The Irish government released
their first diaspora policy document last week.
Global Irish: Irish Diaspora Policy reads for almost sixty pages and
outlines a number of aims and objectives under five broad thematic areas:
support, connect, facilitate, recognize, and evolve. I've read through the
document and offer observations on how using genealogy in the U.S. to help
Irish Americans find their ancestors' place of origin can contribute to some of
these areas.
Connect
Connect: 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
To put it simply, it's as if
genealogy and this statement should go hand in hand. Probably the greatest way
that this connection can happen for many such people in the U.S is through
discovering where their ancestors came from in Ireland. For me, this involves a
two-strand approach. Recent Irish government policy has fully recognized one
strand and has made strides in the last few years to make it happen: digitizing
genealogy records and putting them online. This was first seen with the phenomenal
success of the 1901 and 1911 Irish census. Further efforts have included the
irishgenealogy.ie website and the digitization of Catholic parish records,
coming online later this year. However, probably through a lack of understanding,
they don't realized the second, and equally important strand: helping people in
the U.S.to find where their Irish ancestors came from by finding that
information in U.S. based genealogy records. If Irish Americans don't
first achieve this, then all the searching in the world through Irish records
will not help in the majority of circumstances. I discuss how this can be
achieved at the end of this post.
One effort that has not been successful is the Certificate of Irish Heritage. The diaspora policy
says as much, "uptake of the Certificates has been disappointing, with
fewer than 3,000 having been produced to date. We will continue to work with
FEXCO to promote the scheme around the world to drive interest. Before the end
of 2015, we will undertake an evaluation of the operation of the Certificate of
Irish Heritage scheme, in partnership with FEXCO, to plan effectively for the
future."
While it might look nice on a wall, I would wager a sizeable amount that
members of the Irish diaspora in the U.S. would much rather have a genealogy
record that tells them what parish their immigrant Irish ancestor came from.
Facilitate
Facilitate: a
wide range of activity at local, national and international level designed to
build on and develop two-way diaspora engagement
Within Ireland, successful
genealogy events such as those organized during the 2013 Gathering (e.g.
Relatives of Ned Kelly gather in Tipperary, May 2013) and by the Ireland Reaching Out
organization show the positive impact on local communities when people are able
to find where their ancestors are from in Ireland. This benefits all involved:
the diaspora member through a closer connection to the part of Ireland their
ancestor emigrated from, the local community and its inhabitants through increased
visits to the area, and the county as a whole through genealogy-driven tourism.
Recognize
Recognize:
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
Without trying to get up on too
much of a high horse, a moral argument can be made for helping the diaspora to
find out where their ancestors came from due to the sheer economic return they
have provided to Ireland. From the remittances in the 19th and 20th centuries through
to the millions of tourist visits to Ireland, the economic capital that has
returned to Ireland is in the billions.
A much more down-to-earth
economic argument can be made too. Irish Americans who have ideas and capital
to invest in Ireland are probably more likely to do so if they know where their
ancestors are from. From the report: "Henry Ford’s father, William Ford,
was born in Ballinascarthy, West Cork, in 1826 and emigrated, initially to
Canada and then to the United States. On a trip to Ireland in 1912, Henry Ford
visited the area to reconnect with his roots. In 1917, Henry Ford established a
factory manufacturing tractors in Cork. This was to become the first Ford plant
in Europe, which at its peak employed 1,800 people. The plant, which ceased
production in 1984, had an enormous impact on the life of Cork city and county
both economically and socially."
Chuck Feeney, too,
springs to mind. A descendant of a Fermanagh emigrant who ended up in New
Jersey, he has donated over $1 billion to universities in Ireland, of which a
large portion went to my alma mater, University of Limerick.
Funding
Where can the money come from to provide funding
for such genealogy efforts in the U.S? Luckily, there is money earmarked for
such ventures, it just needs to end up with the right organizations. The Irish government's
Department of Foreign Affairs administers funding each year through the
Emigrant Support Programme (ESP). Almost $13 million will be allocated in 2015
and any organization who thinks they qualify can apply.
Table 1:
2013-2015 Emigrant Support Programme Funding
|
Year
|
Total
Funding
|
Allocation to U.S. organizations
|
2015
|
|
Money not yet allocated
|
2014
|
|
Figures not yet published
|
2013
|
|
|
The main focus of the ESP is the
welfare of Irish emigrants abroad and the majority of funding goes to a broad
coalition of emigrant support organizations. However, a sizable portion is also
allocated to organizations that focus on Irish culture and heritage The following funding was provided to cultural
and heritage organizations in the U.S. in 2013, the year for which the most
recent figures are available.
Table 2:
U.S. Cultural/Heritage Organizations Who Received Funding in 2013
|
Organization
|
Location
|
Amount Received
|
American Irish Historical Society
|
New York, NY
|
€55,535
|
Glucksman Ireland House, New York University
|
New York, NY
|
€24,421
|
Hudson Valley Irish Festival
|
Peekskill, NY
|
€6,800
|
Irish American Heritage Museum
|
Albany, NY
|
€7,347
|
Irish Cultural Center of New England
|
Canton, MA
|
€82,863
|
Mission of our Lady of the Holy Rosary
Heritage Project at Watson House
|
New York, NY
|
€18,737
|
Society of Commodore John Barry
|
Philadelphia, PA
|
€6,759
|
The University of Montana
|
Missoula, MT
|
€28,852
|
TOTAL
|
€231,314
|
Very few of these organizations
engage in genealogy activity, but two excellent examples stand out. The Irish
American Heritage Museum has a
resident genealogist who is available to assist people with their research.
The Mission of our Lady of the Holy Rosary Heritage Project in New York City
digitized ledgers that are very useful for Irish genealogy research in 1880-1920
New York City and made them freely available online (
see my blog post from this time last year). Between them, they received just
11.3% of the funding.
One can think of many exciting
Irish genealogy projects and organizations here in the U.S. that could put such
funding to fantastic use: the Troy Irish Genealogy Society's database creation
efforts, the Irish Family History Forum's parish register indexing efforts,
grants to Irish genealogy groups for subscriptions to commercial genealogy
websites, grants to Irish cultural centers for genealogy programs and
consultation, etc., etc., etc.
Conclusion
There needs to be a greater effort by those in
charge of diaspora policy to make the ESP better know to genealogy
organizations and those very organizations also have to take it on themselves
to apply for funding. Ultimately, such efforts would help Irish Americans to
find where their ancestors came from in Ireland and add to three of the
thematic areas of focus in the policy document - connect, facilitate,
recognize.
Overall the document strikes
quite a positive tone for those who make up part of the diaspora due to
ancestors who emigrated for Ireland, stating that "for many, the linkages
to Ireland are a significant element of their personal identity, regardless of
how many generations of their family have lived outside Ireland."
The proof, of course, is always in the actions that come following the issuance
of such a policy document. I believe that the points mentioned above show the
vital role that genealogy can play in achieving the goals of the Irish
government's diaspora policy.
Department of Foreign Affairs.
Global
Irish: Irish Diaspora Policy. 2015. p.4
Department of Foreign Affairs.
Global
Irish: Irish Diaspora Policy. 2015. p. 26.
Department of Foreign Affairs.
Global
Irish: Irish Diaspora Policy. 2015. p. 11.
