After many false starts, the Jeanie Johnston famine ship replica is on its way to the United States. If there is a symbol of the trials and tribulations of getting the Irish replica famine ship Jeanie Johnston to sea on its homage to history, Tom Kindre is the poster boy. When Tom McCarthy, the captain of the ship, quizzed him on crewing across the Atlantic, the member of the … [Read more...] about Jeanie Sets Sail for New World
Immigration
EU Search for Death Smugglers
Police across Europe are trying to find the gang who transported eight asylum seekers to their death in Ireland. The dead, who included three children, were found in Wexford on December 14, when a truck driver opened the sealed steel container of his lorry. Five others, suffering pulmonary and kidney problems caused by low oxygen levels, hypothermia and dehydration, were … [Read more...] about EU Search for Death Smugglers
The Story of the Irish Diaspora Wherever Green Is Worn
The Irish Diaspora is the outworking of two forms of colonialism, those of Mother England and Mother Church. I have been interested since boyhood in what was then known not as the Diaspora, but as emigration. Like nearly every other Irish person of my generation, some of my closest relatives were forced into unwilling emigration. I have always lived near Dun Laoghaire, where … [Read more...] about The Story of the Irish Diaspora Wherever Green Is Worn
Ellis Island in Cyber Space
In April of 2001 Ellis Island opened its doors to more people than ever before with the launching of their web site, www.ellisislandrecords.com. The site contains essentially all the immigration records the famous gateway to America has stored. Compiling such an enormous amount of information seemed as vast and daunting as the ocean the immigrants crossed, but with sortie … [Read more...] about Ellis Island in Cyber Space
Facts and Figures
Under the direct provision system being operated under the auspices of the Department of Justice by the Directorate of Asylum Seekers Services (DASS), a total of £15m was paid out in providing full-board accommodation for asylum seekers. This £15m was paid to the owners of 65 properties around the country who house asylum seekers. A further £15m was paid out by the … [Read more...] about Facts and Figures