Author: Ruth Swift

The Irish government has announced two significant staffing changes at its consulate in Boston.
Consul General Breandán Ó Caollaí will leave his post this month to return to Dublin to become a counsellor to the corporate services division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFA). Ó Caollaí has served in Boston since August 2013, and was expected to remain in the post for two
more years.

The promotion places the popular Irish diplomat in a position with responsibility on issues including security. The move comes just after it was announced that vice consul Jillian O’Keeffe is leaving for a new assignment, also in Dublin. The names of their replacements for the Boston consulate have not yet been announced.

INB will be hosting a joint farewell event on August 19th, all Irish Network Members and friends welcome click here for more info!

In related diplomatic news, former Boston Consul General Michael Lonergan has been promoted to a new position at Ireland’s embassy in Washington. He has been named deputy chief of mission, and will begin the new assignment by the end of August.

The home of beloved author Enid Blyton has been placed on the market in Buckinghamshire, England. Her books were among the most popular of children’s books in Ireland.

The author, who was internationally recognised for her Noddy, Famous Five and Secret Seven novels, lived in the idyllic thatched cottage from 1929 until 1938. The 17th century cottage where Blyton was said to have written many of her books is set on more than 1.5 acres of land and has four large bedrooms, three large reception rooms and two bathrooms.

The home’s current owners Jacky and David Hawthorne believe the cottage offers potential buyers a piece of history. The couple have extensively renovated the cottage’s gardens and structure throughout the two decades in which they have lived there.

Blyton, who died in 1968, lived in the cottage with her first husband Hugh Alexander Pollock and their children Gillian and Imogen. The authors books have sold more than 600m copies internationally and some of Blyton’s best loved characters including Brer Rabbit are said to have been born in the thatched home. The author once described the home as “perfect both outside and in…just like a fairy tale house and three minutes from the river.”

The Buckinghamshire home is on the market for £1.85m ($2.8m).

Clerys department store on O’Connell Street in Dublin shut its doors abruptly after the business was sold to Natrium Ltd by Gordon Brothers in Boston for an undisclosed price.

The Dublin store was a landmark since it opened it’s doors in 1924. Many Dubliners met friends under the famous Clerys Clock outside the main door, it was a connecting point in the city.

There is much upset over the sudden closing and many are looking for answers. There was estimated to be a loss of 456 jobs.

 

 

 

The Irish Pastoral Center and the Irish International Immigrant Center is holding a Mass of Remembrance for the Irish students who lost their lives when a balcony collapsed during a party last week in Berkeley, California.

The service will be held at 7 p.m. Monday June 22, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, followed by a reception where social workers will be available. A book of condolence will be available to sign before the Mass, but those unable to attend may also sign it at the Irish Consulate in Boston.

Our condolences and prayers are with the families of the young people who lost their lives and the survivors of the awful tragedy in Berkeley at this very difficult time.

Continuing a tradition of strong advocacy on behalf of the Irish Diaspora, Irish Network Boston (IN Boston) will participate in a 2-day forum in Dublin, Ireland.  Some 200 delegates from 17 countries across the globe will descend upon Dublin Castle to attend the Global Irish Civic Forum on Wednesday June 3^rd and Thursday June 4^th.  IN Boston will be represented by the organization’s President, Attorney Sean P. Moynihan.

“We are thrilled to be participating in the Global Irish Civic Forum.  Our key charge is to leverage existing and foster new economic, cultural, educational, art and sporting links between Ireland and the greater Boston area.  I look forward to sharing thoughts, ideas and strategies with fellow delegates from all over the world on behalf of the Irish diaspora”, commented Moynihan.

In partnership with the Consulate General of Ireland Boston, IN Boston was established to 2010 as a mechanism to galvanize the diaspora and celebrate what is means to be Irish in America.  A key goal of the organization is to ensure that the long standing and strong links between Boston and Ireland continue to thrive and prosper.   IN Boston has a diverse membership comprised of Irish ex-pats, Irish Americans, and friends of Ireland.  Accordingly, the organization is a natural fit for participation in the forum.

‘From a global view – we are one’

“I am delighted that IN-Boston will be represented at the Global Irish Civic Forum given the important strong economic, cultural and family connections between the city, Massachusetts and Ireland.  Other groups representing the Irish immigrant advice centres and community organisations in Massachusetts will also add to the richness of the debate,” commented Consul General of Ireland Boston Breandán Ó Caollaí.

IN Boston is a member of a parent organization Irish Network USA (IN USA) which includes 19 additional city chapters throughout the United States.  IN USA President Steve Lenox will also be attending the forum.

“Irish Network USA continues to seek new ways to engage the Irish Diaspora across the United States through business, culture, education and sport,” stated Steve Lenox. “We look forward to not only sharing what has worked for us, but more importantly learning from, and developing meaningful relationships with, other organizations with similar goals from around the globe.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan TD and Minister for Diaspora Affairs Jimmy Deenihan TD.

 

The concept for the 2-day forum is set out in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs’ “Global Irish – Irish Diaspora Policy” https://www.dfa.ie/media/globalirish/global-irish-irelands-diaspora-policy.pdf and is being coordinated and sponsored by the Clinton Institute for American Studies at University College Dublin (UCD).  On behalf of the Irish government, the policy is being spearheaded by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan TD and Minister for Diaspora Affairs Jimmy Deenihan TD, both of whom will participate and formally address the forum delegates.  The Department describes the forum as “an opportunity for organisations supporting the Irish diaspora abroad to come to Dublin to discuss their work with these communities. It is anticipated the Forum will discuss issues such as new Irish emigrants, Irish identity and heritage, reaching out to Irish citizens abroad and assisting emigrants to return to Ireland.”

“The fact of the matter is that with each generation we see fewer and fewer Irish immigrants to the United States.  In addition, there are those who are here and, voluntarily or otherwise, choose to return home.  Consequently, I believe the Diaspora policy, and this Forum as a manifestation of it, is critical as a means by which to effectuate our responsibility and desire to support not only our present immigrant population but also those emigrants who are returning to Ireland.  From a global view, we are one,” added Moynihan.

Additionally, according to the Irish government, “Global Irish defines the Government’s role to both drive and foster diaspora engagement in a way that:

• Supports: those who have left Ireland and need or want support;
• Connects: in an inclusive way with those, of all ages, around the world who are Irish, of Irish descent or have a tangible connection to Ireland, and wish to maintain a connection with Ireland and with each other;
• Facilitates: a wide range of activity at local, national and international level designed to build on and develop two-way diaspora engagement;
• Recognises: the wide variety of people who make up our diaspora and the important ongoing contribution that they have made, both individually and collectively, in shaping our development and our identity;
• Evolves: to meet changing needs in changing times.”

Moynihan and Lenox also look forward to identifying key issues which can be addressed at the annual IN USA conference to be held in November of this year.  Boston will play host to the conference which will bring together IN members from across the country on behalf of the Irish Diaspora.

Those interested can follow the action from the Forum on Twitter at: @GlobalIrish @dfatirl and #diaspora15.

 

More information about the Forum and the Diaspora policy can be found here:

https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/our-work/casestudiesarchive/2015/may/global-irish-civic-forum/

http://www.ucdclinton.ie/Global-Irish-Civic-Forum-Diaspora

https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/our-work/casestudiesarchive/2015/march/global-irish-irelands-diaspora-policy-launched/

Ireland has made headlines on major media organisations around the world – both print and digital – as a result of the historic ‘Yes’ vote in the same-sex marriage referendum.

Ireland has become the 20th world nation to legalise gay marriage – but it is the first country in the world to hold a popular vote on the issue. Figures from the referendum announced at Dublin Castle showed that 62.1 per cent of Irish voters said “yes.” Outside, watching the results announcement live in the castle’s cobblestoned courtyard, thousands of gay rights activists cheered, hugged and cried. Add a strong global stereotypical view of Ireland as “a religious and strongly Catholic country” and you have a rattling good story worth the travelling expenses.

Radio France International did not spare the intrigue. “The vote comes 22 years after homosexuality was decriminalised, in a country where Catholic Church influence, even if declining, remains strong,” their reporter, Sébastien Duval, said.

The reporter for ‘The New York Times’ was no less intrigued: “The country overall remains socially conservative, and some still see homosexuality as a sin – or something to mock. Yet Prime Minister Enda Kenny, a churchgoer, supports the amendments.”

“We’re the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in our constitution and do so by popular mandate,” Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s health minister who revealed he was gay during the campaign, told state broadcaster RTE. “That makes us a beacon, a light to the rest of the world of liberty and equality. It’s a very proud day to be Irish.”

Around the world, 18 countries have approved gay marriage nationwide, the majority of them in Europe. Others, such as the United States and Mexico, have approved it in certain regions. In the United States, 37 states have approved gay marriage and the Supreme Court is currently weighing the issue.

“This is a joyous day for Ireland and for LGBT people and our allies everywhere,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, a U.S.-based gay-advocacy group, said in a statement. “We are thankful for the leadership of the Irish people, and we hope that many countries, including the United States, follow suit by extending marriage to all their citizens.”

 

 

Rory McIlroy won the Wells Fargo Championship by seven strokes, setting a new tournament record score of 267.
The Northern Irish world number one, 26, finished on 21 under par with a final round 69 in North Carolina to earn his second win at Quail Hollow.

America’s Patrick Rodgers and Webb Simpson tied for second on 14 under.

“Everything is firing on all cylinders for me,” said McIlroy. “I’m a more controlled player these days. I’ve learned how to finish things off.”May 28-31, sees the upcoming Irish Open golf championship at Royal County Down.

McIlroy’s win was also a repeat in that the now 26-year-old’s first PGA victory was in the same tournament at the same venue in 2010.

The Irish Open is to be played at the fabled Royal County Down course and so will be as near a home game for McIlroy as his possible.

There will be an array of players who will include Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, and Ernie Els, who has four golf Majors to match Rory’s total to date. Also in the field will be the other members of the Irish Majors club, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington, a winner once again on the PGA tour this year.

Others making tracks for the first tee at Royal County Down include defending champion Mikko Ilonen of Finland, and former world number one, Lee Westwood.

More at www.irishopen.ie.