Travelling to London and Manchester as guest of
the Mayo Associations I was glad to meet so many of our
emigrants who continue to do so much for both countries,
and to speak about the 'Safe-Home' Initiative.
Most of our emigrants have done very well for
themselves and are an integral part of the host country.
If they wished to return they would not lack the
resources or the ability to return. Yet there are other
elderly emigrants, albeit in a minority, who would dearly
like to return finally to their native country, but who
may lack the resources to do so. We know this from our
own research and also from various groups who work with
the Irish in Britain. Many of our Emigrants are living in
dreadful conditions in the bigger urban centres. The
Birmingham Irish Community Report spells out the stark
reality of life for many of those of Irish birth. It must
be recognised however that in particular, the British
based Irish Community Groups, and the Catholic Church are
already doing great work all over Britain for our
emigrants. Much work still needs to be done. The
'Safe-Home' Initiative is attempting to address just one
aspect of the need, namely helping those return to
Ireland who wish to do so, and who lack the resources and
know how to see it through.
A strong mandate to
proceed
Already there has been very strong and practical
support for the 'Safe-Home' Initiative. This support has
come from many Irish Community Groups in Britain such as
the Mayo London Association, The Manchester Mayo
Association, Irish Community Care in Manchester,
Councillor John Commons (Manchester), Fr. Gerry French of
the Irish Chaplaincy, Fr. Gerry Kivlehan of the London
Irish Centre Welfare Services and many other individuals
at home and abroad.
At the World Mayo Association in Manchester,
Dublin/Mayo Association Chairman Mr. Paddy Moran clearly
described how our emigrants lived and worked over the
years. He spoke about bringing Mayo emigrants back on a
fact-finding visit for the Millennium. Dr. Seamus
Caulfield outlined in practical terms and quantified our
'second' national debt, which is due to our emigrants in
justice. The 'Emigrant's Remittances' are testimony to
the sacrifices made so selflessly by our emigrants to
sustain our Irish economy over the years. As Dr.
Caulfield points out, now that things are better in
Ireland it is time to repay that debt, not in charity,
but in justice.
St Brendan's Village
Project, Mulranny
I outlined on a practical level how the Mulranny St.
Brendan's Village Project had helped Mayo emigrants to
return to our area, and I expressed the wish that the
work be replicated on a nationwide basis through the
creation of a network between both countries. I outlined
also my connection with the Irish Council for Social
Housing which is a voluntary body assisting communities
who wish to provide social housing in Ireland. I am a
Director and a Western Representative of this group. I
saw this nationwide group as being a useful mechanism for
the re-integration of those emigrants who have a wish to
return, back to the area from whence they came. There was
great interest in the Mulranny Project as it facilitated
the community re-integration of all those emigrants who
had returned, and overcame the psychological trauma of
returning to an Ireland which had not stayed still in
time.
The World Mayo Association fully endorsed the
'Safe-Home' Programme.
Since then there has been a great response from both
sides of the Irish Sea to the 'Safe-Home' initiative.
There have been very many enquiries from the Irish
Community in Britain, from intending repatriates, which
are daily adding to the database.