Normally i’d steer clear of politics, but occasionally things comes along that are too big to ignore. Things that transcend national elections and won’t be yesterdays news tomorrow, or last years news in 2010, or possibly even old news in 2020 or 2030!
Right now there are two biggies – NAMA and the Lisbon Treaty. Both of these have the potential to make a big impact on Ireland, and the effects (good or bad) could be felt for generations.
This post is about NAMA, and the next one will be about the Lisbon Treaty…
Without labouring it too much the Irish landscape has changed. The country faces severe economic challenges, emigration is again in the vocabulary, and a big decision is about to be implemented.
What is this decision?
NAMA – the National Asset Management Agency
NAMA in it’s most basic form will buy bad debts from troubled Irish banks and manage the disposal of associated assets (predominantly land and property) over the coming years.
The cost – 90 billion euros from the public purse.
The return – dependent on asset values at the time of sale.
There’s plenty of discussion – is it the right solution, is the cost too high, should it be implemented outside the freedom of information act, should there be further concensus etc etc…
But why talk about it on diaspora.ie?
The culture of the celtic tiger sent a new message – if you educate yourself, if you accept ambition and aspiration as worthy traits, if you put the work in, then you are entitled to see the rewards – Ireland became the land of opportunity.
Young talented students came out of the educational system confident they would be able to put their skills to work at home, Irish who left Ireland in previous decades returned to something new, the world looked on somewhat surprised but also in admiration – the diaspora could see a different country.
What happens next will affect the diaspora again. If NAMA works there will be an outlet for those aspirations and ambitions and emigration will take a back seat, if it fails then the opposite is possible. The Irish abroad will either be looking back at Ireland and thinking ’same old story’, or they’ll be seeing a country that still has the ability and creativity of thinking to look after itself.
In the interests of balance here’s some of the key ‘for’, ‘against’ and ‘undecided’ camps:
Congratulations to the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain on their new website.
In existence since 1957, the ICB has proven to be one of the most dynamic and innovative agencies working for Irish emigrants in the UK. They run events and publications, and their core activities focus on three key areas:
Irish Older Persons
Irish Travellers
Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas
They were there for the mass Irish emigration from the 40s and 50s, again in the 80s, and now they’re seeing the early signs of another wave, albeit difficult to predict how far this one will go.
As with any good cause they can always do with a helping hand. They already have a lively and effective team of volunteers, and if you’re reliable and have time to spare they’d welcome hearing from you.
Also keep an eye out for ‘The History of the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain 1957 – 2009’, a new book by Dr Patricia Kennedy, commissioned by the Bishops Conference of Ireland and due to be published in 2010.
From a personal view i think organisations like this are great. They very often go unnoticed helping the ‘invisible’ in society, yet what they do is so important. A true credit to that Irish humanitarian spirit.
Late night in from the Ballydehob Festival (it aint over yet!) – fantastic music all over town, great buzz, big crowd, and happy people dancing, chatting, drinking and swinging – humanity at it’s best!
Pam and Killian - Jeez we're in Ballydehob
The totally tickling world championship turnip race, mad fellas drinking and pushing friends in wheel barrows, pig racing, the bride and groom (big congratulations!) who just happened to be in the village – they didn’t know what was coming but oh they got into the spirit! Alan and his chip van feeding the masses, and people groovin to the beat, totally unique!
Special mention for Electric Guilt Trip – outdoor rock concert village style! Buzz galore! and Skazz jazzin it up in Vincent O’Mahoneys (O’Briens bar) – the floor was pounding, big smiles, and the sweat of carelessness all round!
Blame the Guinness – but sometimes it just works and you know when you and everyone else have really enjoyed the night!
In the mood!
Did I forget to say there’s also tomorrow… bedtime!
Stay up to date with Irish events and activities in Scotland…
An Scéal is the monthly newsletter produced by Patrick McAleer for the Irish in Scotland, and you can get yourself onto to the circulation at the Irish in Scotland website.
The newsletter includes news from Comhaltas, GAA, Gaelic league, adult Irish ceili classes, childrens Irish dancing classes, political events and anything of interest to the Irish community.
You can also get back-issues on the site and I just had a look at the July edition. It’s packed with information about what’s going on so well worth getting to keep you in touch.
Every month there are approx 200,000 Google searches for the ‘Irish Independent’ newspaper, so I thought it’d be interesting to get an idea of the percentages from various countries.
Here’s the breakdown:
50,000 in UK
27,000 in the US
8,000 in Australia
6,600 in Canada
1,000 in New Zealand
(Most of the rest are probably in Ireland itself).
The numbers seem to fit fairly well with the shape of the diaspora:
UK 2001: 674,786 Irish born.
US 2000: 269,832 Irish born.
Australia 2006: 72,050 Irish born.
(Hard to find numbers for Canada and NZ but indications seem to match the search ratio).
The pattern supports the expectation that Irish born people would be more likely to stay in touch with what’s happening at home, else the number of searches in the US would be far higher (the US has approximately 6 times the number of Irish descent compared to the UK).
Also interesting that the newspaper’s online readership appears to be roughly 50% international.
The pale moon was rising above the green mountains,
The sun was declining beneath the blue sea,
When I strayed with my love by the pure crystal fountain,
That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee.
She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
Yet ’twas not her beauty alone that won me.
Oh no, ’twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning
That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.
The cool shades of evening their mantle were spreading,
And Mary all smiling was listening to me.
The moon through the valley her pale rays was shedding,
When I won the heart of the Rose of Tralee.
She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
Yet ’twas not her beauty alone that won me.
Oh no, ’twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning
That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.
The Rose of Tralee is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and 50 girls will be in the competition to mark the occasion – who’s your rose?
Kelly is the second most common surname in Ireland and originates from at least seven different and unrelated ancient clans or septs. These include O’Kelly septs from Meath, Derry, Antrim, Laois, Sligo, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Galway and Roscommon, and the McKelly sept from East Connaught.
One of the major septs is the O’Kellys of Ui Maine, or Hy Many, a territory in East Galway and South Roscommon. O’Kelly derives from the Gaelic O Ceallaigh, meaning “descended from Ceallach.” Ceallach was the son of Finnachta, a chief of the Hy Many people around A.D. 874.
Want to enjoy the experience and have a great time?
Simple – learn English in Ireland!
Language Travel Ireland give you the best chance of improving your English – ‘By Living It’. They provide intensive, one-to-one English courses in your teacher’s home, and their aim is to help you improve your English in the shortest possible time.
Plus there’s an additional opportunity – you get to enjoy Ireland and an authentic cultural experience at the same time. You can choose 10, 15, 20 or 25 hours English lessons per week and stay as many weeks as you like. You can learn in Galway, Dublin, Cork or Limerick, and get out and about and enjoy the local scene whilst here.
Everything will be in English so you’ve got no choice but to soak it up – and it works. Each year 130,000 foreign students come to Ireland to learn English, and Ireland is now one of the top destinations in Europe.
If you’re looking for something extra, LTI also provide English for business, farm stay, and sports and cultural programmes, so there’s plenty of options to choose from.
Hopefully we’ve got you thinking, and you can get all the info at the LTI website.
Enjoy, come to Ireland, learn English, and have a great time!
If you’re planning a trip to Skibbereen you should include the Heritage Centre as one of your places to visit.
Located in the beautifully restored old gasworks in Upper Bridge Street, the centre is currently exhibiting The Great Famine Commemoration, showing an audio-visual documentary on the history, formation and folklore of the unique Lough Hyne, and has a growing library of local genealogy resources to help you explore your family ancestry.
There’s also an interesting series of events planned for heritage week 2009 (22nd to 28th August), with walks, talks, movies and more – all the details here.
You can also get the new DVD ‘Remember Skibbereen’ which tells the story of the Great Famine in Skibbereen and beyond, or if you can’t make the visit it’s also available online.
A great place to go to, and one that will bring you closer to the history and heritage of Skibbereen.
Give us the news and we’ll pass it on…
If you have a story to tell, launched a new business, got an initiative off the ground, landed on a foreign shore and getting your foot on the first rung, or just have some good news with an inspirational nature let us know and we'll pass it on.
NAMA – the National Asset Management Agency
