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It is late September at the end of the tourism season. Most of the tourists have gone home. Yet in Lisdoonvarna there is not a hotel room to be had, nor a car parking space in the whole of the narrow streets. The rain is sheeting down. There is so much music coming from every doorway that it seems to create a solid wall of noise, country and Irish noise mostly.

This is the third and busiest weekend of the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival. The international curiosity towards this idiosyncratic and very Irish festival grows with every passing year. TLC are making a documentary, Channel 4’s Pixie McKenna from Embarrassing Bodies was there on Saturday. There is a French film crew staying the weekend.

Presiding over it all is the bearded sage of matchmakers Willie Daly. He holds court in the snug of the Matchmaker pub in Lisdoonvarna. People come to shake his hand, get their picture taken and touch the dog-eared matchmaking book, with pens prodding out of the pages, which has been in his family for more than 100 years. The story goes that if you are single and put your two hands on the book, you will be married in six months. It is much in demand.

Those looking for love fill out an application form. Willie scribbles notes on them in red. One encircled reads “lovely girl”.

The odds are in her favour. The ratio of men to women is about two to one. They trust in Willie. “Hopefully, at the end of the day they’ll get a little wife to help out around the house,” he says.

The British are all about “dancing not romancing”, he believes, the Americans are all about “romancing” and the Irish visitors come for “dancing, romancing and drinking”. There is plenty of drinking. Every pub is full.

Florrie O’Sullivan from Castletownbere, Co Cork, has been coming to the festival since 1974. The 41 years in between has not dimmed his quest for love. “I’ve met a lot of women here in my time. I met one last year but we were too far apart. She lived in Roscommon and I’m in Cork. That’s just the way it goes.”

Janet McAtee from Kansas City is on a family vacation with her sister, brother and father. “I heard about Willie. I’m looking for love,” she said.

She has two grown up daughters and four grandchildren. She wants a man who “loves family, with a good heart who is honest and loyal.”

Some are looking for first love, others for a second chance. A lot are just curious.Juliana Weiss (21) from New York came down from NUI Galway, where she is studying, to see what all the fuss is about. “There’s absolutely nothing like this in the United States. Of course I had to come.” She’s not looking to settle down just yet. She laughs: “My grandparents would be thrilled, but no.”

The conviviality and atmosphere of it all is an old-fashioned comfort in comparison with online dating. “The internet has ruined dating,” said one woman who didn’t want to give her name, “it’s all about sex”.

The next weekend will be the last for straight people. The first weekend of October will be the annual “Outing” festival for gay people which will have a particular significance given the passage of the marriage equality referendum earlier this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Ireland and the US from September 23-29.

In posts on Facebook, Modi said he will be going to Ireland on September 23 – in the first visit by an Indian prime minister in almost 60 years – and hold talks with Taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny.

“We hope to further develop strong people-to-people and economic ties with Ireland in the years to come. In Ireland, I will also interact with the Indian community,” he wrote.

On September 24, Modi will travel to the US. In New York City, Modi will address the UN Sustainable Development Summit for formal adoption of post-2015 new sustainable development agenda. “Coming from a culture that regards harmony as central to its ethos, I am glad to have an opportunity to address this forum. The new goals are closely aligned with India’s vision for sustainable development and our flagship programmes for the same.”

Revealing he will also participate in a summit hosted by President Obama on peacekeeping, he noted that India has been one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping forces, with over 180,000 troops – more than from any other country.

“We are proud of our peacekeeping forces spread across the world, ensuring peace in difficult circumstances. I will pay homage to all those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for peace. And I look forward to sharing my thoughts on how to make peacekeeping more effective,” he wrote.

Modi also said that India will host a summit of G-4 leaders in New York where the main agenda would be the UNSC reforms and the UN’s 70th anniversary “is an appropriate moment for reform discussions to be accelerated” as the General Assembly has finally adopted a document that would form the basis of formal discussions on this matter.

He said he will be meeting several world leaders and also hold interactions with leading investors and financial sector firms, including a working dinner where major Fortune-500 companies will be present to deliberate on investment opportunities in India. “We have been interacting with several American business leaders over the last year and the outcomes have been encouraging,” he said.

He also said that he will be visiting the West Coast on September 26-27 and participate in several programmes. “It would be after a gap of almost 33 years that an Indian PM would be visiting the west coast – the home of start-ups, innovation and technology.”

Modi said he will also be part of a Townhall Q&A at the Facebook HQ along with Mark Zuckerberg, and this was an event “you shouldn’t miss”.

“I have already invited you all to share your questions through Facebook or the ‘Narendra Modi Mobile App.’ I will also see some recent technological innovations at the Google (Alphabet) campus and Tesla Motors. I will address a Renewable Energy Roundtable with USDOC and Stanford University.”

He said he is also enthusiastic about the ‘India-US Start-up Konnect’. “India is emerging as a hub of start-ups in a wide range of areas and we aspire to take this further. We want the world to see our innovation capabilities in the start-up sector. At this event, a group of Indian start-ups will showcase their innovations and forge partnerships with the vibrant American start-up industry. ”

In San Jose, he will interact with the Indian community on September 27. “The Indian diaspora has left no stone unturned in strengthening India-USA ties. We are very proud of the accomplishments of our diaspora that has made immense contributions to both our societies,” he said, adding hope his US visit will be fruitful and further deepen bilateral bonds.

Primark opened its first U.S. store this week at Downtown Crossing in Boston. The first Primark store (known as Penneys in Ireland) opened in Dublin in 1969. Primark operates 292 stores and employs over 62,000 people in ten countries: Ireland, Spain, The Netherlands, Portugal, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the UK and the US.
Primark’s Downtown Crossing store spans four floors across 77,000 square foot of selling space. It comprises 73 cash registers, 84 fitting rooms and 530 mannequins. There is free wifi throughout the store and ‘recharge’ areas where customers can relax and recharge their phones. The men’s recharge area features a large screen showing ESPN to ensure sports fans don’t miss any action whilst shopping!

Jose Luis Martinez de Larramendi, Primark US president, told the Globe earlier this year, “we wanted to be in a cosmopolitan environment and Boston is a cosmopolitan and international city.”  George Weston, CEO of Primark’s parent company Associated British Food, also said that Boston is an ideal place for Primark due to the city’s large Irish population (we’re the most Irish city in America, thanks), and the array of college kids in the area.

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).

Primark – the Irish retailer – will be opening its first US store in Downtown Crossing this Fall and is hiring.  The company is conducting job fairs at the Omni Parker House today July 9th and Tuesday July 14th

More info can be found here: Boston Calendar

and here: Primark Holding Job Fair

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/