Irish-born Londoners decline in number
Wednesday, November 15th, 2006The number of Irish-born people among London’s 7.3 million people now stands at 114,000, according to the Office for National Statistics. This makes the Irish the third-largest migrant group in the city, but is a dramatic fall from 1997, when there were 185,000. The Irish were at that time London’s largest migrant group.
Indian-born residents now comprise the largest migrant group, with a population of 206,000, up from 144,000 in 1997; Bangladeshis came next, at 133,000.
Similarly to Ireland, the number of Eastern Europeans has risen dramatically; there are now 70,000 Poles in the city, nearly all of whom have arrived in recent years.
The number of foreign-born people in London rose from 1.63 million in 1997 to 2.28 million in June of this year.
More information on the Independent (UK) website.
Éan 2005 conference report describes proceedings
Tuesday, November 14th, 2006While Éan won’t be holding a conference this year, the proceedings of last year’s conference, themed “Toward a Positive Emigration Experience”, are available online. Speakers at last year’s event included representatives of the Federation of Irish Societies in Britain and the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers in the US, as well as people working with emigrant Travellers, prisoners, drug users and sexual abuse survivors. Writer Dermot Bolger gave the keynote speech and President Mary McAleese gave the concluding address.
Among the topics discussed were assisted holidays, undocumented Irish immigrants in the US, recent emigration to the UK, and research on return migrants. The event’s networking and information exchange opportunities were meant to serve as an effective way for member organisations to improve the services they give to their clients.
Catherine Dunne, author of “An Unconsidered People: The Irish in London”, compiled the report.
Bishop Hegarty calls for respect for migrants
Monday, November 13th, 2006Dr Seamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry and Chair of the Irish Episcopal Commission for Emigrants, has spoken of the need to respect the dignity of individual migrants in the face of globalisation. Bishop Hegarty was speaking on November 9th at the Drop-In Centre and Supported Housing Complex in Birmingham. He said the Church had a role to play in building bridges with communities and individuals living abroad. He added:
Our history shows us that during instances of people neglect, exploitation and removal of status, it resulted in an immense fall-out in terms of human suffering and economic stagnation. And what, you may ask, is the 21st century lesson that can be learnt from this historical legacy? It is thus: If we lose sight of the individual migrant, we promote globalisation without a conscience.
He also touched on the importance of Ireland’s emigrant heritage as it tranforms into a nation of immigrants:
May I add that as we face the challenge of welcoming immigrants to Ireland we find ourselves reflecting on the story of Irish emigration as a touchstone for policy and initiatives. We now have a real responsibility to ensure that we provide a welcome that befits the dignity of those who migrate to Ireland. I know from talking to many Irish emigrants here in Birmingham that you support the granting of a warm welcome to those who seek a brighter future away from their homeland in Ireland.
Bishop Hegarty presented the Centre with a financial contribution from the Bishops’ Supporting the Irish Abroad campaign. The theme of this year’s SIA campaign was keeping in touch with elderly relatives abroad.
More information is available from the Catholic Communications Office.
See Bishop Hegarty’s St Patrick’s Day sermon, which launched the 2006 SIA campaign.
Will the Democrats’ victory assist US immigration reform?
Thursday, November 9th, 2006The chances for US immigration reform appear to have improved, following the electoral success of the Democrats in many Senate and House races, according to many stories in the US news media. The LA Times offers this analysis:
Many House Republicans based their reelection campaigns partly on opposition to immigration policies that Bush and many Democrats strongly support, including a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for most illegal immigrants.
That hard-line stance failed to rally voters or to turn tight races, even in border states where immigration is a major issue. Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.), Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) and Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) all lost, as did Arizona congressional candidate Randy Graf, a Republican who co-founded the Minuteman border patrol group.
Those failures could help Bush within his party.
“The myth that members of Congress need to be afraid of immigration might have been put to rest, because no member of Congress was punished in this election for supporting pro-immigrant legislation,” said Josh Bernstein, federal policy director of the National Immigration Law Center, another advocacy group.
The report also notes, however, that Democrats themselves do not speak with a unanimous voice on the immigration issue, and bipartisan agreement will therefore continue to be difficult.
Closer to home, John Bruton, the EU’s ambassador to the US, told RTE’s News at One that the Democrat’s landslide victory in the House of Representatives would lead to a greater chance for change on immigration, as President Bush’s views on the undocumented were closer to those held by many Democrats.
President lauds extension of Centenarian’s Bounty to Irish abroad
Wednesday, November 8th, 2006A strong interest in the centenarian’s bounty was highlighted during a recent members’ conference call with the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers in the US. People who reach their 100th birthday are entitled to an award from the President; the scheme has been extended recently to allow people born in on the island of Ireland but resident outside the state to be eligible. On reaching his or her 100th birthday, the recipient receives a letter of congratulations signed by the president and a cheque for €2,540.
President McAleese has paid tribute to the success of a scheme’s extension to the Irish abroad. In her most recent newsletter, she says,
“This year the Centenarian’s Bounty scheme has been extended to Irish centenarians living abroad and I am absolutely delighted to say that already it includes over one hundred centenarians who previously didn’t qualify. Almost half of those live in the USA, one quarter in Northern Ireland, almost another quarter in Great Britain and a small number elsewhere throughout the globe. What a wonderful thing it is for this very successful Ireland to remember in such a real way those who were born and raised in much harder times.”
Download the application form.
Journal will highlight migration issues
Tuesday, November 7th, 2006A new journal is being launched this week that will be of interest to anyone working in a migration-related field. Titled Translocations: Irish Migration, Race and Social Transformation Review, the first issue will be launched by Mary Hickman on November 3 at the NCCRI.
The journal will address such topics as globalisation and migration, transnationalism and diaspora, state and racism, culture and the media, among other topics.
Its first issue includes an article by Breda Gray on “Migrant Integration Policy”, in which she discusses Ireland’s emerging emigration policy in her argument that globalisation challenges the notion of government integration policies.
Read the journal online.