We are indebted to our emigrants
I was in Ireland shortly after the programme was shown in late December and encountered a mixture of feelings about the plight of those who had emigrated in difficult times.
Many of the people I met were deeply shocked at the images portrayed on the programme. These contrasted with their own experiences of family members who had done well in England. They felt bad that they had never considered emigration a great hardship and a few admitted they thought those who left Ireland invariably had life easy.
Most of people I spoke to were adamant that Ireland had a duty to support these vulnerable individuals who had in their time contributed to the economy of the family and the state.
However, not all were so well-disposed to the Irish Government supporting the vulnerable members of the Irish community in Britain. This perhaps reflected the life stories which were presented on Prime Time and a concern (rightly or wrongly) that their hard-earned money would be spent on those perceived as ‘undeserving’.
I found it hard to stomach these views, but as the chair of an Irish umbrella organisation in Britain I could begin to see where they originated.
The men interviewed in the programme were representative of a section of Irish society in Britain and comprise a considerable proportion of the work of Irish agencies in Britain. However they represent only a section of the Irish in Britain.
Irish community organisations are confronted on a daily basis with people who have less extreme needs, but who nonetheless live in poverty, poor housing with limiting long-term illness or disability.
Irish organisations which are still largely funded by the Irish Government provide a range of services which help and support people and link them into the statutory services they pay for through taxation in Britain.
This empowerment enables people to live dignified and relatively independent lives and to enjoy a better quality of life in illness or in their twilight years.
Although our organisations in Britain deal with very vulnerable people such as those portrayed on Prime Time, the programme did not do justice to the majority of people who do well or to those who need an occasional helping hand in times of adversity.
Many of our Irish organisations are examples of good practice in empowering and advocating on behalf of Irish people and have a good track record in achieving positive results.
It is true that the Irish voluntary sector in Britain is unable to meet the demands placed on it by the Irish community.
Funding from the Dion Committee and Reconciliation Fund have enhanced the capacity of the Irish voluntary sector, but much more is needed.
The recent additional funding allocated to the Federation of Irish Societies has enabled us to expedite our existing plans for capacity building. This funding aims to lay sound foundations for groups that do not have the infrastructure to absorb significant resources and to use them more effectively to access statutory sources of funding in Britain.
These funds are not, and were never, intended as an alternative to the task force recommendations, but rather to help prepare the ground for their implementation.
The Federation of Irish Societies recognises the concern among the community in Britain and the consequent need for Dublin to show a firm commitment by setting a timescale for the task force now.
We recognise the concerns of those who question the value of investing in the Irish community in Britain, but assure the taxpayers of Ireland that disbursements from the Irish Government will be used wisely, as were the emigrant remittances in the opposite direction over the years. They will not only help those who have fallen on hard times but will give others a hand up rather than a handout.
They will be used to encourage our vibrant second and third generation Irish communities to maintain our rich and distinctive culture. In particular, monies will be used to ensure that we are able to claim our rights as citizens in Britain and to live as dignified a life as our brothers and sisters do in Ireland.
Dr Mary Tilki,
Chair,
Federation of Irish Societies,
52, Camden Square,
London, NW1 9XB.
