« ILIR leader takes aim at critic | Main | Irish farmers heading for New Zealand? »
Awards system would include Diaspora
By Noreen Bowden | November 21, 2007
The Taoiseach is considering an honours system that would formally recognise outstanding achievements by Irish citizens. The proposed system was discussed in Question Time in the Dail yesterday.
The Taoiseach said that the Irish abroad would be eligible under his proposed system:
The system should be capable of applying to citizens, the diaspora and others who have made a significant contribution at international level or in Ireland. It should operate, and be seen to operate, transparently and independently. If we ever go ahead with this scheme, it should be open and not discriminate against anybody from any walk of life or class, creed or location. It should be an honour capable of being achieved by any citizen so that there is no elitism, as in some countries, attached to it. While a broad range of service achievements could be covered, I am particularly anxious that exceptional service for the betterment of the community would be included.
He also noted that some Irish people were being honoured by the British government, and said that some had expressed to him that they would rather be honoured in their own country.
An awards system that would recognise the contributions of the Irish abroad was one of the recommendations of the Task Force on Policy Regarding Emigrants, which made its report in 2002:
4.15 The Task Force considers that there should be a formal system for acknowledging the contributions made by Irish people and groups in other countries. The Task Force recommends the establishment of an Awards Scheme to recognise exceptional or distinguished service by Irish people overseas. Such awards could be made annually by the President on the advice of the Government and include those who have achieved distinction in a range of fields including community service, culture, sport, business and education.
See the full Task Force Report on Policy Regarding Emigrants.
See the proceedings of Question Time on the Oireachtas website.
Topics: Latest News | 1 Comment »
September 12th, 2009 at 1:05 am
[…] system is one case in point: The 2002 Task Force on Policy Regarding Emigration recommended this, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern discussed it in the Dail in 2007, it’s recommended in this year’s strategic review of US-Ireland relations, and yet […]