Former head of Task Force on Emigrants dies
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009Paddy O’Hanlon, who headed the task force on policies regarding emigrants, has died at 65 following a short illness.
Paddy O’Hanlon became one of the founding members of the SDLP after being elected to Stormont in 1969; he left politics in the 1980s to become a barrister. O’Hanlon was appointed in 2001 to head the emigrant task force by then-MInister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen.
The task force was highly influential in prompting a new relationship between Ireland and the Irish abroad. Subsequent actions by the government included the establishment of the Irish Abroad Unit and increased spending on emigrant welfare.
For more information:
- RTE.ie: SDLP founder O’Hanlon dies at 65
- Irish TImes: SDLP founder O’Hanlon dies
- Ireland and the Irish Abroad: Report of the Task Force on Policy regarding Emigrants (2002)
20% of grads may emigrate for work: study
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009One in five university students surveyed are planning on emigrating to find work, according to a poll taken by University College Cork’s student union in conjunction with Senator Alan Kelly of the Labour Party. The survey interviewed 339 students at UCC, Cork Institute of Technology, University of Limerick and the Limerick Institute of Technology.
The survey found that one-fifth of the final year and post-graduate students are planning to emigrate, while nearly 90% of those surveyed have no work lined up for when their studies finish this summer. Over half feel they have little chance of finding a job, and 63% are pessimistic about the future. About half the students polled are planning to remain in education.
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said of the findings:
“The students in colleges across Munster should be aiming to be the generation who will lead the European project and the Irish economy in the future, but that will not happen if we are just throwing the next generation on the dole queue,” he said.
The UCC student union has called for a graduate placement programme in response to the survey.
Additionally, there was an article in the Irish Times highlighting the effects of the downturn on three students; two of the featured students said they were considering emigrating after graduating.
One of them, Alan O’Connor, a 23-year-old science student at the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, said, “I’ve sent out a load of CVs, but have had no response yet. I’ll keep trying until September and then I’ll head to Canada.”
Related articles:
- Irish Examiner: 20% of graduates will emigrate to find work
- Irish Times: Students brace themselves for harsh new economic reality
Emigrated between 1975 and 1995? Researcher seeks you
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009I’ve had a request from a graduate student seeking information from Irish people who emigrated to the US between 1975 and 1995. Here is the information:
Survey for Irish emigrants to the United States between 1975 and 1995
Thank you for taking the time to do this survey; it will be an invaluable source for my term paper.
I am collecting these surveys only for use on my term paper for Alan Kraut’s spring 2009 Immigration and Ethnicity class at American University in Washington D.C. They will not be used for any other purpose and at no point will the name of the respondent be associated with their response. Feel free to skip any question you do not feel comfortable answering, or email for a clarification at elang@gwmail.gwu.edu.
If at all possible please return your survey to me via email (an attachment, or in the body of the email either is fine) by April 4, 2009.
Once again thank you very much for taking the time to do this survey
Emma Lang
Basic Information
Age at time of emigration:
Gender:
Education level at time of emigration:
Year of emigration:
Did you come to the U.S. legally and/or did you obtain a visa either before or after you arrived?
Number of years spent in the United States (please note here if you have settled permanently in the U.S.):
Hometown and county in Ireland:
Destination in the United States (If possible if you moved to a large city please tell me what neighborhood or area):
If you lived in multiple cities in North America between when you emigrated and 1995 please list them here:
On average how many times a year did you go back to Ireland (I know this is a complicated question due to the rapidly changing visa policies so you are welcome to give an explanation)
Your story
(please feel free to write as much as you want in response to these questions, since I’m not surveying a statistically significant number of folks I really just want your stories so I can understand the what it was like to move from Ireland to the United States during this time period)
Why did you decide to emigrate and why did you choose the United States as your destination?
What types of jobs did you work at between your arrival and 1995?
Did you connect up with family or friends already living in the United States? If so, how long had they been living in U.S.?
Did you join or participate in events of any Irish organizations such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians or county organizations or other groups (including the church or sports teams)?
Did you join or participate in events of organizations aimed at new immigrants such as the Irish Immigrant Reform Movement (IIRM) or groups aimed at helping to adjust to live in America?
How would you describe your relationship with the Irish American Community? If you are still living in the United States has the answer changed?
Anything else you think I should know or be sure to include in my paper?
ILIR to hold series of meetings
Monday, March 30th, 2009The New York-based Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform will be holding a series of meetings after a period of reorganisation. They report they will hold the first meeting in Boston at the Irish Cultural Centre in Boston on April 6 at 7:30 pm. Speakers will include Bruce Morison, ILIR chair Bart Murphy, vice-chair Ciaran Staunton and Executive Director Kelly Fincham.
Bart Murphy, a San Francisco-based immigration advocate, recently took over the position of chair from Irish Voice publisher Niall O’Dowd.
For more information, visit the ILIR blog.
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Film highlights Irish immigration to English town
Monday, March 30th, 2009Two filmmakers in South Tyneside, England, have made a documentary about the impact of immigration into the town of Jarrow.
Director Gary Wilkinson and playwright Tom Kelly created “Little Ireland” using archive material, photographs and interviews with descendants of Irish immigrants.
The 40-minute film has been an instant success at home, selling out two screenings in South Shields earlier this month.
The pair are now trying to interest Irish film festivals, and have sent out copies to film festivals in Dublin, Belfast, Waterford and Cork.
The film is available from the South Shields Central Library for £10.
See related web pages:
Union highlights teachers’ emigration
Monday, March 30th, 2009Teachers are the latest profession to be in the emigrant spotlight, with the news that the Association of Teachers in Ireland has said that new teachers will be more likely to find work abroad.
The Sunday Business Post says that 2,500 to 3,000 temporary or part-time teachers would have ordinarily expected to find full-time work in Ireland; secondary school teachers generally spend between five and seven years before getting a full-time post. With cutbacks and an increase in the pupil-teacher ratio, however, there will be fewer jobs available to move into.
ASTI general secretary John White said,
So, your bright young person coming out from college will almost certainly be only able to get hours by filling in for people on career breaks, maternity or sick leave, or taking up the other half of a job-sharing position.That represents a very significant reduction in their standard of living and we are very concerned abou that. This is a very significant issue.
We are very concerned for them. It seems particularly sad as our teachers are in demand. From September, they will be going to work in England and other countries where there is a shortage of teachers.
Read the article:
Sunday Business Post: ASTI: Teachers may have to emigrate