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« Previous Entries Next Entries »Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
The Minister for Foreign Affairs has announced grants of more than 8 million euro to 130 Irish community groups in Britain – an increase of 13% over 2007.
Most of the funding will go to welfare projects, with significant funding going to projects dealing with the elderly and vulnerable.
The funding allocation reflects a new emphasis on heritage and cultural projects:
“While the primary emphasis of funding continues to be on supporting projects that promote the welfare of the elderly and vulnerable, I am pleased that additional funding has also made it possible to support a number of heritage and cultural projects which are vital to the development of community networks and which help to foster community spirit. These grant allocations are a clear reflection of the Government’s strong commitment to the welfare and enhancement of our community in Britain. We are determined to maintain and develop this substantial level of support in future years.â€?
See the press release from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
DFA increases grant to Prisoners Overseas Hardship Fund
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008The Department of Foreign Affairs has approved a grant of €30,000 to assist Irish citizens in overseas jails. This figure is a twice that approved last year to the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas Hardship Fund. The money is used to provide assistance to Irish prisoners serving time or awaiting trial abroad.
Estimates of the number of Irish prisoners overseas varies: the official estimate is around 800, but it may be as high as 1,200, as many prisoners do not alert Irish authorities. Most of those are in Britain; others are in the US, Spain, and further afield.
Read the Sunday Business Post article.
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.
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