Irish America Can Find New Role For New Times

Kudos to AOH32 brother Jim Lamb for his article (read below) which recently appeared in the July 18-24 issue of the Irish Echo.

Devolution and the installation of a joint local authority in Northern Ireland, important victories for the island of Ireland, have left many committed Irish Americans wondering what to do next.

Is there a role for Irish America in a peaceful and prosperous ancestral land? Will Ireland thrive regardless of Irish American interest and involvement? And in the global context, can Ireland’s success story of peace and prosperity bring hope to other places mired in conflict and poverty?

For decades, Irish America has been a contributor, a shelter, an employer, a champion for Ireland. America was the land of opportunity. And Ireland survived, thanks in part to the support of her emigrants and subsequent generations of Irish American diaspora.

The hardships that mark Ireland’s history resulted in wave after wave of new Irish immigrants to the United States, further strengthening the link between Ireland and America.

Recent prosperity in Ireland has reversed the direction of immigration. Thousands of Irish have returned to terrific career opportunities there. Ireland’s economic emergence has attracted workers from around the world. The U.S. Department of State reports that, since 2004, the Irish economy has created 270,000 new jobs. Over 200,000 foreign workers, primarily Polish, have moved to Ireland in the past three years.

Other Eastern Europeans continue to pour in to Ireland, not to mention African refugees, Brazilian tradesmen, Chinese students, South Asian entrepreneurs, and yes, even British laborers are taking jobs the wealthy Irish will not perform.

The economy of Ireland is one of the strongest in the world, achieving average annual growth of seven percent over the past ten years according to government reports. In spite of the rising cost of living, and traffic gridlock around Dublin, U.S. companies in knowledge-based economy industries continue to invest and expand there. Lower corporate taxes and plenty of talented workers make this an easy decision. For new investors, Ireland’s ever improving infrastructure and all-island approach to development facilitate profitable opportunities in Cork, Belfast, Limerick, Derry, Galway, and smaller towns beyond the Pale.

The newfound wealth in Ireland is also creating a new dynamic. Irish investors are now seeking opportunities in the U.S. But Ireland still has important social, economic, and cultural challenges. Some are familiar. Others are new.

While peace has taken hold in the North, constructive dialogue among and within the communities remains a work in progress. Commitments to a political solution have led nationalists and unionists to share common ground, but true reconciliation may take another generation.

In addition, the most disadvantaged, economically distressed areas continue to breed ignorance, hatred and despair. A report from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on low-income households in 2002, showed that Belfast’s inner city accounted for 18 percent of the North’s population yet it contained over 30 percent of Northern Ireland’s poorest households. Likewise, the Southern and Western Border areas had 20 percent of the population, but 36 percent of the low-income households. In these communities, where criminal gangs still offer false promises to vulnerable young people, much work remains.

Peace and prosperity in Ireland have transformed the island in countless positive ways. But the growing pains accompanying change present new problems.

Immigration to Ireland has challenged the governments to deal with ethnic and cultural diversity, foreign languages, social exclusion, swollen welfare roles, anti-immigrant sentiment, hate crimes, and deportation. A 2004 poll indicated that 60 percent of Irish voters felt immigrants to Ireland were hurting the country to some degree, in spite of foreign laborers’ contributions to the Celtic Tiger mentioned above.

Another important concern is Ireland’s general physical health. Sedentary lifestyles, poor diets and excessive consumption of affordable drugs, tobacco, and alcohol have led to dramatic increases in obesity, type-II diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

I believe Irish America has an important role to play in all these matters. And I am happy to report that many Irish American initiatives are under way to meet these challenges.

Through a network of leading Irish Americans and organizations in Ireland, the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh continues to reach out to young people in Northern Ireland’s most depressed communities to provide vocational training, and personal and professional development. We also will facilitate another U.S. business delegation in 2008 to explore transatlantic trade and investment opportunities between Ireland and Pittsburgh.

We intend to spur discussions between Pittsburgh area leaders and their Irish counterparts, North and South, to discuss urgent and priority issues in education, social development, and health, to exchange ideas and create mutually beneficial solutions.

We will apply our knowledge and experience, working for peace and reconciliation to other regions in conflict. Divided communities in Cyprus, South Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and elsewhere provide unlimited opportunities to test an important hypothesis: That our models for peace, reconciliation, and prosperity are transferable.

Irish America should continue to celebrate the achievement of peace in Northern Ireland. Let’s now focus on and facilitate reconciliation. Let’s view Ireland as a partner with its own significant resources and skills.

In partnership we can help each other solve the social ills that accompany advanced economies. Let’s continue to remind Ireland and ourselves of the profound contributions we’ve made to each other and to the international community. And let us work together as developed nations to bring peace, justice, reconciliation, and prosperity to every corner of the world.

James J. Lamb is president of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, a non-profit organization promoting peace and reconciliation and economic development.