Emigrants’ portraits exhibition to benefit London project
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Clients of the London-based Aisling Return to Ireland Project are the focus of an exhibition in one of Dublin’s leading galleries. The portraits of five of men and one woman now showing at the Molesworth Gallery will be sold at auction later this month in an effort to raise money for the project.
The portraits were painted by Cian McLoughlin, a Dublin-based artist, who spent six months as a sort of “artist-in-residence” observing the work of the organisation.
He describes his inspiration for the project in his introduction on the gallery’s website:
Pat the Wire, Pops Johnny, Terry from Derry, Gerry from Kerry Who Thinks He’s from Derry, Jimmy H from Clare, Tom ‘the Lady’ Delaney, Tony C and Sean M from Ballina, BBC Joe, Kerry Denis, Lumpy Tom and Hairy Mary, Donegal Pat, Squinty Mick, Holyhead Tom… Irish men and women in Camden.
I was drawn to London, and to Camden Town in particular, not to watch the stream of extroverts, trendsetters and fashionistas parading by, but to meet these expatriates whose lives run in quiet parallel to those jostling for position around them.
While in London, McLoughlin became involved in the Aisling project and spent six months observing their work.
There were big personalities, shy characters; some active, some bedridden. Some healthy, some ill. Some drinking, some in detox, some fully recovered.
I was now able to meet these people regularly and hear their stories; from the mundane to the hilarious to the tragic. The five men and one woman who agreed to sit for the Aisling project series of portraits are the faces I’ve brought back to Dublin to stand as representatives for the scores of others I was fortunate enough to encounter, many of whom had similar histories and lived in similar predicaments.
This is in no way to say that my experience was a comprehensive one. Hundreds of other men and women have come, and continue to come, through the door of [the Aisling Project at] 93b Agar Grove to receive the assistance of Alex, Charlie and John.
The exhibition will be at the gallery until November 27. One of the paintings, Johnny ‘Pops’ Connors I , will be auctioned by anonymous bidding concluding at 5:30 pm on November 27.
See related websites:
New Irish Studies books series to incorporate emigration and diaspora
Monday, November 17th, 2008A new series of Irish Studies books will include emigration and the diaspora in its explorations of the concepts of Ireland and “Irishness”. In the words of publisher Peter Lang (oxford) Ltd, The Reimagining Ireland series “interrogates Ireland’s past and present and suggests possibilities for the future by looking at Ireland’s literature, culture and history and subjecting to them to the most up-to-date critical appraisals associated with sociology, literary theory, historiography, political science and theology.
Besides emigration and the diaspora, other issues to be explored include Irish writing in English and Gaelic, the North, economic development, spirituality and religion, immigration, globalisation, postcolonialism, modernity/postmodernity, Irish music and dance and more.
Proposals should be sent either to Dr Eamon Maher at eamon.maher@
ittdublin.ie or to Joe Armstrong, Commissioning Editor for Ireland,
Peter Lang Ltd, P.O. Box 38, Kells, County Meath, +353 (0) 46 924
9285, joearmstrong@eircom.net.
US-Ireland Alliance seeks links based on shared priorities, not ethnic ties
Friday, November 14th, 2008US-Ireland Alliance founder Trina Vargo and her colleague, George Mitchell Scholarship Director Mary Lou Hartman, are calling for a reestablishment of the US-Irish relationship that would move beyond ethnic politics and into a new spirit of international partnership based on shared priorities. They write in today’s Irish Times in an article “Building a new relationship with America”.
The idea bucks recent trends, in which a number of books have been published by such authors as David McWilliams and Marc Coleman calling for enhanced ethnic links as a way of underpinning Ireland’s economic future. This line of thinking has underscored the importance of the bond between the diaspora and Ireland, and the need to nurture those relationships as a way of gaining economic benefit. There have also been a number of Diaspora initiatives, some of which highlight the idea of mutual gain in the links between Ireland and the Irish abroad.
Vargo and Hartman are calling for a turning away from the traditional diaspora-based notion of Irish-American relations. They posit that Irish-Americans are now part of the political mainstream, and with the decline of the concept of the “Irish-American vote”, has come a decline in interest in traditional Irish-linked issues. They posit that the foundation of the new Irish-American relationship could be in recognising what Ireland has to offer both the US and the world.
They offer such examples as the peace process, which could be used as an international model of conflict resolution. They also suggest that Ireland could become a model in the creation of “green jobs” focused on environmental protection, while education and culture offer opportunities to develop links beyond the traditional Irish-American market.
It’s an interesting challenge to much of the current thinking on diaspora relations. The two strategies are not mutually exclusive, however: it should be possible to create dynamic new links between Ireland and the US, in which Ireland can showcase and capitalise on its strengths in new technologies and to new markets and audiences, while continuing to deepen links between Ireland and those who feel a special affiinity through Ireland whether through birth, ancestry, or affiliation. Pursuing both of these types of connections would surely result in stronger, more-lasting linkages than either alone.
Read the full article on the Irish Times website.
Unemployment hits ten-year high
Sunday, November 9th, 2008The Irish unemployment rate hit 6.7% in October, a ten-year high.
Economists are forecasting that unemploment will average 8.5% in 2009, the highest rate since 1997.
See the full report from the Central Statistics Office at CSO.ie.
RTE postpones launch of Diaspora TV
Thursday, November 6th, 2008RTE will not be launching its Diaspora TV service before St Patrick’s Day 2009 as had been promised. The broadcaster says it must push back the launch until later in the year, because it must cut costs.
The station, sometimes called RTE International, will be aimed at the 850,000 Irish-born people in the UK. It will cost 2 million euro a year to operate. Legislation passed in 2007 allowed for licence fee money to be spent on both radio and television broadcasting for the Irish abroad. Earlier this year, RTE cut one of its services to the Irish abroad, its medium wave Radio One service. At that time, RTE officials cited their plans for Diaspora TV as partial justification of that decision.
In today’s Irish Independent, Liz McManus says she is disappointed about the move and says she will be writing to Communications Minister Eamon Ryan about it. The article quotes her as saying:
“The importance of such a service is beyond dispute. There is strong demand for Irish TV abroad, particularly in Britain. Our emigrants want to keep in touch with home and things that are happening here.”
In addition, another report says that Communications Minister Eamon Ryan is determined that Diaspora TV will be in operation as soon as possible. In a letter to RTE, he said, “The Government is absolutely committed to delivering RTE International at the earliest possible date.”
Minister Ryan said, “While we understand the financial constraints that all sectors of society are working in at the moment, I am determined that Diaspora TV will be up and running as soon as possible and I have communicated this to RTE.”
See these related links:
Irish Independent: “TV channel for Irish emigrants is put on hold”
Digital Spy: “RTE int’l channel ‘must launch asap'”
RTE 2 FTA: RTE postpones RTE International
Global Irish Institute, UCD: 2008 Irish Diaspora Forum
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008UCD’s Global Irish Institute will host the 2008 Irish Diaspora Forum on 10 November. The event will build on last year’s US-Ireland Forum in New York, and is aimed at stimulating discussion on issues of significance to people in Ireland and the diaspora around the world.
The discussion will focus on four themes:
- New World Order? “Change” and the US administration
- “After the Deluge” Ireland and the Global Economy
- “Giving Back”- Can philanthropy shape the future?
- Irish Culture- A Global Bridge?
The principal sponsors of the event are Atlantic Philanthropies, Irish America magazine, and the Ireland Funds. Speakers will include Irish Voice publisher Niall O’Dowd, UCD president Hugh Brady, and American Ireland Chair Loretta Brennan-Glucksman. Addressing the US political issue will be journalist Conor O’Clery, Notre Dame Professor Bob Schmuhl, Irish-American Republicans co-chair Grant Lally, Former Congressman Bruce Morrison, and US Ambassador Thomas Foley.
Those speaking on Irish culture will include RTE personality John Kelly, novelist Hugo Hamilton, UCD professor Declan Kiberd, Culture Ireland CEO Eugene Downes, and playwright Frank McGuinness.
Barnardos CEO Fergus Finlay, Atlantic Philanthropies CEO Gara LaMarche, Ireland Funds CEO Kingsley Aikens will discuss philanthropy and Labour Party Deputy Leader Joan Burton will discuss philanthropy. Addressing the economic future will be Karl Whelan and Colm McCarthy, both of the UCD School of Economics; Hugo MacNeill of Goldman Sachs; writer and broadcaster David McWilliams; John Gilmore of Sling Media; Eamonn Walsh of the UCD Michael Smurfit School of Business; and Ian Hyland, the publisher of Business and Finance magazine.
The event is open to the public and is free but registration is required.
See the UCD website for more information.
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