Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform responds to NY Times

Niall O'Dowd, the chair of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform in New York, has a spirited reply to yesterday's New York Times article critiquing his group's efforts. In a letter to the editor published today, O'Dowd says that he is sorry the journalist didn't stay for the group's full meeting, as he might have heard uncodumented immigrants describing the difficulties of their plight; O'Dowd describes two women, one who held "a wake without a body" in the Bronx to mourn her brother, killed in a car crash in Ireland, and the other who relayed the sadness of her aging parents as they prepare to spend another Christmas without their daughter.
O'Dowd says:

He might have also heard that out of 1.2 million green cards issued last year, Ireland got about 2,000, and that there is no legal way for the Irish to emigrate here anymore.

These are serious issues, and ones that my organization was set up to address. We make no apology for doing so, the same as the Hispanic or any other lobby should make no apology for advocating for its people.

O'Dowd adds that the organisation has a good working relationship with other ethnic groups through membership in umbrella group Comprehensive Immigration Reform Now.

Read the letter on the New York Times site.

NY Times article examines Irish lobbying efforts

The Irish movement for immigration reform is covered in an opinion piece that appears in both Saturday's New York Times and today's International Herald Tribune. Titled "How green was my rally", the article by New York Times editorial board member Lawrence Downes takes a critical look at the Irish lobbying effort.

Downes quotes Senator Charles Schumer as telling a rally of Irish in the Bronx, "The more Irish there are in America, the better we all are". He notes that high-profile politicians regularly visit declining Irish-American neighborhoods, with the 50,000 Irish among the 12 million illegal immigrants in the US commanding a relatively large amount of attention.

Downes calls for a sense of inclusion in his concluding paragraphs:

[Schumer] is far from the only politician to be drawn to the white, English-speaking sliver of the immigration problem. That fondness for Irish audiences helps reinforce the odd sense of solipsism surrounding the Irish immigrant lobby. When you hear the chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, Niall O'Dowd, vow to fight "to get what is rightfully ours" — more visas for the Irish — you can't help wondering how quickly such words would get a Latino banished to the militant fringe.

"We Are America" is the Latinos' and Asians' cry. The well-organized Irish don't feel the need to say that. Their slogan, on T-shirts and the Irish Lobby's Web site, is blunt: "Legalize the Irish."

The Irish have a just cause, but I only wish they and their many friends would preach the gospel of immigration reform in a bigger tent. It is, after all, every immigrant group's fate to start out in this country unloved, as the Irish are only too eager to remind us.

The Sunday New York Times, where this article first appeared, is one of the most influential newspapers in the country.

See the article in the New York Times or the International Herald Tribune

US strips naturalised citizen of citizenship

The issue of the deportation of naturalised US citizens came up in a recent discussion with Éan members. Your correspondent did not realise that taking up citizenship was not an iron-clad guarantee against deportation from the US.

In fact, while US citizens cannot be deported, a naturalised US citizen can be stripped of his citizenship and then deported. The US government is currently trying to deport Haitian-born Lionel Jean-Baptiste, a 58-year-old former restaurant owner who served seven years on drug charges. He was arrested and convicted of the offence after he became a citizen; he still maintains his innocence. Government officials stripped him of his citizenship because, they said, his conviction demonstrated that he was not of "good moral character".

Haiti refuses to accept Jean-Baptiste, saying that he is no longer a citizen under their constitution. The US then asked France to take him, but they refused. News reports say the US is going to turn next to the Dominican Republic. Jean-Baptiste has been in dentetion since June.

An administrative review will be held tomorrow. This is the first time since 1962 that a naturalised citizen has been ordered to be deported following a drug conviction.

The International Herald Tribune has more on the case.
The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition has a good page of information covering deportation.

Emigrants' NY memoirs published by Aisling Center

"While Mem'ry Brings Us Back Again" is a volume of memoirs by Irish emigrants who moved to the U.S. between 1927-1964. Compiled by Frances Browner, organizer of the Aisling Center’s “Young at Heart” group, the book details the experiences of 35 different individuals from 18 different counties.

“Far from their families, friends and everything they were used to. Every one of them overcame homesickness and the challenges of a new world and built fine lives for themselves in this great country,” said Tim O’Connor, Consul General of Ireland, at the launch of the book on November 28. “These stories will delight, absorb and uplift you. They also underline again the amazing story of the Irish in America and just how good this country has been to millions of our people."

Browner says of the emigrants' recollections: “I was transported back 50 years and plunged into a place that was already forgotten by the time of my own arrival in 1987. Why did I not know all this before? Putting this book together may help keep these memories alive for future generations of Irish Americans to know what it was like to be a new arrival.”

New York's Daily News carries a report on last week's launch, in which it profiles Frank Bergin, an 82-year-old who moved to NY just before the 1929 stock market crash. He recounts being shot in Alsace in 1945 while fighting in World War II; he went on to become the president of the Irish Business Organisation of New York and still works selling real estate.

Order the book at the Aisling Center website.

There's a 30-minute documentaryon the project and its launch available on YouTube. (Well worth watching!)

Society of Physiotherapists raises emigration issue

The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists has issued a press release headlined, "Minister urged to halt forced emigration of Irish physiotherapy graduates".

The organisation says that it welcomes increased public health service funding in yesterday's Budget, but says, however, that increased funding "will come too late for physiotherapy graduates who are currently facing the prospect of emigration due to serious planning failures in the health service".

The ISCP says it is "gravely concerned" about the employment position of new graduates, noting that 71 (45%) of the 150 new graduates are either unemployed or working in unrelated jobs. The organisation suggests a number of recommendations "to address this crisis before new graduates are forced to emigrate".

Read the press release.

Justice for Immigrants newsletter

The Justice for Immigrants campaign, a Catholic church group advocating US immigration reform, has published its December newsletter. This issue gives an update of the campaign and the effect of the US elections, giving tips for legislative advocacy. The newsletter profiles the National Council of Catholic Women in its "Participating Organisations Showcase", and highlights the campaign's work in San Jose, California.

The newsletter also provides details on National Migration Week, which will be held January 7-13, 2007.

Read the newsletter at the Justice for Immigrants website.

Cork IT group invites returnees

A networking organisation for IT professionals in the Cork region, IT@Cork, is offering itself as a tool for returning emigrants to ease their integration back into local industry. The organisation recently published an article entitled "Support for Returning Emigrants" on its website.

The article addresses how organisations are looking to returning Irish emigrants as a way of address hiring shortages in the IT industry; it also outlines some of the tax benefits that returnees can avail of. It notes that "11% of all 'High Potential Startup Projects' funded by Enterprise Ireland were started by returning emigrants".

The article concludes with encouragement:

If you are considering returning home, the employment prospects could not be better. The Irish IT industry is a stable and mature industry, where experience and expertise are rewarded. A number of agencies, both public and private, are there to help you with the transition, whether that be to join an existing company or to assist you in setting up your own company. If you haven’t thought of moving back, maybe now is time to give it some consideration.

Read the article on the it@Cork website.
Visit the it@cork website.

Migration Policy Institute explores US immigration reform

The Migration Policy Institute explores the effects of the November elections in the US in its Policy Beat this month. It notes that many analysts believe the chance for immigration reform have improved, and that

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), who is likely to lead the Senate subcommittee on immigration, has already begun to work with Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) to make plans for a new bill to be introduced early next year.

The bill will probably resemble the one the Senate approved last May.

The Policy Beat also includes information on the redesign of the Citizenship Test, new security measures, and the upcoming hikes in immigration fees.

Read the Policy Beat.

Migration Policy Institute names its global top 10

The Migration Policy Institute's "Migration Information Source" has named the "Top 10 Migration Issues of 2006". The top issue was a shift in many government's policies from multiculturalism to assimilation; next came the UN's High-Level dialogue on International Migration and Development, the first time UN ever hosted a multilateral discussion on the topic.

Coming in third was US immigration reform; the Source says, "Better luck next year". It notes, "The United States has not come much closer to President Bush's vision of immigration reform although events in 2006 may have changed the political climate in which immigration will be debated next year."

See the rest of the Top 10 at the Migration Information Source website.

Earlier this year, the Source produced a special issue on The Second Generation - well worth a look. It examines the experience of second-generation adult immigrants in the US.

Greg Delanty: emigrant laureate

Colum McCann, the Dublin-born, New York-based writer, appears in the weekend section of the Irish Times today praising the work of poet Greg Delanty. Greg Delanty, born in Cork and living in Vermont, is one of Ireland's best-known emigrant poets. This year he published "Collected Poetry, 1986 - 2006". Born in 1958, Delanty has lived in the US for twenty years.

Colum McCann says,

I was delighted to see Greg Delanty's 'Collected Poems'. Delanty has cataloged an entire generation and its relationship to exile. He is the laureate of those of us who have gone.

Christmas visitors face car hire hikes

The Consumers' Association of Ireland says that car rental companies in Ireland are fleecing visitors who want to hire a car over Christmas. The CAI's John Cradden compared car hire prices on websites in the days prior to Christmas (5-18th December) with the holiday period (23rd December – 5th January 2007); the companies surveyed were Avis, Hertz, Budget, Argus and National. Most firms doubled their prices over Christmas; Budget is actually charging 225% more for the Christmas rental.

The CAI also looked at car hire prices in Belfast and Paris over the same weekend. The same companies had more modest increases for Belfast, ranging from no increase to a 57% rise. There was no increase in price for Paris.

CAI’s Chief Executive Dermott Jewell stated:

“Yet again we see this sector hike their prices outrageously without any additional benefit to the customer and with a complete disdain for the negative effect upon tourism. It is profit that is the focus but with greed at its core. It is important therefore that we let our family members coming home and friends visiting for Christmas know that they must look at all possible transport alternatives before giving business to these outlets.”

See the Consumers' Association of Ireland press release.

Irish Times profiles Irish in Turkey

The Irish Times profiles the Irish in Turkey today, coinciding with the first day of the Pope's visit to that country. Journalist Aengus Collins says there are about 60 Irish people who have moved permanently to Turkey, with most settling in Istanbul. About the same number are living in Turkey for the short term, with most of those teaching English. About 1,500 are registered as having bought holiday homes.

The report notes that many of the Irish who came originally intended staying only a short time, while others came because they had a Turkish spouse or parent. It also says that the Irish community is well-integrated into Turkish life, and socialising tends to be with Turkish friends rather than other Irish expats; at Eamonn Lehane's Irish bar, none of the clientele are Irish. The low costs of living and accommodation are reported to be attractions for many of the Irish.

Most of the Irish interviewed for the article report no religious tension in the Muslim nation, with one woman saying that "For anyone that I know here, it just doesn't affect their daily life."

The full article is available on Ireland.com (subscription required).

Can digital radio help emigrants keep in touch?

Digital Radio Mondiale technology would allow the transmission of RTÉ radio into Britain and through much of Europe. Éan member Enda O'Kane has been working with the research group Irish Overseas Broadcasting as part of his efforts to improve Ireland's radio links with our emigrants.

Enda says:

Global coverage short wave has always been plagued with fading crackles and pops and was the traditional link with home for many. Digital Radio Mondiale is new, and gives the benefits of FM quality to short, medium and longwave bands.
DRM would allow Ireland, for the first time, to deliver and FM-like sound over the European continent, by bypassing expensive satellite systems.

It will also allow RTE to broadcast Radio 1 in almost-FM quality over most of the UK using Longwave 252 to a new generation of radios now available.

Environmentally friendly DRM uses only half the energy of existing AM transmitters, having a minimum impact on atmospheric pollution.

The UK's BBC and broadcasters in Germany, Holland, France, Sweden and the Vatican are just some of the DRM stations now beaming across Europe.

DRM is very attractive to small countries such as Ireland. It is cheap, does not need a satellite dish and avoids the control of a satellite "gate keeper". Motorists and listeners with portables can easily keep in touch with home.

A DRM demonstration was well-received at the recent Over-50s Exhibition at the RDS in Dublin.

Simple-to-use DRM radios are now on the market in Germany from €199 plus shipping to many countries.

These Morphy Richards and Sangean models can be purchased directly over the web:
http://www.radiostore.de
http://www.thiecom.de/shop1/index.html

Here are links to a number of articles about the new technology:

Signalling a new era for Irish radio reception in Europe
RTE's Digital Radio Scheme: Why it can't replace FM for special-interest or remote audiences
Digital TV and Radio - an excerpt from a Consumer Choice article by John Cradden
RTE's Digital Radio, an unworthy successor to FM

Visa mixup puts South African resident in jail

An Irish golf instructor who has lived in South Africa for five years spent 12 days in jail in a visa mixup, according to the South African Sunday Tribune. David Graham was in the process of applying for a visa extension when he was arrested in June in Durban. Immigration officials had misread a figure on his documentation and concluded his paperwork was invalid.

Graham was told he would be deported, and was sent to jail; although he was informed he would be put in the prison's immigration section, he was instead put in a cell with murder suspects. Graham says he bribed fellow prisoners in order to survive; South Africa's Home Affairs department took four days to find him because he was in the wrong section of the prison. His own lawyer did not know how to find him.

Graham was finally granted bail in August; his case was dismissed in October. The newspaper reports that a department of home affairs spokesperson said they were investigating the matter.

Read the full story on iol.co.za.

Gap between EU provisions and practice highlighted

The European Citizen Action Service recently hosted an event highlighting the difficulties of workers migrating within the EU. The event featured 14 citizens representing a cross-section of migrant workers explaining their experiences and making recommendations for future action.

The event highlighted the gap between European principles and lived experience. Participants reported inconsistent application of rules, red tape, and insufficient information.

The case histories of the 14 citizens are also recounted on the ECAS website. Their stories highlight a number of problems:
- working below qualifications and barriers to recognising experience earned abroad when returning home
- the "vicious circle" of formalising residence and looking for jobs
- hidden obstacles to setting up a company in another EU country
- pensioners losing out because of poor social security coordination.

Ireland's role as both an emigrant and immigrant nation was highlighted in the case studies. Irish woman Eve Geddie, who migrated to Brussels after graduating with a European Masters in Human Rights, said she was treated with disrespect by officials there, and her residence card was delayed, without which employment agencies refused to register her. In this catch-22 situation, she ran out of money and and was not able to get clear information about benefits to which she might be entitled.

Two Polish women and a Czech man recounted their experiences of working in Ireland. Agata Szarek found a job easily but she experienced discrimination as an employee; she has since started her own business and also interprets for the local Polish community. Through her interpreting duties she has realised the obstacles faced by many, including employer abuse and the language barrier. Meanwhile, Joanna Kasztelan recounted her experience working as a cleaning lady in a bakery. She was forced to carry heavy objects and work extra hours without pay, and was insulted by colleagues. When she found a new job her old employer threatened to withhold her outstanding salary. Ondrej Manda from the Czech Republic, a university graduate, was unable to find a job corresponding to his level of education and could only find work in a factory.

The report made a number of recommendations:
- a strong commitment to close the gap between EU Treaty provisions and practice on the ground
- the creation of a single information source on legal and practical information for citizens and officials
- training, resources and interpretation services for first-contact officials
- exploring the possibility of job centres the ability to check the credibility of job offers and inform people of their EU rights
- exploring the possibility of a personalised number to make it easier for citizens to switch social security and tax systems.

A full report on the event will be published shortly. Case studies and further information on the event are available on the ECAS website.

Migration the focus of Dermot Bolger's latest

Dermot Bolger, the poet who was the keynote speaker at Éan's 2005 conference, has a new play that touches on both emigration and immigration. "The Townlands of Brazil", playing now in Ballymun's Axis Arts Centre, tells the stories of two young women: one, a mother who emigrates to England in the 1960s, and the second, a Polish widow and mother who immigrates to Ireland forty years later.

Bolger told the Sunday Business Post:

"My extended family would be a typical Irish family [in that] I have loads of cousins with Wolverhampton accents and Liverpool accents and very few with Irish accents.

"When I was growing up, my own generation felt that we didn’t have to emigrate, but we soon realised that we were just a brief hiccup in the system, and once the 1980s started, there was a whole generation of young people who had to go abroad again. Of course, now that has turned around, and people are coming back, and immigrants are coming in.

"But when I talk to Polish people and Romanian people who live here, I often feel that I’m looking at my uncles and aunts, and all those generations of Irish people who had to leave their homes and start new lives."

Emigrant Services funding to increase by 25%

Funding for Emigrant Services abroad will increase by 25% in 2007, to €15.2 million, up from €12 million this year. Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern commented, “This represents a fifteen-fold increase in such provision since 1997 and reflects the Government’s strong commitment to the welfare of the Irish abroad.”

The funding will mainly go to groups in Britain that provide front-line services to emigrants there. There will also be substantial increases for emigrant groups providing services in the United States, Australia and elsewhere.

The funding increase was announced in the 2007 Estimates published today. Other Foreegn Affairs-related funding incraases include a nearly €130 million increase in aid to developing countries, up from 600.5 million this year to €738 million next year.

Irish-born Londoners decline in number

The number of Irish-born people among London's 7.3 million people now stands at 114,000, according to the Office for National Statistics. This makes the Irish the third-largest migrant group in the city, but is a dramatic fall from 1997, when there were 185,000. The Irish were at that time London's largest migrant group.

Indian-born residents now comprise the largest migrant group, with a population of 206,000, up from 144,000 in 1997; Bangladeshis came next, at 133,000.

Similarly to Ireland, the number of Eastern Europeans has risen dramatically; there are now 70,000 Poles in the city, nearly all of whom have arrived in recent years.

The number of foreign-born people in London rose from 1.63 million in 1997 to 2.28 million in June of this year.

More information on the Independent (UK) website.

Éan 2005 conference report describes proceedings

While Éan won't be holding a conference this year, the proceedings of last year's conference, themed "Toward a Positive Emigration Experience", are available online. Speakers at last year's event included representatives of the Federation of Irish Societies in Britain and the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers in the US, as well as people working with emigrant Travellers, prisoners, drug users and sexual abuse survivors. Writer Dermot Bolger gave the keynote speech and President Mary McAleese gave the concluding address.

Among the topics discussed were assisted holidays, undocumented Irish immigrants in the US, recent emigration to the UK, and research on return migrants. The event's networking and information exchange opportunities were meant to serve as an effective way for member organisations to improve the services they give to their clients.

Catherine Dunne, author of "An Unconsidered People: The Irish in London", compiled the report.

See the conference report.

Bishop Hegarty calls for respect for migrants

Dr Seamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry and Chair of the Irish Episcopal Commission for Emigrants, has spoken of the need to respect the dignity of individual migrants in the face of globalisation. Bishop Hegarty was speaking on November 9th at the Drop-In Centre and Supported Housing Complex in Birmingham. He said the Church had a role to play in building bridges with communities and individuals living abroad. He added:

Our history shows us that during instances of people neglect, exploitation and removal of status, it resulted in an immense fall-out in terms of human suffering and economic stagnation. And what, you may ask, is the 21st century lesson that can be learnt from this historical legacy? It is thus: If we lose sight of the individual migrant, we promote globalisation without a conscience.

He also touched on the importance of Ireland's emigrant heritage as it tranforms into a nation of immigrants:

May I add that as we face the challenge of welcoming immigrants to Ireland we find ourselves reflecting on the story of Irish emigration as a touchstone for policy and initiatives. We now have a real responsibility to ensure that we provide a welcome that befits the dignity of those who migrate to Ireland. I know from talking to many Irish emigrants here in Birmingham that you support the granting of a warm welcome to those who seek a brighter future away from their homeland in Ireland.

Bishop Hegarty presented the Centre with a financial contribution from the Bishops' Supporting the Irish Abroad campaign. The theme of this year's SIA campaign was keeping in touch with elderly relatives abroad.

More information is available from the Catholic Communications Office.
See Bishop Hegarty's St Patrick's Day sermon, which launched the 2006 SIA campaign.

Will the Democrats' victory assist US immigration reform?

The chances for US immigration reform appear to have improved, following the electoral success of the Democrats in many Senate and House races, according to many stories in the US news media. The LA Times offers this analysis:

Many House Republicans based their reelection campaigns partly on opposition to immigration policies that Bush and many Democrats strongly support, including a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for most illegal immigrants.

That hard-line stance failed to rally voters or to turn tight races, even in border states where immigration is a major issue. Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.), Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) and Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) all lost, as did Arizona congressional candidate Randy Graf, a Republican who co-founded the Minuteman border patrol group.

Those failures could help Bush within his party.

"The myth that members of Congress need to be afraid of immigration might have been put to rest, because no member of Congress was punished in this election for supporting pro-immigrant legislation," said Josh Bernstein, federal policy director of the National Immigration Law Center, another advocacy group.

The report also notes, however, that Democrats themselves do not speak with a unanimous voice on the immigration issue, and bipartisan agreement will therefore continue to be difficult.

Closer to home, John Bruton, the EU’s ambassador to the US, told RTE’s News at One that the Democrat’s landslide victory in the House of Representatives would lead to a greater chance for change on immigration, as President Bush’s views on the undocumented were closer to those held by many Democrats.

President lauds extension of Centenarian's Bounty to Irish abroad

A strong interest in the centenarian's bounty was highlighted during a recent members' conference call with the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers in the US. People who reach their 100th birthday are entitled to an award from the President; the scheme has been extended recently to allow people born in on the island of Ireland but resident outside the state to be eligible. On reaching his or her 100th birthday, the recipient receives a letter of congratulations signed by the president and a cheque for €2,540.

President McAleese has paid tribute to the success of a scheme's extension to the Irish abroad. In her most recent newsletter, she says,

"This year the Centenarian’s Bounty scheme has been extended to Irish centenarians living abroad and I am absolutely delighted to say that already it includes over one hundred centenarians who previously didn’t qualify. Almost half of those live in the USA, one quarter in Northern Ireland, almost another quarter in Great Britain and a small number elsewhere throughout the globe. What a wonderful thing it is for this very successful Ireland to remember in such a real way those who were born and raised in much harder times."

Download the application form.

Journal will highlight migration issues

A new journal is being launched this week that will be of interest to anyone working in a migration-related field. Titled Translocations: Irish Migration, Race and Social Transformation Review, the first issue will be launched by Mary Hickman on November 3 at the NCCRI.
The journal will address such topics as globalisation and migration, transnationalism and diaspora, state and racism, culture and the media, among other topics.
Its first issue includes an article by Breda Gray on "Migrant Integration Policy", in which she discusses Ireland's emerging emigration policy in her argument that globalisation challenges the notion of government integration policies.
Read the journal online.

VHI targets Irish in US with health plan

Health insurers VHI are marketing a plan to Irish people working in the US. The plan, Global, is designed for Irish expats who are working abroad for six months or more and who intend to reside in Ireland in the future. The plan covers emergency and elective medical treatment in the US, paying medical bills directly to US hospitals; it does not cover preventive visits. Current VHI members can transfer to Global and back to their domestic policy when resident in Ireland again, with no break in coverage.
More information can be found at www.vhi/global.

Grants given to groups in South Africa and Zimbabwe

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, has announced €40,000 worth of funding for Irish organisations in South Africa and Zimbabwe - the first-ever fuding to those regions.

Mr Ahern noted that the funding is part of a total package of grants worth €12 million being distributed to Irish communities abroad this year, twelve times that of 1997. Funding was granted this year for the first time to organisation in Canada and Argentina, along with the continued support given to Irish community organisation in Britain, the US and Australia.
He added,

Today's announcement concerning Irish associations in South Africa and Zimbabwe represents a further welcome development. We deeply appreciate the strong and unifying focal points which the Irish associations in South Africa and Zimbabwe provide for our community there, many of whom – including members of religious orders – live some very considerable distance apart from each other. Today's grants will help these Irish associations to sustain their valuable community support structures into the future.

The grants announced by the Minister were:

South Africa

• Cape Town Irish Association - €10,000
• Durban Irish Society - €10,000

Zimbabwe

• Mashonaland Irish Association, Harare - €15,000
• Irish Association of Bulawayo - €5,000

See the full press release at the Department of Foreign Affairs website.
See the full list of grants at the Department of Foreign Affairs website.

Minister proposes US-Ireland visa exchange

Tony Killeen, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has said he supports the idea of establishing a programme that would legalise undocumented Irish workers in exchange for giving Irish work visas to Americans. Mr Killeen was speaking after returning from the FAS Jobs event in the US. He said he would raise the idea with his colleagues in the coming weeks.

Mr Killeen supported his idea with the fact that there were 4,300 Americans who immigrated to Ireland in search of work in 2005, while only 1,700 Irish recieved work visas. The government estimates that there are 30,000 to 40,000 undocumented Irish workers in the US. Mr Killeen said, "There is clear evidence to support the establishment of some form of bilateral agreement between the US and Irish governments". He added,

“A large percentage of those in attendance at the FAS Jobs Ireland Exhibition in New York were American. The interest expressed by Americans to come and work in Ireland was so great that a queue more than two and a half blocks long formed outside the Exhibition venue. In less than 15 years Ireland has gone from being the sick man of Europe to one of the most dynamic economies in the developed world. Irish incomes now exceed the European average, resulting in emigration being replaced by immigration. It is perfectly feasible to suggest that some form of working agreement can be pursued where the status of the undocumented Irish is regularised while work permits are offered to Americans seeking employment in Ireland. I hope to raise such a proposal with my colleagues over the coming weeks.”

Mr Killeen also announced the details for a new "Green Card" system for entry into the Irish labour market. The two-year visas will apply for an extensive list of occupations paying more than €60,000, and a smaller list of jobs paying between €30,000 and €60,000. Sectors involved include IT, healthcare, construction, financial services, and biotechnology.

Read the press release for more information.

Minister invites emigrants home at FAS NY event

Minister of State for Labour Tony Killeen spoke at the launch of the FAS Jobs Ireland New York event. He gave a background of Irish emigration and told the story of Ireland's economic success in recent decades. He declared:

If you are an Irish person who emigrated to the United States ten or fifteen years ago you will find that the Ireland of today is dramatically different from the country you left. To Irish people who are thinking of returning to Ireland we say: Now is the time to come home. Instead of the depressed country you left behind you will find instead a wide range of jobs and opportunities. There has never been a better time to live and work in Ireland.

His entire speech is on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's website.

FAS NY event a success

The Irish jobs fair being held by Fás in Manhattan on October 20 and 21 turned out to be a success, with about 6,500 attendees, double the expected turnout. Exhibitors included the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, and the Department of Education and Science. It also included the Western Development Commission, Enterprise Ireland, VHI Healthcare, and the Public Appointments Service, among others. Éan member Safe Home also exhibited. The exhibition, initially aimed at undocumented immigrants but which attracted a far wider audience, gave information on such issues as taxation, healthcare, employment rights, education and visas and permits.

The event attracted the attention of the New York Times, which noted that many American citizens were drawn by the lure of Ireland’s booming economy. The report also noted that nearly three times more Americans moved to Ireland last year than Irish moved to the United States: 4,300 Americans on the move vs 1,700 Irish in 2005.

Emigration the subject of Belfast-Liverpool play

Belfast playwright Marie Jones (Stones in his Pockets), and Liverpool playwright Maurice Bessman (Hollyoaks), have teamed up to write a musical play about the experiences of Irish emigrants circa 1969 taking the Liverpool Ferry to find a new life. Theatre company Red Lead Arts notes that it is the first time that playwrights from the two cities have collaborated and “the first time we have had an opportunity to celebrate our ‘connected’ cultures through shared stories of emigration and immigration”.
The play explores why the characters left Ireland and what happened to them until the present day, and includes reflections, says the company, on “some of the reasons and experiences that still force people to leave Ireland today.” The play is directed by Carol Moore of Red Lead Arts and plays at the Dockers Club in Belfast from October 13 to November 4.
http://www.redleadarts.org.uk/Index.asp?ID=95

Australia targets Ireland in global campaign for workers

Australia is holding an event in Dublin as part of a global campaign to attract 100,000 skilled workers to the country. Similar events are being held in Britain, the US and South America. The are targeting workers who are under 45, have good English, and have qualifications and/or work experience in several occupations in demand; occupations on that list include a wide variety of professions and trades. http://www.immi.gov.au/skillexpos/

Diversity Visa lottery accepting applications

The application period for the 2008 Diversity Visa Program begins today, and extends until noon on December 3, 2006. The program is a random lottery open to applicants with a high school education or equivalent, or who can show two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience within the last five years.

The programme selects 50,000 winners, divided among six geographic regions with a maximum of 7% available to people born in any single country. In last year's lottery, there were 160 visa winners from Ireland and 42 from Northern Ireland.

Many of the local Irish immigration centres in the US are running workshops to help people apply for the visa lottery. Visit the US Department of State website for official instructions.

US-bound passengers to go through all pre-clearance in Ireland

US-bound passengers from Irish airports will soon go through all pre-clearance procedures through US officials based at Dublin and Shannon. The current system checks passports, but the US embassy says it is working with Irish authorities to implement the agricultural and customs checks that are now conducted in US airports after passengers arrive. The embassy says the move will offer significant security and commercial benefits.
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1695797&issue_id=14694

Mayo-born Argentine Navy founder honoured

A monument to Admiral William Brown was unveiled by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday in Dublin’s Docklands. The Irish Independent says the Mayo-born founder of the Argentine Navy who died in 1857, has 1,100 streets, 420 schools, six football clubs and two cities named after him in Argentina.
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1695760&issue_id=14694

Minister for Foreign Affairs meets with ILIR, NY groups

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, has met with representatives from the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) in New York to discuss the campaign on behalf of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States. The minister reiterated the Government's strong support for the ILIR's campaign. He added, "The plight of the undocumented gets harder by the day and the ILIR campaign has undoubtedly already had a strong impact in Congress and beyond. The Government will remain actively involved in representing the concerns of the undocumented in the crucial period ahead.”

During his visit to New York, Mr Ahern also met with representatives of the following organisations:

• Emerald Isle Immigration Center
• Aisling Center
• Irish Immigration and Pastoral Center, Philadelphia
• New York Irish Center
• Project Irish Outreach
• Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers

The Minister praised the work of the centres, saying, “The services offered by the Irish immigration centers are critical, particularly for the more vulnerable members of our communities here. I welcome the ongoing focus on supporting community networks and the development of services for older Irish people in this country. The work that the centers undertake to respond to the particular difficulties encountered by the undocumented in their communities is also of key importance”.

See the Department of Foreign Affair's press release.

Eavan Boland comments on emigrant experience

RTE’s radio programme Rattlebag ran a rerun of an interview with Eavan Boland, in which she spoke extensively about her experience as an Irish woman abroad, beginning with her childhood as a diplomat’s daughter. She read her poem “The Emigrant Irish”. She characterized her own experience by saying, “I was never an emigrant. I was outside my country – it’s a much more luxurious experience”.

Film to focus on 1970s-era emigrants in Britain

Colm Meaney will be one of the featured actors in “Kings”, a film focusing on a group of Irish emigrants living in London. Based on Jimmy Murphy’s play “The Kings of the Kilburn High Road”, the film focuses on several friends who emigrated to England in the 1970s; they are reunited at the funeral of one of the gang, who has been killed by a train. The Irish-produced film will be shot around Belfast, Dublin and London. It will be bilingual in Irish and English. The ensemble cast also includes Donal O’Kelly, Brendan Conroy, Donncha Crowley, Barry Barnes and Seán Ó Tarpaigh.

http://www.filmboard.ie/stop_press.php?press=461

17,000 left Ireland last year

The latest set of CSO stats on emigration and immigration for the year up to April 06 has been released. There were an estimated 17,000 emigrants - interestingly reversing (though not by much) the downward trend of the last several years; the figure hit bottom last year at 16,600.

There were 87,000 immigrants – the highest recorded since the CSO began keeping track in 1987. About 20,000 of those were Irish nationals – Poles outnumbered returning emigrants however, with 22,900 immigrants.

• 4,400 emigrants went to Britain
• 2,800 went to the EU15
• 1,400 went to the US
• 1,100 went to the new EU states of the EU10 –some of these were likely returning emigrants from those countries.
• 7,300 went to the rest of the world.

See the full report on the CSO website.

Cork monument uses sound to commemorate

An innovative monument to Irish emigrants was unveiled on Cork's Penrose Quay on September 9th. "Listening Posts", designed by sculptor Daphne Wright and writer Johnny Hanrahan, consists of four sleek metal posts positioned at the traditional point of departure for emigrant ships. The City Council's press release explains,

While striking in themselves, these 'posts' function primarily as vessels for four multi-faceted sound scores. Using interviews with emigrants, their descendants, those they left behind, those who worked on the ship, those wishing to return and those who are glad they got away combined with marine, industrial, musical and abstract sound elements, Wright, Hanrahan and leading sound designer Dan Jones have built up rich, layered soundscapes each of which has its own internal logic and also contributes to the overall experience afforded by listening to all four posts.

The scores blend fragmented narratives embedded in emotionally intense soundworlds, musical clichés, Irish jokes and a range of instrumental and archival vocal gestures which have been manipulated to create a constantly fluctuating range of emotional tones.

The piece is firmly rooted in the history of emigration from Cork, but uses the specifics of that collective experience to explore broad themes of migration, displacement and self-re-invention. In this way it does justice to its commemorative function while also acting as an urgent, poetic commentary on the global issue of long-term migration.

See the press release on Cork City Council's website.

Returning emigrants featured in The Dubliner

Returning emigrants are the subject of an article in the oft-controversial The Dubliner magazine. In an article entitled "Lame Geese", reporter Angela Long details the experiences of several returning emigrants. She highlights particular difficulties in getting job searching, along with some culture shock as emigrants who left in pre-boom times come back to confront the rising materialism and pro-business culture. The reporter notes that all of the returnees she spoke with, however, had "resigned themselves to living in Ireland, warts and all".

The full article is at The Dubliner's website.

"Real" Annie Moore discovered

The story of the real Annie Moore has been unveiled. Annie Moore was the 15-year-old Cork girl who was the first immigrant to pass through New York’s Ellis Island in January 1892. While it had been long believed that Moore had moved west, instead, it genealogist Megan Smolenyak has discovered that Moore had actually made it no farther than the lower east side of Manhattan, where she bore eleven children, of whom only five survived; she died in 1924 at the age of 47. Although two statues of Annie Moore memorialise her story – one in New York harbour and the other in Cobh, Co Cork, her grave is unmarked. Her descendents are raising money for a headstone for the grave in Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-09-15T223324Z_01_N15390578_RTRUKOC_0_UK-LIFE-IMMIGRANT.xml

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/16/nyregion/16annie.html?ex=1158552000&en=90f781f38cc27b3a&ei=5087%0A

NY mayor calls for "common sense" in immigration laws

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York, speaking at Sligo’s City Hall, pledged to fight for legislation that would help undocumented Irish immigrants in the US. "I know that many Irish-born New Yorkers are caught in the trap of our federal immigration policies," he said. "If we are going to attract the best and the brightest — and Ireland has more than its fair share — we need to inject some common sense into our immigration laws, and I'm doing my best to make that case in Washington."
The mayor was speaking as part of his trip, postponed from earlier in the month, to dedicate a memorial to the Fighting 69th, the “Irish brigade” of the US Civil War. The memorial includes metal from the World Trade Center.
http://www.nysun.com/article/38427


Fine Gael TD John Perry made a speech at the monument’s unveiling, in which he said: “This monument represents the unbreakable link between all those who emigrated from Ireland to the United States over the past 200 years. It is a link of dedication. It is a link of service to others. It is a link of sacrifice for others. It is a link of friendship between our two nations. And it is a link of hope for a future that is free and possible.”
The entire text of the speech is available at http://www.irishdev.com/NewsArticle.aspx?id=3608

Topics: US Immigration reform, history

ILIR efforts continue

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform is continuing its efforts throughout the Congressional summer recess, says the Irish Voice in New York. The group is hosting weekly local meetings to discuss tactics around the New York Area; volunteers have also been spreading the word through attending Irish festivals. In addition, Irish comedian Des Bishop will feature in fundraisers hosted by the ILIR and by the Aisling Immigration Center. The ILIR is also sponsoring a bus to participate in a cross-cultural rally in Washington DC on September 7. The group has also been attending Congressional hearings on the immigrant issue around the country, and will step up their efforts to pressure Congress on the issue this autumn.

Returning emigrants need info, says Brennan

Unison.ie’s breaking news reports that Social Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan, speaking as he presented a cheque for €200,000 to the Emigrant Advice service, said that returnees must have all the up-to-date information needed to make the return process as smooth as possible. The report noted that 20,000 Irish people are coming home every year.

New York mayor to unveil Sligo monument

In other news about Irish men serving in forces abroad, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York will visit Ballymote, Co. Sligo to unveil a monument to the 69th Regiment of the American Civil War – also known as the “Fighting Irish”. The monument’s base contains steel from the Twin Towers in memory of Sligo-born Michael F Lynch, a firefighter who died on 9/11.

Irish WWI soldiers to be granted pardons

The British government’s announcement yesterday that it would seek pardons for the 306 soldiers who were shot at dawn for cowardice or desertion during World War I has been welcomed by Irish campaigners and Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern.. There were 26 Irish killed for such offences; Irish men were four times more likely to be executed as a result of court martial than British, Canadian, or New Zealand troops. The offences for which they were killed were repealed by British authorities in 1930; many of the offences were apparently related to post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2006, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern called for pardons for the Irish-born soldiers shot by the British army; his department had produced a report, presented to the British government, that outlined the flawed justice the men had been subjected to.
http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/Press_Releases/20060328/2010.htm

Minister re-iterates support

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has re-emphasised the Government's commitment to supporting the interests of the Irish abroad. He said, "This commitment is reflected in the fact that funding for emigrant services has never been higher. I am delighted that the unprecedented amount of €12 million has been allocated for this purpose this year. This follows on other substantial increases in recent years, so that funding is now twelve-times the sum that was available when this Government came to office in 1997.”

Commenting on the distribution of grants, the Minister said:
“So far this year I have been happy to announce grants exceeding €9 million. Most of this funding is being distributed to organisations in Britain that support Irish people there. In July I approved grants to over 140 organisations throughout Britain that are engaged in a wide range of activities of benefit to our community there.
The bulk of funding to groups in Britain, which I expect will reach some €9 million by the end of the year, is allocated to welfare projects that benefit the vulnerable members of our community there. I am also delighted that increased funding has enabled us to support a much wider range of initiatives in Britain than was possible in the past, including social, heritage and sporting projects which foster a sense of community.
The interests of the Irish in the United States remain an important priority for the Government. I have been happy to announce funding to organisations there of over €1 million. The information and advisory services provided by Irish organisations in the US make a critical difference for many members of our community there. These services are of particular value to the undocumented Irish whose welfare remains an issue of deep concern for the Government.
While most funding is directed to organisations in Britain and the United States, I have also been happy to announce financial support to a number of organisations in Ireland that are engaged in activities of benefit to Irish people abroad. I have also approved first time funding to Irish-Argentine community organisations. I look forward to announcing further grants later in the year to Irish community groups abroad, including to organisations in Australia and elsewhere.”

See the full press release on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.

Pat Rabbitte called for a re-examination of national policies on immigration as part of his speech on Michael Davitt to the Parnell Summer School. He warned against seeing immigration in solely economic terms and called for addressing the challenges of integration and assimilation.
He invoked the spectre of Ireland’s legacy as an emigrant nation:

"We should also do well to not forget our own national experience as a one time emigrant people. We should as a now receiving country, remember and recall the three dimensions of involuntary, large-scale emigration as it affected our country – the wrench of leaving home, the demographic hole – and its consequences – left behind, and the difficulties our emigrants and receiving populations faced in the destination countries. We should have in our collective memory the lessons from that experience and apply them in our remarkable new demographic setting. I am sure that is what Davitt would want us to do."

Newspaper makes claims of prostitution in Australia

The Sunday Tribune reports that some Irish students have turned to prostitution to fund their travels. The papers claims that brothels across Australia, where prostitution is legal, are hiring Irish women under the age of 25. The paper featured an interview with a student from Galway who said that she turned to prostitution after learning how much money prostitutes made. An agency working with prostitutes, the Scarlet Alliance, said, “We have a lot of girls who come to us for assistance. Some of these girls may have industrial concerns; they may want to improve their work conditions or they could have faced unfair dismissal.” Geraldine Rowley of Irish organisation Ruhama was quoted highlighting the dangers of prostitution.

Irish homeless in London figures fall

The number of Irish people sleeping rough in central London has fallen to about 100 this year – a figure that IrishExaminer.com said was an all-time low. This is down from 600 in 1999. The figures come from the Simon Homeless Agency, which credits increased Dion funding for the reduction.

Returning emigrants unaffected by habitual residency requirements?

A report released by the Social Welfare Appeals office highlights several case studies of those affected by the Habitual Residency requirement. All of those cases highlighted were those of immigrants. None of the cases highlighted affected returned emigrants.

Three Irish-Argentine community organisations have been granted funding by the Department of Foreign Affairs; this is the first time that Argentine community groups have received funding. In making the announcement, Minister Noel Treacy said, “The descendants of the men and women who left Galway, Mayo, Westmeath, Longford, Wexford, and other parts of Ireland and settled in Argentina are also distinguished by the fact that they form the largest community of Irish descent outside of English-speaking countries.” He added that next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Mayo-born founder of the Argentine Navy, Admiral Browne.
The funding went to:

• Spanish-language newspaper The Southern Cross, which was founded by the Irish-Argentine community in 1875; the €12,000 in funding will be used for new equipment and for preservation of early editions.
• The Fahy Club, named after a Galway-born priest Anthony Dominic Fahy, has received a grant of €15,000; they will use the money to update its facilities.
• The Federation of Irish-Argentine Associations has received €15,000 to support an Executive Secretary post.

There is substantial information on the Irish in Argentina at http://www.irishargentine.org.
http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/Press_Releases/20060807/2130.htm

Free travel still under discussion

Minister for Transport Seamus Brennan said that the Government was considering the introduction of a free travel scheme for the elderly and the disabled between Ireland and Britain; he made the comments as he revealed that the current peak time restrictions on the use of travel passes for public transport would be lifted. There was apparently no further discussion today on the issue of extending the free travel programme to emigrants.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2006/0809/breaking35.htm

Outgoing ambassador on British-Irish relations

The outgoing British ambassador to Ireland, Stewart Eldon, has an opinion piece in the Irish Times outlining progress in the Irish-British relationship. Interestingly, he doesn’t mention emigration; he focuses on what the two nations have in common, including trade links, joint efforts on the North, young Irish people’s attitudes toward the UK, the Irish Government’s commemoration of the Battle of the Somme, cooperation on law enforcement. He concludes that while Ireland and Britain will always be rivals on the sports field, “that rivalry is now counterbalanced by greater understanding of each other's sensitivities and a recognition that both sides have something real and important to contribute, across the board.”

Returning emigrants exempt from home-building rules

Returning emigrants will be exempt from Donegal County Council rules aimed at limiting the number of holiday homes in the county, according to the Irish Independent. The paper reports that the new 2006-2012 County Development Plan requires home buyers about to purchase a house in one of the county’s 1,500 townlands where holiday homes comprise more than 20% of housing stock must sign a contract pledging to live in the house for seven years. Exceptions are being proposed for returning emigrants and accommodation proposed as part of an overall tourism package.

RTE’s Morning Ireland featured a story on Australia’s changes to its “Working Holiday” and “Work and Holiday” visa programme. Ireland has the third-highest proportion of participants in the programme, behind the UK and South Korea, with 12,500 to 13,000 a year. The main change is that now participants on the programme can work six months with each employer, up from the former three-month limit. The seasonal work for second“Working Holiday” visa applicants has been expanded to include plant and animal cultivation, fishing and pearling, and tree farming and felling.
More information is available at http://www.immi.gov.au.

http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/228-2163537.smil
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0808/morningireland.html
More information on the changes is available at:
http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/whats-new.htm

TOPICS: Australia, visas

J1ers report problems

Siobhan Dennehy of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in New York was interviewed on Ryan Tubridy about problems facing this year’s J-1 programme participants as well as the services offered by the EIIC. She noted her belief that the organisations operating the visa programme could be more pro-active in offering advice to the students before their arrival in the US.
Ryan Tubridy also spoke to a J-1 participant living in Yonkers who spoke of his difficulties in finding a job. He plans on returning home to Ireland after only six weeks because his job search has been fruitless.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/tommcgurk/

Minister invites emigrants home at FAS NY event

Minister of State for Labour Tony Killeen spoke at the launch of the FAS Jobs Ireland New York event. He gave a background of Irish emigration and told the story of Ireland's economic success in recent decades. He declared:

If you are an Irish person who emigrated to the United States ten or fifteen years ago you will find that the Ireland of today is dramatically different from the country you left. To Irish people who are thinking of returning to Ireland we say: Now is the time to come home. Instead of the depressed country you left behind you will find instead a wide range of jobs and opportunities. There has never been a better time to live and work in Ireland.

His entire speech is on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's website.

Minister invites emigrants home at FAS NY event

Minister of State for Labour Tony Killeen spoke at the launch of the FAS Jobs Ireland New York event. He gave a background of Irish emigration and told the story of Ireland's economic success in recent decades. He declared:

If you are an Irish person who emigrated to the United States ten or fifteen years ago you will find that the Ireland of today is dramatically different from the country you left. To Irish people who are thinking of returning to Ireland we say: Now is the time to come home. Instead of the depressed country you left behind you will find instead a wide range of jobs and opportunities. There has never been a better time to live and work in Ireland.

His entire speech is on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's website.