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Wednesday, August 6th, 2008RTE’s new television service for the Irish community in Britain, RTE International, will cost €3 million a year, according to an article in the Sunday Business Post. The money will come out of existing TV resources.
The newspaper reports that the national broadcaster fears that it will only break even this year, after a surplus of €26.4 million for 2007, mostly due to slowing growth in commercial revenue. RTE took in €195.7 million in television licence fees, and €245.5 million in commercial income.
The channel, which was originally due to launch on St Patrick’s Day 2009, is now expected to launch as early as the end of this year. Its content will include current affairs, news, lifestyle and Irish-made drama. It will be aimed at older Irish emigrants and will be operated as a public service; reportedly, there will be no advertising. It will be available on Freesat, a free-to-air satellite service; viewers will need to purchase a receiver for their television sets, but will not need to pay a subscription.
Legislation was passed in 2007 to require RTE to broadcast both sound and television to Irish communities abroad.
See recent articles in the Sunday Business Post:
RTE feels the squeeze (3 Aug 08)
RTE to launch British channel by year-end (20 Jul 08)
Summer school, book recall Fenians on 150th anniversary
Tuesday, August 5th, 20082008 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Fenianism, and Brendan O’Cathaoir notes in today’s “Irishman’s Diary” section of the Irish Times that the anniversary “is passing by largely unnoticed”. The Fenians were an Irish Republican organistion with branches in both Ireland and the US.
As O’Cathaoir explains, the Famine exodus played a large role in the development of the organisation. The article is well worth reading – see it on the Irish Times website.
The Fenians are the focus of this year’s Kickham summer school in Mullinahone, Co. Tipperary on August 8-10.
Anyone interested in the Fenians’ raids into Canada will be interested in the Toronto’s Globe and Mail review of “Delusion” by Peter Edwards, which explores the raids from the Canadian perspective – more specifically, that of Henri LeCaron, Canada’s first spy. LeCaron managed to infiltrate Irish-American Fenians (and American Civil War veterans) who were plotting the storming of Canada, and hoping to hold it for ransom in exchange for a free Ireland.
See the review on the Globe and Mail website.
Read more about the Fenian Brotherhood on Wikipedia.
Member Publication: “Memories of the Past”
Friday, August 1st, 2008Ottawa’s Irish Drop-In Group has created a wonderful miscellany called “Memories of the Past: Stories and Recipes from Ottowa’s Irish Drop-In Group”. The eclectic collection of reminiscences, poems, jokes, photographs and more is a splendid insight into the lives of the 40+ seniors in the drop-in group, which meets every week at Margaret Mary’s Church in the south end of the Canadian capital.
Some of the contributions focus on individual stories of emigration and Irish and Canadian life, while others focus on the Irish history and heritage of the Ottawa area. Irish immigration to the area began in the early years of the 19th century, with sponsored immigration schemes; judging by this book, the Irish heritage of the area is rich and deep.
The book also contains about 60 recipes, including such traditional favourites as barm brack, colcannon, champ, porter cake, beef stew, and many soda bread recipes. A treat!
For more information, visit the website for the Irish Society of the National Capital Region.
Pictures of the launch event are also available. (scroll down in the centre section until you see the link to the June 8 event.) You can also hear contributors to the book at The Gaelic Hour website.
Would you like to share what your group is doing? Drop a line to noreen@ean.ie and I’ll share it with Ean members.
Summer roundup: From Galway to Turkey, exhibitions reveal emigrants’ lives
Friday, August 1st, 2008Exhibition Roundup
There are a number of interesting exhibitions that those interested in emigration might be interested in, no matter what part of the world you find yourself in this summer.
Dublin: Strangers to Citizens: The Irish in Europe 1600-1800 is continuing at the National Library of Ireland through December 2008. It’s a fascinating look at a little-known aspect of Irish emigration history.
Liverpool: Fis 2008 celebrates Irish culture and explores links between Ireland and Liverpool. It’s taking place at the Novas Contemporary Urban Centre on Greenland Street, and will last until 7 September. For more information, see the artinliverpool website.
New York: Catholics in New York 1808-1946 at the Museum of the City of New York explores the social and political history of the establishment of the Catholic Church in the city. Much of the exhibition focuses on the experience of the immigration Irish and later generations. It’s on until December 31. See more at the museum’s website.
New York: “To Love Two Countries: Ireland’s Greatest Generation in America” features photos taken in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia by John Minihan – a portait photographer better known for his work with people like Samuel Beckett, Edna O’Brien, Ray Charles, and Al Pacino. A book accompanies the exhibition, which runs through December 2008. This exhibition was opened by the Taoiseach on his visit to New York. See the Irish Arts Center website for more information.
Galway: The Galway City Museum has two exhibitions of interest: a photography exhibition focusing on the experience of Irish emigrants in Britain, and another focusing on President John Kennedy’s ‘homecoming’ visit to Galway 45 years ago.
Turkey: An exhibition focusing on one of Ireland’s most famous 20th-century emigrants, Samuel Beckett, is on display in Diyarbakir at the Diyarbakir Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is part of a series of cultural events marking the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. For more information, see the Turkish Daily News website.
Boston: “Celebrating Celtic Prize Fighters: 1820-Present” is an eclectic collection of boxing photography and artifacts. Runs through September 2008 at the John J. Burns Library at Boston College. For more information, see the website.
Anecdotal report highlights emigration
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008Anecdotal evidence that emigration is rising is continuing to appear in the media. There is a report in the Corkman local newspaper suggesting that builders have already started to emigrate.
The report quotes a 21-year-old local man who lost his job as an apprentice electrician that he may be forced to go abroad:
I can’t even begin to describe how frustrating it is to spend years working towards qualification and now find myself in a situation where I can not even get a labouring job. Already some of my friends have gone to England to find work. Unless I can find a job within the next few weeks I will have no option but to join them.
Figures released today by the Central Statistics Office show a sharp rise in the number of people signing onto the Live Register this month. There are now 238,000 people on the Live Register – the highest in more than a decade. The figure jumped by more than 17,000 from June, the second-largest monthly increase on record.
The unemployment rate is also rising rapidly, standing at 5.9% in July, up from 4.8% in the first quarter of this year.
Musical drama focuses on Scots-Irish journey
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008A musical drama spectacular focusing on the emigration of the Scots-Irish to America will be on stage this autumn. On Eagle’s Wing explores 4 centuries of the Scots-Irish journey from the Scottish Lowlands to the New World. Composed by John Anderson, the show was previously recorded for broadcast in the US. It is also available on DVD.
The show will be at the Grand Opera House in Belfast from 29 September to 4 October; in Dublin at the Helix on 11 and 12 October; and at the Millennium Forum, Derry from 14-18 of October.
Order “On Eagle’s Wing� at Amazon.com.