Minister Deenihan announces Emigrant Support funding for Britain 2014
Ireland’s first Minister for the Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., today announced details of £5.1 million in funding for the Irish community in Britain. Grants have been made to 113 organisations to support projects through the Emigrant Support Programme (ESP).
Speaking at the Irish Embassy in London, at a special event for the organisations who are recipients of the ESP funding this year, the Minister said:
“The Emigrant Support Programme is, and will remain, a key element of our engagement with the Irish abroad. The focus of the ESP in Britain will continue to be on supporting the more vulnerable and marginalised members of the community.”
Since 2004, over €81m has been awarded by the Irish Government, on behalf of the people of Ireland, to organisations that provide vital support to our community here. This is 71% of the total global budget allocation. This year, of the total funding provided, £4.5 million relates to organisations providing welfare and information services to the Irish community, particularly the elderly. The organisations funded provide a host of services, ranging from informal community networking groups for senior citizens, to outreach services and advice in accessing entitlements. The balance will go towards funding heritage and business networks.
On his new role, Minister Deenihan stated:
“The establishment of the position of Minister for the Diaspora is a tangible demonstration of the Irish Government’s deep commitment to the Irish community abroad. Ireland’s greatest resource has always been our people and the valuable contribution that our community abroad has made to Ireland throughout our history is widely acknowledged and respected by the Government and the people of Ireland.”
The Minister also said:
“As some of you will know we are working on a Diaspora Strategy and I would like to thank those organisations andindividuals based here who made submissions. We are looking closely at what further work we should be doing to betterengage with the Irish community abroad and examining how we can deliver established programmes in a better way. We want our community abroad to continue to feel connected and actively engaged in the development of Ireland.”
The Minister also highlighted that the Government's Budget this week, as well as a commitment to maintaining the funding for the Emigrant Support Programme, included an increase in diaspora funding of €1 million in 2015.
ENDS
Please see a list of the organisations’ funding in 2014:
| Organisations | 2014 Funding* |
| Acton Homeless Concern | £33,000 |
| Age UK Hillingdon | £12,500 |
| Aisling Project | £90,000 |
| Ashford Place (formerly CHC) | £151,000 |
| Bell Farm Christian Centre | £7,500 |
| Benefits Advice Shop | £3,500 |
| Birmingham TradFest | £2,000 |
| Blackfriars Advice Centre | £10,000 |
| Bolton Irish Community Association | £5,000 |
| Brent Centre for Young People | £18,000 |
| Brent Irish Advisory Service (BIAS) | £142,500 |
| Brian Boru Club | £19,000 |
| Causeway Irish Housing Association | £15,000 |
| Celtic & Irish Cultural Society | £14,000 |
| Connection at St. Martins, The | £18,000 |
| Conradh na Gaeilge, Glaschú | £36,500 |
| Console | £40,000 |
| Coventry Irish Society | £95,000 |
| Cyrenians | £8,000 |
| Doncaster Irish Association | £3,500 |
| Edinburgh's Festival of Ireland | £3,000 |
| Emerald Centre, The | £44,000 |
| Emerald Circle Club | £3,000 |
| Emerald Senior Citizens Group | £5,000 |
| Feith an Cheoil School of Irish Traditional Music | £3,500 |
| Felling Irish Association, The | £600 |
| Friends, Families and Travellers | £18,000 |
| Golden Shamrock Club, The | £9,000 |
| Greenwich Irish Pensioners Association | £3,500 |
| Halifax and District Irish Society | £9,000 |
| Halifax Irish Centre | £1,000 |
| Haringey Cultural and Community Centre | £145,000 |
| Haslingden IDL Club | £4,000 |
| Hibernian Society, The | £22,000 |
| Huddersfield Irish Centre | £3,500 |
| Huddersfield St. Patrick's Day Parade Association | £4,000 |
| Immigrant Counselling and Psychotherapy (ICAP) | £145,000 |
| Innisfree Housing Association | £25,000 |
| Irish Arts Foundation | £68,000 |
| Irish Chaplaincy in Britain | £215,000 |
| Irish Community Care Manchester | £144,000 |
| Irish Community Care Merseyside | £231,300 |
| Irish Community Services | £208,500 |
| Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith | £131,500 |
| Irish Diaspora Foundation | £39,000 |
| Irish Elderly Advice Network | £94,000 |
| Irish Heritage | £6,500 |
| Irish Heritage Foundation, Glasgow | £40,000 |
| Irish in Birmingham | £182,000 |
| Irish in Britain | £427,000 |
| Irish Literary Society | £2,000 |
| Irish International Business Network (IIBN) | £25,000 |
| Irish Network Stevenage | £750 |
| Irish Pensioners Choir | £2,000 |
| Irish Pensioners Forum of East London | £4,000 |
| Irish Repertory Theatre and Film Company | £8,000 |
| Irish Tuesday Club, Liverpool | £7,000 |
| Irish World Heritage Centre | £25,000 |
| Kilburn Irish Pensioners | £2,000 |
| Lancashire Federation of IDL Clubs | £1,000 |
| Leeds Gypsy & Traveller Exchange | £43,000 |
| Leeds Irish Health & Homes | £120,500 |
| Leeds St. Patrick's Day Parade & Celebrations | £9,000 |
| Leicester & Leicestershire Irish Forum | £33,500 |
| Lewisham Irish Community Centre | £52,000 |
| Lewisham Irish Pensioners Group | £5,500 |
| Liverpool Irish Festival | £7,500 |
| London Gypsy and Traveller Unit | £89,500 |
| London Irish Amateur Rugby Club | £7,200 |
| London Irish Centre | £500,000 |
| London Irish Graduate Network | £1,000 |
| London Irish Music School | £1,000 |
| Luton Irish Forum | £90,250 |
| Manchester Irish Language Group | £500 |
| Mansfield & Dukeries Irish Association | £5,500 |
| Marion Senior Citizens Group | £2,000 |
| Maya Centre | £15,000 |
| Milton Keynes Irish Centre | £31,000 |
| Mind Yourself | £50,000 |
| Momentum Care Irish Elders Centre (Rehab) | £45,000 |
| Monica's Place | £58,000 |
| New Horizon Youth Centre | £38,000 |
| NOAH Enterprise | £72,000 |
| North London Action for the Homeless | £5,500 |
| North Wales Irish Society | £6,000 |
| Northampton Irish Support Group | £50,000 |
| Nottingham St. Patrick's Day Parade | £5,000 |
| Oxford Irish Society | £3,000 |
| Passage, The | £37,000 |
| Queen's Park Senior Citizen Group | £4,000 |
| Safe Start Foundation | £83,000 |
| Sandwell Irish Society | £31,500 |
| SanKTus | £24,000 |
| SIFA Fireside | £15,000 |
| Solace Women's Aid (Camden Women's Aid) | £40,000 |
| South London Irish Association, The | £10,000 |
| Southwark Irish Pensioners | £128,000 |
| Southwark Irish Youth | £5,000 |
| Southwark Travellers Action Group | £66,500 |
| St. Michael's Irish Centre | £53,000 |
| St. Patrick's Festival Ltd. Birmingham | £8,000 |
| St. Patrick's Senior Tuesday Club | £5,000 |
| Streetwork UK | £27,500 |
| Tara Irish Pensioners | £900 |
| The Return ( formerly Return to Camden Town) | £10,000 |
| Traveller Movement, The (formerly ITMB) | £113,000 |
| Tricycle Theatre | £3,000 |
| Tuesday Club Leeds Irish Centre | £3,000 |
| Tyneside Irish Centre | £14,000 |
| Tyneside Irish Cultural Society | £32,000 |
| Warrington Irish Club | £6,000 |
| West Hampstead Women's Centre | £6,000 |
| Young At Heart Luncheon Group | £7,000 |
| Total | £5,114,500 |
*Payment of grants is contingent on compliance by recipient organisations with all ESP administrative requirements.