Following on from the initial conference back in September 2009, the second Global Irish Economic Forum is fast approaching and looks set to be quite a major event. Scheduled for 7-8 October in Dublin Castle, almost 280 invitees from the Global Irish Network have confirmed their attendance and, as recently announced, they will also be joined by President Bill Clinton.
Government Ministers, the State Agencies, members of the Opposition and leading Irish based business figures will also be participating, and President McAleese will be the guest of honour at a formal dinner for participants on Friday, 7 October.
The key objectives:
Engage fully with the Irish Diaspora in developing Ireland’s global business and trade relations
Discuss face-to-face the Government’s priorities for economic renewal with key members of the international business community
Strengthen ties with the Irish Diaspora as a key part of the Government’s efforts to restore Ireland’s international reputation abroad
Live internet screening of the key discussions is promised, and hopefully we’ll also get visibility of Bill Clinton’s speech. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Eamon Gilmore, has indicated that there will be a strong follow-up mechanism, and it will be interesting to see if the initiative gains further momentum as a result.
One argument used against emigrant voting rights is the misconception that the Irish lose interest in domestic politics when we leave.
Michael Ryan is an Irish emigrant living in the UK, and he is running as an independent candidate in the Irish General Election. He left the country 15 years ago and has been travelling back to Ireland every weekend for the last three years.
Having lived abroad all his working life he shares the belief that ‘the Irish Diaspora needs a voice in Irish politics in order to promote their greater involvement in helping Ireland through its current crisis’.
Michael has five key objectives in his manifesto:
Referendum to determine an appropriate strategy to tackle the Financial Crisis
Reduce the number of TDs by 25%
Make Dail pensions only payable at retirement age
Encourage emigrants to take an active part in Ireland’s future by giving them the vote
Create a national volunteering scheme that enables people to improve Ireland’s fortunes
His candidacy is a timely reminder that Irish emigrants are keen to reconnect with Irish politics, and it reinforces the message that the diaspora is a willing and able part of the Irish nation.
Here’s his detailed Election Manifesto and if you’re in the Dublin Mid-West constituency, or simply interested in what he has to say, you should have a read.
Well done to Michael for running and we wish him well on election day.
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….!
If you have a story to tell, launched a new business, got an initiative off the ground, or just have some good news with an inspirational nature let us know and we'll pass it on.
