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.
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!)
Just before Christmas we had the pleasure of being shown around the Julia by Pat O’Neill. We weren’t sure what to expect and I guess our thoughts were of trips on the previous ship.
The Julia is a classier lady and Pat made us very welcome as we wandered the decks and the various bars and restaurants. Bernadette also had a good scan of the cabins and I think she made a mental note of the West Cork Suite! – fortunately they all looked inviting. She’s a marked improvement on her predecessor with higher levels of comfort and facilities, and just has a more pleasing feel about her. Definitely looking forward to travelling on her as a passenger.
Doing the guy thing I asked if we could get into the engine room but sounds like you need to be a bit of a ladder monkey so we passed on that one. Pat quickly made up for it though and we were soon heading upwards, through some heavy steel doors, and into the Bridge area.
It’s quite a thing to stand at the helm of such a vessel, and before you could say ‘ahoy there’ Bernadette was organising a quick conflab about how she handled at sea…
Well one thing lead to another and it wasn’t long before she’d got her head round the port and starboard thing. All it took now was to find the ignition key and the steering wheel! Ok Pat – how about taking her for a spin?
10 minutes later we’re gingerly doing a 3-point turn as Bernadette whizzes the wheel in one direction and then the other. Pat’s holding his breath and I know what he’s thinking…!
Well it was a lovely little cruise, we kept her below 4 knots, Bernadette got her stripes, and it was sunset before we moored up again…
Great afternoon, and I don’t think anyone even noticed!
(Ok, we didn’t really but it’s nice to day dream! She’s a great credit to everyone who’s had the drive to make her a reality. Something to be very proud of.)
Last week we had the pleasure of listening to Michael Kelly talk to a room full of people whilst waving a vegetable in the air. That was the day I realised a Cork grown Irish garlic wouldn’t be a strange thing at all!
Michael worked for ten years in the IT industry in Dublin, but these days lives life as a freelance writer, bestselling author and broadcaster. One of his books, ‘Tales from the Home Farm’, is a guide to producing food in your back garden, and it was the passion he expressed about self-sufficiency that caught me.
GIY Ireland was started by Michael and it’s all about bringing people together and giving them the confidence and ability to grow their own food. The website is a focal point for sharing information, and the story centres round the 40 GIY groups that have already established themselves in various parts of Ireland over a few short months.
It’s a great venture that benefits everyone who gets involved, and i’d recommend you visit the GIY website and have a read yourself.
Here? well i’m already been doing a bit of learning and 2010 will see the advent of prize winning Ballydehob garlics!
And the diaspora..?
Michael is racing round Ireland helping groups get set up so jumping on planes could be tricky (but hey, you could always ask him!). What you might do though is see what he’s up to and think about whether it’s a model that could work where you are.
Well done Michael, and I suspect if you thought 2009 was busy….!
I’ll write more about Chuck Feeney and The Atlantic Philanthropies another time (a story that deserves justice), but for all our friends across the pond just a brief note that Mr Feeney is planning on making $100 holiday vouchers available for up to 50,000 people visiting Ireland from the US next year (source: The Sunday Times).
Tourism minister Martin Cullen was contacted by Mr Feeney after the Global Irish Economic Forum in September when he offered to match government funds for boosting tourism.
This is a great gesture and sits well with other efforts in the pipeline, e.g, the plan to offer older visitors free off-peak rail travel all over Ireland.
We’ll keep an eye on these initiatives and post more information when details are available.
In the meantime a simple thank you to Mr Feeney for his kind generosity.
If you’re not aware of The Ireland Funds read on to get to know about them…
They are a charitable organisation operating in 12 countries that has raised over $300 million for worthy causes. Founded in Pittsburgh in 1976, they manage over 100 events annually in 39 cities around the world making them one of the largest global organisations helping Ireland.
Extremely well versed in the area of diaspora philanthropy they have funded over 1,200 organisations in Ireland and beyond, and as a thought leader in the area of diaspora engagement are actively contributing to the body of knowledge in the field of diaspora studies.
Their mission is ‘to be the largest worldwide network of people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland dedicated to raising funds to support programs of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education and community development throughout the island of Ireland’.
They are a highly effective organisation that are at the heart of great projects such as this.
‘A Comparative Review of International Diaspora Strategies’ is the title of their new report, and it is an in-depth study of strategies from other countries, most notably Israel and India. The report provides guidance and recommendations on how Ireland can best engage with its diaspora in the 21st century.
The timing coincides with the Global Irish Economic Forum to be held in Farmleigh this coming week-end (18th – 19th September), and given The Ireland Funds wealth of knowledge the guest list would do well to have a copy in their hands.
I was going to try and summarise the report whilst trying to reflect its excellence, but it’s hard to do this and still do it justice. The document is approximately 100 pages in length, and the depth it goes into makes each of the sections highly informative. There is a focus on economics and mutual benefit, but it also keeps sight of cultural ties and Irelands relationship with its diaspora at a broader level.
You can download the report here, and i’ve included the contents below to give you an idea of the scope:
Section 1
Background to diaspora strategies
Defining diaspora: common trends and recent developments
Section 2
Ireland’s current context
The Smart Economy – a role for the diaspora?
Section 3
Ireland and its diaspora
A long history of migration
Capturing the Irish diaspora: extended citizenship
The diversity of our diaspora
Examining and redefining the relationship
A diffuse and diverse national asset
Where can the diaspora help?
Section 4
Key lessons from other countries
Section 5
International diaspora initiatives
Developments in diaspora engagement: a comparative review of strategies and initiatives
Research and data
Capital flows – remittances
Capital flows – bonds
Capital flows – philanthropy
Capital flows – foreign direct investment
Capital flows – venture capital and support for indigenous industry
Diaspora knowledge networks
Importance of educational exchange
Visits to the homeland
Engaging various generations
Recognition and awards
Section 6
Differing roles of government
Section 7
Culture matters
Section 8
Global best practices: conclusions for Ireland
You’ll need to put aside a bit of time, but if this is an area that interests you it’s well worth the read. And well done to The Ireland Funds for producing the report – it will be a fantastic development if the relevant parties take it on board, and incorporate it into a plan of action.
Hasbro, makers of the board game Monopoly, have been in Waterford for nearly 30 years and each year roughly 1.5 million boxes get shipped to 26 countries around the world.
The set we used to play with as kids was in the old red and white box, like the one on the right here with the frayed edges! but over the years you’d see all types of variations to appeal to new generations.
We had hours of fun trying to buy the hotspots, and gloating like smug brats if you managed to stick up a hotel or two on the ‘prime locations’. For some reason I liked getting the stations – must be the train buff in me! It was one of those games that you either loved or hated, and i’m sure many budding property developers spent their early days trying to get one over on their friends and family competitors!
Monopoly Online
It’s the 21st century, Monopoly has evolved, and now you can play the game online – it looks like good fun as well. The makers have linked up with Google to produce a Google Maps version and you choose what road you’d like to buy. You then compete with every other player on the board which basically means it’s global!
Starting with 3 million Monopoly dollars you can build not only hotels and houses but also football stadiums, castles and skyscrapers. If inclined you can also sabotage neighbouring rivals by building rubbish dumps, prisons or wind farms on their property to reduce the rent value of their assets! The game ends on January 31st, 2010.
Monopoly Online
Now I don’t know if it’s just me but isn’t there a whole load of irony here – especially from an Irish perspective! The only difference I can see is that when we were kids we used to make up our own rules, like agreeing with each other we could borrow from the bank when we pleased, or lending money to our mates to get them out of a sticky corner! Here you have to stick to the rules of the game!
I also can’t help looking at the helicopter heading out on the site’s home page, and wondering if it’s loaded with Irish property developers fleeing the fire! I havn’t got into the online game yet (the site is under pressure) but am also keen to see if there’s a ‘NAMA get out of jail’ card if you find yourself in the proverbial!
Oh i could go on, but maybe it’s best to finish by letting the big boys know that they can relive ‘the good old days’ at monopolycitystreets.com!
(Oh, and bagsy Ballydehob Main St if the creators would only include it – it is a goldmine!)
The Irish Global Economic Forum starts in Farmleigh on September 18 and draws together, amongst others, some of the most influential members of the Irish diaspora. The idea was inspired by David McWilliams and is being organised and managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, headed up by Michael Martin.
This has optimistic and positives vibes, and maybe the best way to reflect what it’s about is to quote some words from the people at the heart of it…
‘A national effort to reach out to the most successful and influential members of Ireland’s diaspora…’
‘to explore how the Irish, at home and abroad, and those with a strong interest in Ireland, can work together’
‘to harness the talents ‘of people who are conscious of worldwide trends in business and technology’’ and “find ways to network this global diaspora more effectively…’
‘it’s time to re-imagine the country so that we become the guardian of the exiled Irish. This is why the Global Irish Economic Conference in Farmleigh on September 18 is a great start to what could be the next phase of our country’s development, whereby Ireland reaches out to the diaspora’
‘we should try to imagine a greater Ireland that transcends geography’
‘to maximise the sharing of ideas and engagement between participants, while facilitating concrete outcomes’
‘a step towards addressing our current economic challenges and a platform for the development of a long term strategy which will channel the enormous potential of this global community. The positive reaction with which invitees have greeted the initiative augurs well for its success’
‘over the past 6 years alone, the Government has provided some €60million in funding to Irish Diaspora organisations and projects and in 2007 organised a successful Diaspora conference in Dublin Castle. The Forum builds on this work’
Thoughts here…?
Tourism, review of citizenship rights, art and heritage, and a Global Irish Network?
Great initiative, and definitely looking forward to seeing the results.
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:
It was 1752, he was 27 years old, and his godfather left him the money in his will. A man with foresight, or at least willing to take a risk, three years later he was running his own brewery making ale in Leixlip. Arthur must have been thinking big even then, and it wasn’t long before he headed for Dublin and agreed a 9,000 year lease on a four acre site – the year was 1759 and Guinness as a brewer of porter was founded.
Arthur Guinness
By 1767 he was the master of the Dublin Corporation of Brewers and managed to expand his operations extensively during 1797–99. The brewery was producing more than 20,000 barrels a year when he died in 1803.
As a man he was highly respected for his actions to improve the lives of people in communities where Guinness did business. This philosophy carried through after his death, and in 1876 Guinness was one of the first businesses in Ireland to provide proper pensions and healthcare for its employees and their families. Guinness the brewery and Guinness the family continued this generosity over the years, and have given land for recreational areas, financial support to education initiatives, and funding for low income housing in parts of Dublin.
It’s Guinness’s 250th birthday this year and the 24th of September is to be known as Arthur’s Day. An impressive line-up of events are planned and leading musical artists will be performing in celebrations around the world, and at 17:59 on that day we’re invited to raise a glass of Guinness to toast the man himself.
Here’s a taster…
Guinness really is one of Irelands greatest exports and enjoyed by the Irish and non-Irish alike, I wonder if he knew something when he signed that lease, imagine the celebrations in 2659!
Irish entrepreneurs – got a promising start-up or an early lead on a new opportunity and want to attract investment?
CMYPITCH.IE was launched on 26th June 2009, and is the first Irish website to put video at the forefront of connecting entrepreneurs with investors. Make your pitch – put your video together highlighting your strengths, preferably appoint an intermediary to represent your funding application, and pitch your proposal with the objective of attracting potential investors.
All the tips about how to approach this professionally are available on the cmypitch website, and there is also a live cmypitch event in Dublin during September 2009 where up to 10 entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to present their case.
It’ll be interesting to see which new Irish ventures surface from this, and it’s good to see another example of people and business finding their own way forward.
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.
I’ll write more about Chuck Feeney and The Atlantic Philanthropies another time (a story that deserves justice), but for all our friends across the pond just a brief note that Mr Feeney is planning on making $100 holiday vouchers available for up to 50,000 people visiting Ireland from the US next year (source: 
Hasbro, makers of the board game Monopoly, have been in Waterford for nearly 30 years and each year roughly 1.5 million boxes get shipped to 26 countries around the world. 
