WHAT? The acronym SIA is a Gaelic word meaning ‘longer’ or ‘farther’. The objective of the campaign has been to make us aware of our responsibility as individuals and as a nation to our Irish people abroad especially those who have fallen on hard times. WHY? We owe our emigrants a debt. Not of charity but of justice. When Ireland could not support them they were forced to leave Ireland unprepared in order to sustain the failing and flawed economic entity that was the Irish Republic. The money set home was officially entitled ‘Emigrants Remittances form Abroad’ was equivalent to the structural funding we received from Europe in later years. In 1961 the education budget for Ireland was fourteen million pounds, that year emigrants remittances that could be calculated form official sources came to thirteen and a half million. Many today live isolated lives in the UK and to a lesser extent in the USA and Australia. The first debate ever on the Irish Nation’s responsibility to its emigrants took place in January 2004 in the Dail. WHO? The campaign is the responsibility to of the Irish Episcopal (Bishops') Commission for Emigrants which was established in 1957 to support and care for the many Irish people travelling to the UK. The first year of the three year cycle campaign was launched by The Most Reverend Séamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry Chair of the Irish Episcopal Commission for Emigrants on Saturday the 21st of February 2004 at a function in the Irish Centre, Camden Town. IECE commissioned the Harvey report in 1999 which was the precursor to the Task Force on Emigrants which presented its report to the Minister in 2002. HOW? We create awareness by a poster and newsletter that is sent to every parish in the 32 counties. Each Diocese has selected a day when it highlights the campaign. Most fix on Saint Patrick’s Day and take up a collection to support projects abroad nominated by SIA. The campaign captured the imagination of the media. Funding limitations have meant that we could not advertise on Radio and TV or other public places. THEME 2004 The theme for 2004 was simply: ‘Emigrants built the Ireland we enjoy today – Don’t forget them’ 2005 The focus for the 2005 campaign was the support of our undocumented Irish living furtive and in a way half lives because of their undocumented status. Many parts of Ireland were not affected by the Celtic Tiger forcing people to leave for what they thought would be a better life. The plight of their situation needs to be recognized especially in the light of current immigration reform. In fact that recognition has been touched upon by the launch of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' campaign Justice for Emigrants: a Journey of Hope – which is a campaign for proper rights for the 10 million or so emigrants in the USA who are marginalized by the society they live in for lack of proper immigration documentation. Many of our Irish brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and friends make up part of that number. The 2005 SIA campaign is covered solid ground and has obtained good media coverage. This was followed up by a visit by our chairman Bishop Seamus Hegarty and our director Fr. Alan Hilliard who travelled to the United States to visit some of our centres there and to attend the Annual General Conference of the Irish Apostolate in Washington on May 6th-8th 2005. This resulted in the Irish Government passing an all party motion to support the Kennedy McCain legislation which promises more comprehensive reform. 2006 This year we hope to challenge people to keep in contact with a relative abroad. EFFECT The Irish Government have set up a unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs dedicated to the care of Irish abroad. Spending has increased from a little over two million in 2002 to over 12 million promised in 2006. Generally the success of SIA 2004 has been astonishing and has highlighted the generosity of the people of Ireland and their recognition of responsibility to our emigrant community. Emigration resulted in a people ‘out of sight out of mind’. Emigrants are now a part of the nation’s consciousness. Socially and politically it makes a sending nation aware of its responsibility to its peoples overseas which with increases in migration is becoming more and more an issue. Some European accession countries are beginning to look to Ireland for inspiration in this regard. ends |