Migration features in Limerick exhibition
Friday, September 5th, 2008Emigration features prominently in an exhibition by Michael McLoughlin at the Limerick City Gallery. McLoughlin is a Dublin-based artist with an interest in travel, migration and movement, and his latest exhibition, “I only come here ‘cos it’s free”, focuses on an aging community.
The centre piece of the exhibition is a new film-work I Don’t See The Lads That Much Anymore, developed in collaboration with critically acclaimed actor and comedian Jon Kenny and writer Michael Finn. The film re-visits a previous character, a London-based Irish emigrant, exploring displacement through an individual’s struggle but also the multitude of changes experienced in Irish culture in the past 20 years.
The exhibition runs from September 12 to November 16.
See the release from the Limerick City Gallery of Art.
Jobless rate jumps to 6.1%
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008The unemployment rate rose to 6.1% in August. The adjusted live register count is now at 235,100, the highest since March 1998; this represents a 45% rise in the number of jobless since August 2007 – the steepest jump since record-keeping began in 1967. The rate of 6.1% is the largest since December 1998.
Construction is the hardest-hit sector, while manufacturing and services are also contracting.
Nursing rep raises spectre of emigration
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008Hundreds of newly trained nurses will be emigrating due to a lack of jobs in Ireland, warned the Irish Nurses Organisation this week. INO general secretary Liam Doran says that only about 25-30% of newly trained nurses are being offered jobs, after being trained in four-year training programmes funded by the taxpayer. Doran told the Herald newspaper,
“It’s probably the worst scene that has existed for the last decade in the health service. Hundreds will be emigrating”.
He noted in the last 13 months the number of nurses employed in the health service has declined from 39,000 to 37,700.
Meanwhile, Doran said, other countries are working to hire more nurses. “America has said that they’ll employ 600,000 more nurses in the next six years. You could be working in the morning in America.”
The INO is trying to increase the number of posts for nurses employed by the HSE; the HSE had a hiring freeze, which was lifted in January.
The Herald also asserts that “Irish medical doctors are being lured to Australia by more flexible rosters and less onerous hours by recruitment agencies”, but offers no figures.
Read the report on the Herald.ie website: “No jobs in Ireland for our new nurses“.
Silicon Valley expats working to enhance tech links
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008The Irish Technology Leadership Group, a California-based business network, has announced it will visit Ireland to encourage Irish start-up companies interested in doing business in the US. The ITLG, which was launched last year, is comprised of Irish and Irish-American technology leaders in Silicon Valley. They are committed to helping Ireland address the challenges of embracing new technology opportunities.
From November 19 to 21, the group will host the ITLG Venture Capital Forum at Trinity College in Dublin. The event will include a series of workshops and networking opportunities for a selection of promising Irish technology start-ups. President Mary McAleese will host a reception for the group at �ras an Uachtaráin.
John Hartnett, senior vice-president of global markets at Palm in Silicon Valley, told the Silicon Republic news service earlier this year that the group intends to use their experience in Silicon Valley to inform Irish policy-makers.
“The guys sitting around the table are a who’s who of technology in Silicon Valley and therefore we’ve got our finger on the pulse of what’s happening in areas like semiconductors, Web 2.0 and social networking. What we see on a day to day basis will be invaluable in helping the Irish education system gear up for future opportunities.
“We will also work with IDA Ireland in terms of understanding what it takes to compete here and land the big projects. Ireland has had a tremendous track record in attracting top technology companies across the US and we need to be really smart in how we continue to do this going forward. We’re not going to win deals the same way we did for the last 15 years.�
He noted that the group has attracted attention beyond Silicon Valley:
“It’s like we put a giant Irish flag on the moon. A lot of success stories of Irish business people living and working in places like San Diego, Boston and New York are being revealed to us and it’s very impressive.�
Further reading:
Irish giants of Silicon Valley to save knowledge economy – Silicon Republic
Giants of Silicon Valley to descend on Dublin – Silicon Republic (1 September 2008)
The Greening of Silicon Valley. Irish America Magazine (April/May 08)
Irish interest in Australian visas rising
Thursday, August 28th, 2008Australia’s Department of Immigration has reported a continuing increase in the number of young Irish people obtaining Working Holiday Visa. The visas, which are available to those between 18 and 30, have been growing in popularity every year for the last five years. Between July 2007 and March 2008, there were 12,700 visas issued, according to a report in Australia’s Irish Echo; 13,500 had been issued for the entire previous year.
The newspaper also revealed that dozens of Irish nationals are being detained annually by immigration officials. In the 2006/2007 financial year, 26 Irish people were detained, while in the 2007/2008 financial year, 24 were detained. Those detained were working without visas, or had expired visas. The Department of Immigration said they were either deported or detained, according to their situation.
RTE to launch Freesat service for British-based listeners
Thursday, August 28th, 2008RTÉ radio listeners in Britain, who were recently disadvantaged when they lost their medium wave service, will be able to listen to Radio 1 on Freesat starting next month.
Freesat is a digital satellite television service. The service is free after the purchase of a receiver that attaches to a television, and a satellite dish; receivers cost around 50 pounds and up.
RTÉ is also launching RTÉ International, which will also be available through Freesat, in the coming months. RTÉ International is a television channel aimed at the Irish living in Britain.
It was previously announced that RTÉ’s other stations, Lyric FM, Radio na Gaeltachta and 2FM, would also be available on Freesat.
See more about the service on the Irish Post.
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