Out of public gaze it looks like a sell-off of our forestry assets is being manouevered into place, and it’s happening without discussion – public opinion not invited.
Colm McCarthy’s 2009 An Bord Snip Nua report suggested that the state ‘review the operations of Coillte with a view to realising optimal return through rationalisation, asset disposal and, possibly, privatisation’.
Coillte confusingly already considers itself a private limited company despite the fact that the European Court of Justice in Case C-339/00 determined that it is a public enterprise wholly owned and controlled by the State.
A key step in the process appears to be the ITT (31/1/2011) seeking an economic evaluation of the public goods provided by the forest estate. The closing date for submission is 18/2/2011.
SF were quick to pick up on the threat last year, and the Labour Party and FG have subsequently ruled out the possible privatisation of the state forestry company.
Despite the political statements you can’t help feeling there’s no smoke without fire, and hopefully the politicians won’t need to be reminded of their (honourably patriotic) stance after the general election.
The Woodland League have been tracking this for quite a while and are running a petition to demonstrate public support against a sell-off. In their own words they are ‘dedicated to restoring the relationship between people and their native woodlands’.
You can sign the petition here (or on the right) and I would urge you to do so – it might be public opinion that provides the last bastion of defence.
The state of Pennsylvania, USA, has a history of Irish immigration dating back to the early 1700s. As was common in those days the new settlers had many challenges to overcome, but in good old Irish style they battled through. Initially concentrated in counties such as Chester, Lancaster, Northampton and Northumberland, and along the Maryland line, they eventually began spreading west or south-west and by 1975 the migration of Irish across the state was complete.
Further waves of immigration occurred over the following centuries, culminating in the strong Irish communities that exist there today.
In 1987 Sandy Sheerin and her three sisters left Ireland as young girls and settled in a small rural town in Pleasant Mount, Pennsylvania. Now in their 30s the girls are very aware of how those in Pennsylvania and beyond cherish their heritage, and have embarked on a venture to bring the country of Ireland closer to those communities.
Introducing GAELIC GIRLS, a television production based on the four girls travelling back to Ireland to re-discover it. Each with their own personal interest:
Culture :
The history/heritage and culture of the island.
Luxury :
The wonderful resorts/retreats/getaways in Ireland.
Fun :
The festivals/events/pubs that are a must-see here.
Shopping :
The talented Irish designers with quaint boutiques and shops.
Sandy has been working hard to get this project off the ground and has :
achieved approval from 5 PBS Television stations in the U.S who love the concept
gained the support of various companies who have offered free services for the project
gathered a range of volunteers willing to offer their time and skills.
Her efforts so far have managed to trim $100,000 off the overall budget, and without any drop in quality. Her new challenge – the original funders for the project have pulled out due to difficulties caused by the current economic climate.
I like this project for reasons beyond the obvious tourist benefits, however let’s look at it from an economic perspective for the moment:
- The required budget to make this production is $150,000 - If, let’s say, it results in 200 additional tourists next year it will have more than paid for itself.
The fact that Sandy and her sisters have lived in the USA most of their lives also means they know how to engage with their audience, and how to capture their interest and imagination.
So, if you’re reading this and have involvement, contacts, or influence with any state agencies, or know of any avenues that Sandy can pursue to move the funding forward, she’d really appreciate it if you got in touch with her. The project has recently received a commitment from Tourism Ireland so the seeds are sown, it now needs to come to fruition.
Sandy can be contacted by email at sandrasheerin@gmail.com. She’s very easy to talk to, warm, professional, determined, she has a great project here and it deserves all the support it can get.
The National Library of Ireland online catalogue is a brilliant creation!
The area I really like is the digitised glass plate images from their early photographic collections.
Once you’re on the site the first thing you’re likely to do is search against place names. We live in Ballydehob and my father comes from Glandore, my mother Graiguenamanagh, and it’s great to be able to see what these places looked like 100 years ago or so.
No need to write too much about it, better just go there and check it out for yourselves.
According to the Irish Central Statistics Office the net influx of Irish Nationals coming back to Ireland between 2006 and 2009 was just over 13,000…
Immigration and Emigration : Irish Nationals : 2006 – 2009
2006
2007
2008
2009
TOTAL
Immigration
18,900
20,000
16,200
18,400
73,500
Emigration
15,300
13,100
13,400
18,400
60,200
Looking to the future, the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute) predicts that 120,000 Irish Nationals will leave during 2010 and 2011, and possibly upwards of 200,000 by 2015.
“The Third Wave”
Albeit smaller than in previous eras many of the reasons are similar. A contracted economy, limited job prospects, but with government suggestions that emigration this time is different (see video) and that exporting our talent isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some however would have a different perspective, e.g, Martina Devlin, The Independent.
Whatever your views about emigration the effect on ordinary families is largely the same, and the direction that peoples lives take is still open to the same influences as in the past.
THE NATURAL COURSE OF THINGS
For most the plan will be to spend a year or so away from home, gain some experience, and consider their options when things start to pick up. That’s the intention to start with, but things change. A different career path offers itself, opportunities arise, or a new girlfriend or boyfriend appears on the scene, and gradually those original plans drift to the background.
The same cycle that existed for previous generations will repeat itself – newly dispersed families. Many that leave will settle and bring their culture and heritage with them, they will pass those values on, and their new families will become part of the melting pot of diverse accents that is the Irish diaspora.
AND THE POINT?
As Gabriel Byrne recently put it…
“Ireland forgets about the seeds that have gone away, but the seeds that have gone away have never forgotten about Ireland”
So what can we do to change that, how can we change the way of thinking so that Ireland doesn’t forget?
When you join diaspora.ie you also get your own personal Certificate of Irish Heritage.
The Irish government recently announced that a privately owned company will be launching a Certificate of Irish Heritage. You have to prove eligibility however and some may find it difficult to locate old records, or object to the cost, so we thought we’d introduce our own and provide a choice!
It’s easy, immediate, and free – and when you join you can download your certificate here.
Update 2011: The Fexco website for the official Irish heritage certificate is also now live at heritagecertificate.ie. The certificate costs between €40.00 and €60.00 excluding delivery and VAT where applicable. It is available in different designs and a frame can be ordered as an option.
When you apply you will need to provide a formal ID; a copy of your driving licence, Social Security Card, or National Identity Document. You can also provide the name of one or two of your ancestors to appear on the certificate, as well as their year and county of birth if known.
When applying you may consent to be contacted with information about topics, goods and services relating to Ireland which the Minister for Foreign Affairs feels may be of interest to you. Such information will be provided via the Concessionaire in partnership with other Government bodies such as Culture Ireland or the Central Statistics Office etc, or State sponsored bodies such as Tourism Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, the National Treasury Management Agency etc.
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.
So, if you’re reading this and have involvement, contacts, or influence with any state agencies, or know of any avenues that Sandy can pursue to move the funding forward, she’d really appreciate it if you got in touch with her. The project has recently received a commitment from Tourism Ireland so the seeds are sown, it now needs to come to fruition.
sending...
