2010 February - The Irish Diaspora

Global Irish Network

A tonic for Ireland…

Following on from the Global Irish Economic Forum in Farmleigh last September, Micheál Martin, Minister for Foreign Affairs, chaired a meeting today with business, cultural and sporting figures from the Irish community in Britain.

The event took place in London, and the focus was on helping the Irish economy.

Todays activities effectively mark the launch of the Global Irish Network, and the initial aims are to identify opportunities for an export-led recovery, and to engage additional resources that will help promote Ireland’s economic, cultural and tourism interests.

Mr Martin also announced his intention to hold similar meetings in other parts of the world, and the network will draw from a diverse group of achievers who have a strong connection to Ireland. It will be managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, with ambassadors directing and organising the members in their respective countries.

It’s also good to see enthusiasm coming from regions such as Argentina – for example here’s the English translation of an article in The Southern Cross that explores some possibilities.

In summary this is starting to look like it has a solid structure and the early indications are positive. 300 influential people around the world have accepted the Minister’s invitation to participate, and it will be interesting to see how things develop over the coming year.

It would also be good if the Global Irish Network website had an open access area where progress and achievements could be made publicly available. In the meantime we’ll try and keep up with it as much as we can here. (Maybe a GIN and tonic category!)

Associated posts on diaspora.ie:

Farmleigh Global Economic Forum
Global Irish Economic Forum – Pt II

South Side Irish Parade

The Chicago South Side Irish Parade has a great history, and as of last year was one of the largest neighbourhood parades outside of Ireland. Started in 1979 by George Hendry and Pat Coakley, it grew from 17 children marching around the block to an event hosting over 15,000 marchers and 250,000 spectators each year.

In fact it got so big it moved away from having that local feel, and in 2009 the numbers made it difficult to control. This year it’s re-inventing itself and the organising committee have decided to steer it back towards it’s original community roots.

The celebrations are being renamed as the South Side Irish Parade Family Fest, and will take place on Saturday, March 13. The parade itself won’t be on the schedule, but there are a whole range of family activities planned, topped off with a live performance by the Hothouse Flowers in the evening.

South Side Irish

On the Sunday (March 14) St. Cajetan Catholic Church will hold its annual Irish Mass, and residents are invited to the Beverly Arts Center afterwards for a blessing and reception. As is the tradition everyone is encouraged to continue the celebrations in their homes that afternoon with family and friends.

The festival is also part of a 10 day event that includes the return of the Chicago Irish Film Festival (March 5-10), and the Chicago Rose of Tralee contest.

Can one become two?

Many Chicago Irish will miss the parade and the large occasion that grew around it, but it’s also understandable why the committee had to have a rethink. Whether this will lead to a new parallel event waits to be seen.

George Kelleher from Evergreen Park has started a Facebook page inviting everyone to come along on Sunday 14th. The suggestion is to have a pub crawl which will either be a farewell party for the parade or, if problem free, could be the start of something new?

Whichever way you look at it, Irish spirit is definitely alive and kicking in Chicago!

If you’re from the South Side what do you think, and what would you like to see in future years?

Farm Stay Holidays

I’ve written about Language Travel Ireland before, but their farm stay programme deserves a special mention.

You get the real thing, and you get a great opportunity to learn English as well. You’ll take part in farm activities, eat with the family, and find yourself totally immersed in the English language. You’ll get full board accomodation with your own room, and have English lessons from a private teacher ensuring you get the best from your stay.

Here’s what Johanna, a young German student, had to say…

“It was first journey without my parents to another country and I’ve enjoyed it very much. The house of my family had a very nice garden. In the evening, we had a barbeque in their garden and a few friends came. They were really nice and they told me a lot of their lives. The English lessons with my teacher were good and we had a lot of fun. One day, we went to Fota Wildlife Park and I saw giraffes, monkeys and a lot more animals. Another day, we drove to Galway and went to visit their relatives. While we were driving through the beautiful scenery, my teacher and her two daughters sang Irish songs. I enjoyed my trip to Ireland and definitely I will come back.”

LTI offer a unique and authentic experience, and if you’re looking for a farm stay holiday you should really check them out. Here’s their farm stay programme. Enjoy!