Canadian emigrants’ tales told in new book
Monday, August 11th, 2008The publication of the oral histories of emigrants is a great little trend of late, with many community publications achieving prominence in their localities. “A Story To Be Told”, the stories of emigrants to Toronto in Canada, looks likely to bring the genre to new prominence.
The book collects the stories of 130 emigrants who arrived from 1940 to 1999. The stories were collected by Eleanor McGrath and William Smith, who have both worked in the Toronto Irish community for many years. Ms McGrath is the former Executive Director of the Ireland Fund of Canada. Mr Smith is a professional photographer who reports for the Toronto Irish News, among other outlets.
The project will be launched this autumn at several events in Dublin, Belfast and Canada. The book is published by Liffey Press in Dublin and distributed in the US by Dufour Editions.
Learn more on the project at the publication’s website.
Seventymillion.org aims to map Irish diaspora
Monday, August 11th, 2008Here’s an interesting project that many will find of interest:
The SeventyMillionProject is an attempt to map Irish heritage worldwide. Organisers say they are finding, mapping and exploring Irish heritage worldwide. The site is mainly aimed at Irish descendants, rather than emigrants.
The site not only features people mapping their location, but also allows them to post comments on their sense of Irishness. An creative use of technology and a fascinating project!
Visit it at www.seventymillion.org.
One-tenth of Irish students are in UK
Monday, August 11th, 2008The Irish Independent is reporting on the substantial numbers of Irish students who are leaving Ireland to pursue third-level education in Britain. The newspaper says this ‘brain drain’ is caused by increased competition for places in popular college courses, and that one-tenth of university students are now in the UK.
The report says that there are now 16,000 Irish undergraduates and postgraduates in Britain; this is an increase of 3,000 over five years. Half of those students are on postgraduate courses. There are 1,180 students in doctoral programmes, while fewer than 5,000 studying for doctorates in Ireland.
The newspaper reports there have been substantial rises in the numbers leaving Ireland to study medicine, teacher training, psychology, civil engineering and sports science.
The Higher Education Authority said it was monitoring the figures. There are 140,000 students in the Irish third-level system.
Read more on the Irish Independent website:
Emigration won’t be like the 1980s, says commentator
Thursday, August 7th, 2008Ireland isn’t facing a 1980s-style spectre of emigration leaking all vitality out of the country, says Richard Delevan, an American-born commentator writing in the Irish Daily Mail.
His argument? That Ireland is richer, young people have higher expectations and more debt, and destination countries have similar unemployment rates.
Rather provocatively, he proposes that without the safety valve of emigration, revolution may result:
Under the superficial cloud of doom, once the twentysomethings realise it’s time to get real, the results could be explosive – innovations in business, revolutions in politics. It’s all to play for, and that hasn’t been true for 160 years. Because if the optimists who suckled at the Celtic Tiger for 15 years realise that to keep what they have they’ll have to stay and fight rather than cut and run, the “safety valve� no longer functions. The pressure starts to build. Right now.
Read the article on www.richarddelevan.com.
Emigration a strong theme in RTE’s upcoming programming
Thursday, August 7th, 2008Several programmes in RTE’s fall lineup deal explicitly with emigration. The following will surely be of interest to many people interested in emigration. No doubt some of these will be available on the station’s website at www.rte.ie.
The Great Escape – RTÉ One
Following the fortunes of four families as they relocate abroad to pursue new lives and careers, The Great Escape looks at the challenges facing those wishing to relocate in these tougher times.
J1 Summer – RTE Two
What happens when a group of Irish students head across the Atlantic in search of work, adventure and more …? This lid-lifting observational-documentary follows the kids where their parents fear to follow.
Living the Dream – RTÉ One
Have you always dreamt of running your own business and creating a new life abroad? This new six-part series for RTÉ One, narrated by Bibi Baskin, charts six families as they test-drive their dreams. From a couple running a Michelin-starred restaurant in Manhattan to a Flotilla in Greece, from a campsite in Normandy to a boutique Hotel in Provence, Living the Dream goes global in 2008.
Death or Canada – RTÉ One
This new two-part documentary series for RTÉ Television explores a fascinating sidebar of the infamous Black ’47. When thousands of Irish emigrants were exiled en-masse by famine, the ensuing deluge almost swamped the new city of Toronto. Thirty thousand refugees invaded a city of 20,000 people, then just a decade old. This documentary follows the progress of a new archaeological dig as it reopens this forgotten story from the Great Famine.
The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce – RTÉ One
When an Irish prisoner in Tasmania in the 1820s was reduced by the prison colony experience to serial cannibalism, it was a story that rocked the Englishspeaking world in its day. This fully dramatised documentary, part of RTÉ’s acclaimed and multi-award winning Hidden History series, explores a shocking episode in the controversial history of Van Diemen’s Land.
Aisling’s Diary – RTÉ Two
Aisling’s Diary tells the story of a 16 -year -old girl who returns to live in Ireland with her Irish family after a period of 13 years living in Boston. The American way of life is all she’s known, so adjustment to south side Dublin life presents its challenges and difficulties. A child of the Riverdance age, she is a talented and innovative Irish dancer who brings with her to Ireland some flash moves and innovative steps – something that invites the jealousy and resentment of her school dance teacher. From the producers of the hit Bebo interactive series Sofia’s Diary, this will be a cross-platform teen series for TTV in the Autumn.
The following, while not strictly emigration-related are also of interest.
Blood of the Irish – RTÉ One
Where did we all come from? Blood of the Irish tracks the origins of the Irish people from east Africa, through the Mediterranean basin and on to central Europe. Mingling history and cutting-edge genealogical science, this RTÉ documentary is presented by Diarmuid Gavin.
Welcome to My World – RTÉ One
This brand-new four part series for RTÉ One explores looks at what happens when immigrants bring home their significant other – be it a wife, a husband or a workmate – to their land of origin. How will they cope with the reality of life at home?
New Balbriggan – RTÉ One
A new four-part observational series based in Balbriggan will explore the reality of living in one of Ireland’s most multicultural towns through the eyes of a variety of its inhabitants.
Where Was Your Family During the Famine? – RTÉ One
Journalist John Waters, economist Eddie Hobbs and model Jasmine Guinness, set out to find the answer to a question lost in time: what happened to their families during the famine? Mixing genealogy with popular history, this ambitious production offers a dynamic new perspective on this most significant period in Irish history through the personal quest of our subjects.
Who Do You Think You Are? – RTÉ One
Where, and what, have we come from? Six Irish celebrities, with the aid of our specially chosen genealogy professionals, go back in time, tracing their roots. Ardal O’Hanlon, Charlie Bird, Joe Duffy, Dana Rosemary Scallon, Pamela Flood and Linda Martin are set for some surprises as they find out just who is at the bottom of their elusive family trees.
A Light In The Window: Mary Robinson’s Struggle for Human Rights – RTÉ One
To mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, RTÉ offers this revealing portrait of the former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson. The doctor’s daughter from Ballina, Co Mayo, could have settled for a life of comfort and privilege, but instead, her beliefs, values and experiences have fuelled a lifelong passion for justice. She has battled relentlessly to give a voice to the voiceless and to safeguard the dignity of the world’s most vulnerable and powerless people, whether through her campaigns for free legal aid and contraception or by fighting for the rights of prisoners, asylum seekers, women and children. Today, she is one of The Elders, a group of elder statesmen and women, including Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan and Aung san Suu Kyi, who aim to bring their experience and moral leadership to some of the world’s more intractable problems, from Darfur to the Holy Land. We follow Mary Robinson’s work within the group and accompany her to South Africa as the Elders gather for the 90th Birthday of Nelson Mandela.
Radio show advises on Australia move
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008The Last Word programme on Today FM carried a feature today on how to emigrate to Australia. The marketing manager of a business called Migrationabroad.com painted a rosy view of moving to Australia, depicting it as a place with good weather, plentiful jobs, cheap housing and a good work-life balance.
A prospective emigrant was also interviewed, who is planning on moving to Perth with his wife and children, where they will join friends. He has been working but says “with the way the economy is going, I don’t know what the future holds”. He says that his decision to move was initially a lifestyle choice rather than an economic move; they are giving it two years and then will decide whether to move there permanently.
The Migrationabroad.com representative says that she gives clinics every month, and has found that more people are moving to Australia who have never been there before. “People are prepared to take a chance on it…The culture shock isn’t there”. She added that the schools were good, they speak English, and there is a similar system to recognise trades. She said it was the most popular destination.
After the interview, the presenter read a text that had come in. “Now we know we’re in the 1980s, promoting emigration”. The presenter said that promoting emigration had not been his intent.
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