No rise in new emigrants to Britain
Monday, November 24th, 2008Figures from Britain show that there is no significant rise in the numbers of new emigrants arriving from Ireland for the first time to Britain in the first half of this year.
The Irish Times is reporting that 5,100 Irish citizens registered for national insurance numbers between January and June. This is consistent with the 9,000 to 10,200 people who had registered during each of the four years
The report notes, however, that the numbers do not show emigrants who may be reactivating a number they were previously allocated. Any emigrants returning to Britain after working there previously would not be showing up in these figures.
Among those Irish registering, 58% were men; 44% were aged 18 to 24 and 43% were from 25 to 34. 40% went to London, 11% went to Scotland, and 8% were in southeastern England.
The article quoted Joe O’Brien, policy officer at Crosscare Migrant Project as saying that the figures reflected his organisation’s experience:
“I would think a lot of the people being let go at the moment are eastern Europeans, and there has been no increase among the Irish who come to us looking to go to England. We haven’t seen it, and we haven’t heard the organisations in London saying it either.”
See the article on the Irish Times website.
Irish in Australia increasing, figures show
Friday, November 21st, 2008The number of Irish nationals coming to Australia is rising substantially, according to Department of Immigration figures reported in the Irish Echo. The figures show increasing numbers of people immigrating to Australia under working holiday visas, employer-sponsored 457 visas, permanent residency visas, and through the Family Migration stream. If current trends continue, 87,000 Irish nationals will be issued visas this year, up from 81,070 last year and 75,246 the year before.
There were 7,332 working holiday visas issued between July 1 and October 31 this year, up 33% from the same period last year, when there were 5,535 issued. In the same period in 2006, there were 4,733 issued.
More Irish are choosing to stay in Australia at the end of their one-year working holiday: between July and October, 1,239 applied for an extension, a quadrupling from the 371 who applied last year. Over 10% of those on working holiday visas are now applying for a second year. Last year, there was a record total of 15,625 working holiday visas, and this number will increase for 2008/2009.
The number of 457 visas, which are employer-sponsored and valid for up to four years has nearly doublied in two years. For July to October, there were 1,220 visas, up from 670 in 2006. More people are immigating with partners and dependents: 900 of the 467 visas were to primary applications and 320 are secondary, up from 600 and 160 respectively last year.
The number of Irish people offered resident visas from July through October this year has jumped 60%, from 391 in 2007 to 633 in 2008.
Irish visitor numbers, however, are decreasing; the 16,730 who came to Australia on holiday visas between July and October represented a decline of 8%.
See the article on the Irish Echo website.
Irish Diaspora in Scotland group launched
Thursday, November 20th, 2008Irish organisations in Scotland are joining together to form a new umbrella group that will be launched this week. The group, the Irish Diaspora in Scotland Association, is aimed at bringing together Irish groups with members from multiple generations of Irish emigrants and descendents.
The IDSA includes among its members the following:
Gaelic Athletic Association (Cumann Luthcleas Gael), Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann IrishTtraditional Music Association), Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge), Feis Glaschu, Celtic Supporters Association, St Patrick’s Festival Committee Coatbridge, Erin’s Ways Blantyre, An Sceal, Irish in Scotland History Group, Irish Famine Commemoration Committee, Coatbridge Irish Genealogy Project, Croy Historical Society, St Helen’s Irish Céilí Club Glasgow, Crois na Ceilti Set Dance Club, Glasgow Set Dance Club, Garngad Irish Heritage Group, Croy Welfare Development Trust An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelach and Comhdháil Na Rince Gaelacha.
From their mission statement:
The Irish Diaspora in Scotland Association (IDSA) exists to preserve, esteem, promote and celebrate the past and ongoing history and culture of Irish migrants and their offspring in Scotland. The Association endeavours to provide support, direction and articulation for organisations and individuals who recognise and value their Irish origins, heritage and identities whether born in Scotland, Ireland or elsewhere. Further, the Association exists to contribute to a society where all national and ethnic origins and identities are valued and treated with equality of respect, recognition and representation. To this end the Association seeks to contribute to the efforts of individuals and groups in Scotland who are against racial and religious prejudice.
The group is being launched at a civic reception on Friday, 21 November 2008 in Glasgow City Chambers. The group says the launch will be attended by Irish government representatives, numerous MPs and local councillors, rerpresentatives from ethnic minority groups, and members of the business, sporting and academic communities.
See the group’s website at IrishinScotland.com.
Deportations from US increasing
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008The number of undocumented Irish people being deported from the United States has been increasing steadily, according to news reports.
So far this year, there have been 58 people deported from the US; This contrasts with a total annual figure of 53 in 2007, and 41 in 2006.
This increase in Irish deportees is in line with rising figures for total deportations from the US, as the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials increase enforcement and coordinate with other agencies.
See the full article in the Evening Herald.
Web tool traces emigration flows by name
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008A fascinating tool that can be used to help trace the Irish diaspora is now available online. The World Names Profiler allows searches by name, ethnicity, and area.
The database holds data for 300 million people in 26 countries, representing a total population of 1 billion people with 8 million unique surnames. The data is derived from publically available telephone directories or national electoral registers sourced between 2000 and 2005.
It’s great fun to type in Irish names and see them popping up in places like Argentina and India. (There was, of course extensive Irish migration to Argentina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and there were also a substantial number of Irish who moved to India during colonial times.)
The site is a project of University College London, and organiers say they think the data provides a unique insight into world migration flows.
Visit the World Names Profiler.
Dunbrody ship to become centre for emigration history
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008The Dunbrody Visitor Centre will be transformed into a new national emigration history centre, thanks to a 1.88 million-euro grant under the National Development Programme.
The New Ross Standard is reporting that the funding, provided by the Department for Arts, Sport and Tourism, will be used for the provision of additional exhibits and functions, including:
- a genealogical facility
- an exhibition of Ireland in the Famine times
- a reconstruction of a New York streetscape
- an Irish-American Hall of Fame
The Dunbrody ship was a nineteenth-century three-masted ship that brought emigrants from Ireland to North America during and after the Famine. A replica of the ship was built and dedicated in 2001, and is now moored at the New Ross quay. The visitor’s centre currently offers a recreation of the emigrant experience. The webiste also offers a searchable migration database featuring information from ships’ records.
Commenting on the funding, Seán Reidy, JFK Trust CEO told the paper:
Fáilte Ireland considers Dunbrody to be an iconic flagship attraction of the highest international standards and on this basis are willing to further invest in the project to bring it to an even higher level, making it a national centre celebrating the amazing achievements of the Irish diaspora.
See related websites:
- “Dunbrody set to become Emigration History Centre” on the New Ross Standard website
- Official Dunbrody ship website