born in Iraq, the Dominican Republic, Jordan and Mexicio.
In a separate study, the bureau has found that 12% of all Americans report Irish ancestry, or a total of 36 million in 2007.
In researching this information, I was surprised to find that the Irish don’t even make it into a list of the top 25 countries of birth for immigrants in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, as evidenced by this graphic on the New York Times website.
Related web pages:
- US Census Press Release: Census Bureau Data Show Characteristics of the US Foreign-Born Population
- Fact sheet on the Irish population group using 2000 Census Demographic information
US news report highlights disillusionment of returned emigrants
Monday, March 9th, 2009The disillusionment of Irish emigrants who moved back home to take part in Ireland’s booming economy has been featured in on the CBS Evening News in the US.
The three emigrants profiled include Brendan Landers, who wrote of his disappointment after returning from Canada in the Irish Times last month. He said that his website got over 7,000 hits after the article appeared. Of his fellow returned emigrants, he said, “what they’d been feeling is basically a disappointment with our country”.
Ed Neale returned from Holland, where he was studying architecture, but returned to find the jobs had dried up. “It was really a blip in the nation’s history,” he said. “You know, we are traditionally a very poor country. We’re a nation of emigrants and those times are coming back.”
Marina Giblin gave up her job in banking in San Francisco to raise her four-year-old daughter near family in Dublin. “The reality of it is we partied very hard and we forgot there would be a hangover.” When asked if she’d leave again, Giblin replied, “If I have to go, I’ll go. Yeah, I will.”
Watch the video:
See more on the CBS news website.
36.5 million US residents claimed Irish ancestry in 2007
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009As it does annually, the US Census Bureau has issued its fact sheet in preparation for the observance of Irish-American Heritage Month. Irish-American Heritage Month takes place every March. In the fact sheet we learn the following statistics:
- 36.5 million US residents claimed Irish ancestry in 2007; only Germany can claim more descendants in the US.
- 24% of Massachusetts residents are of Irish ancestry; 12% of the US population is Irish.
- 32% of Irish-American adults over 25 have at least a bachelor’s degree, while 92% have at least a high school diploma. This compares to 28% and 85% for the national average.
- US imports from Ireland totalled $26.2 billion from January to October 2008, while $7.4 billion worth of goods went from the US to Ireland.
See the full press release from the US Census Bureau.
See last year’s Presidential proclamation of Irish-American Heritage Month.
Irish government announces additional US funding
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin has announced another round of funding for Irish community projects in the US, bringing the 2008 total for Emigrant Support funding to over $5 million.
The $2 million in funding announced this week will cover several capital projects:
- JFK Presidential Library and Museum, Boston ($1,000,000)
- San Francisco GAA Facilities ($500,000)
- Chicago Gaelic Park ($250,000)
- Rockland County GAA ($200,000)
- Irish Americans in Government, New York ($20,000)
Several emigrant services project are also getting funding:
- New York Irish Centre ($80,000)
- Ancient Order of Hibernians ($20,000)
- Aisling Irish Centre, New York ($20,000)
- Senior Helpline Project, New York ($15,000)
In announcing the funding, Minister Martin said,
“I am announcing grants for three major Irish community development projects in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Earlier this year, I announced funding for another major Irish community development project in Boston. Each of these projects marks a new and exciting phase in the development of the large Irish communities in these cities. The involvement of the GAA in each of the projects is pivotal given that the organisation is a key focal point for our people in the US, and it is to be praised for its work within those communities.”
“These investments are a strong indication of the enormous value the Government places on supporting our people in the United States and of our firm commitment to building even closer ties with the Irish American community. It is a community to which we in Ireland have on many occasions over the years turned to for advice and practical assistance. It is also a partnership which will secure the long term future of the Irish community in America”
“I know from my own visits to the United States how committed our communities are to maintaining their own distinctive culture and tradition and their links with Ireland. I believe that there is an onus on us to assist them in their efforts. This investment represents a win- win for Ireland and our community in the US. “
“I also know how it is so important that the Irish in America have a focal point where they can meet, particularly for our older people who can so easily become isolated as their social networks splinter and sometimes disappear altogether. These are the very people who over the years would have sent substantial amounts in financial remittances back to Ireland and it is important that their contribution not be forgotten.”
See the full press release on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.
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