GRANTS MADE IN 2005

 PROJECTS BASED IN GREAT BRITAIN

ARLINGTON HOUSE IRISH RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION, North London
A group of eighty or so Irish men who are long-term residents of this hostel, some of whom are perhaps amongst the most vulnerable and excluded individuals in our community

AISLING RETURN TO IRELAND
Supported visits to Ireland for homeless, isolated or vulnerable Irish people wishing to visit and perhaps re-establish their connections with Ireland, with follow-up and support on returning to Britain

BLACK COUNTRY SCHOOLS GAA, West Midlands
Coaching traditional Gaelic games for secondary school pupils. This social and inclusive sport helps to address the needs of disadvantaged and deprived young people

BOLTON IRISH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
Providing social and welfare services and cultural activities for the local Irish community, the Centre is being refurbished to enable access by the disabled and the less mobile

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR IRISH STUDIES, London
Encouraging students and postgraduates to undertake Irish studies and to raise the profile of Irish studies in Britain

CAMDEN ELDERLY IRISH NETWORK, North London
Offers advice through a drop-in centre and developing of a service for people in residential care homes who may benefit from contact with the Network’s clubs and groups

CARA IRISH HOUSING ASSOCIATION, Sheffield
Offers supported housing in Sheffield and provides an outreach surgery for socially excluded and vulnerable individuals from the Irish community

CARA IRISH HOUSING ASSOCIATION, North London
Surgeries in local libraries or visits to individuals’ homes to offer advice on health & welfare benefits, pensions, social activities, or information and advice on returning to Ireland

CAUSEWAY IRISH HOUSING ASSOCIATION, North London
Training and development to improve the skills of their residents in areas such as literacy, finances and information technology

COMHALTAS CEOLTÓRÍ ÉIREANN, The Midlands
Workshops in traditional Irish music and song for students of all ages, abilities and backgrounds

COMHALTAS CEOLTOIRI EIREANN, North London
Works with local authorities and schools to provide classes in Irish music, dance, singing and inter-generational seminars, promoting opportunities for young people to experience Irish culture

EMERALD CIRCLE CLUB, North West London
Support and advice for Wealdstone pensioners offering access to welfare services and companionship

HARINGEY IRISH CULTURAL & COMMUNITY CENTRE, North London
A fund for people who need help to return to Ireland in emergency circumstances

HIBERNIAN SOCIETY, Berkshire
A weekly lunch club offering companionship and advice to elderly Irish in the Reading area

ICAP (IMMIGRANT COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY), London
Supporting the mental health and well-being of clients, ICAP offers psychotherapy, counselling and advice to Irish clients in the London area

IRISH CENTRE HOUSING, North West London
An outreach service which locates socially excluded Irish people and offers support through the establishment of befriending networks

IRISH COMMUNITY CARE, Merseyside
A drop-in centre offering access to welfare services, advice and support for individuals who are homeless or in temporary accommodation and Irish travellers in the Liverpool area

IRISH DIASPORA FOUNDATION, Manchester
Provides a series of Irish cultural arts projects over a ten week period, involving three schools from the Greater Manchester area

IRISH IN GREENWICH, South East London
A well established outreach service, strengthened by a weekly lunch club for the elderly Irish community in Thamesmead and Greenwich

IRISH SUPPORT & ADVICE SERVICE, West London
A weekly advice and outreach service, promoting social inclusion; support and friendship for lonely and isolated members of the Irish community in the Hammersmith area

IRISH MUSIC PROJECT - Irish Elders Cultural Programme, Leeds
Music and literacy workshops, historical displays and discussion groups serving many Irish residents in care homes across Leeds and those who regularly access local day centres

IRISH PENSIONERS CHOIR, London
Established to promote and preserve the history of Irish song, the choir promotes involvement and participation by elderly Irish people in the London area

IRISH WOMEN’S THEATRE/IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE UK, West London
Young Irish actors and other members of the community will produce and perform a musical play based on our elders’ memories of the old rural Irish dance halls

LEEDS IRISH HEALTH & HOMES
An exhibition of photographs, interviews and oral history documenting the experience and heritage of Leeds’ Irish population, to raise awareness and tolerance in the Irish community

LEWISHAM IRISH COMMUNITY CENTRE – ADULT EDUCATION, South East London
Offers Irish Traveller women classes in information technology, oral history and photography, to facilitate their access to mainstream education, employment and business planning

LEWISHAM IRISH COMMUNITY CENTRE - IRISH CLASSES, South East London
Offers a series of Irish language classes to the local community in South East London

LIVERPOOL IRISH FESTIVAL 2006
The Festival highlights the significance of Liverpool’s Irish traditions in music, literature, theatre and art

LONDON GYPSY & TRAVELLER UNIT, East London
Education, training and development programmes for Irish travellers in Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets

LONDON IRISH CENTRE – OUTREACH PROGRAMME
Outreach volunteers of all ages visit vulnerable and isolated Irish people in North London

LONDON PRIMARY SCHOOLS BOARD GAA, London
Coaching Gaelic games within primary and secondary schools in the London area. This social and inclusive sport helps to address the needs of disadvantaged and deprived young people

LUTON IRISH FORUM
Offering information, advice and culturally sensitive care for the elderly Irish in Luton, the Forum’s latest project provides email training to help the elderly maintain contact with distant family and friends

NORTHERN SCHOOL OF TRADITIONAL ARTS, North Yorkshire - East Lancashire
Workshops in a wide range of Irish traditional arts.

ST ANN’S RESOURCE & ADVICE CENTRE, Nottingham.
A research project designed to locate the Irish population and identify areas of concern regarding their welfare

ST JOHN BOSCO YOUTH CLUB, East London
Offers after-school social and sporting activities to children in Hackney, East London

STREETWISE OPERA, London & Luton.
Regular music and drama workshops and informal performances are used to encourage homeless people to integrate and re-establish routines in their lives

SOUTHWARK IRISH YOUTH PROJECT, South London.
Drama workshops and Irish music and language classes for 6 to 18 year olds. Other sessions bring together younger and older generations

SOUTHWARK IRISH PENSIONERS PROJECT, South East London
In addition to outreach work and community support services, this pensioners group offers weekly lunches, outings and activities including arts & crafts classes to over 50 people

TARA IRISH PENSIONERS CLUB, North London.
A weekly club offering companionship and advice to elderly Irish. Established by Irish pensioners, the club is run by Irish pensioners, for Irish pensioners

TYNESIDE IRISH CENTRE, Newcastle
Providing social and welfare support to the Tyneside Irish community. The centre needs refurbishment to facilitate access for the elderly and less able-bodied clients

TYNESIDE IRISH CULTURAL SOCIETY, Newcastle
Music and dance workshops, Irish History group lectures, and events for elderly Irish people

WEST END BEFRIENDERS, Newcastle
Offering practical support, advice and friendship, the Befrienders work to enable the elderly to keep isolation and loneliness at bay by maintaining an active presence in their local community

WEST MIDLANDS SCHOOLS GAA, West Midlands Area
Coaching and training primary schoolchildren in traditional Gaelic games. This social and inclusive sport helps to address the needs of disadvantaged and deprived young people

WEST MIDLANDS IMMIGRANT COUNSELLING & PSYCHOTHERAPY
Support for women in the Irish community who have suffered loss, trauma, bereavement or relationship breakdown

 PROJECTS BASED IN NORTHERN IRELAND

BALLYBEEN WOMEN’S CENTRE, Belfast
The ‘Lifelong Learning’ project helps women in Dundonald by developing confidence and facilitating social inclusion through workshops and training in computer skills

CARE CENTRE, County Antrim
Offers services such as a drop-in facility in purpose built accommodation, the centre is also developing mentoring schemes within the local secondary school

CHILDLINE NORTHERN IRELAND, Belfast
Provides workshops in peer support, training and skills development for children in primary and secondary schools who need to cope with issues such as bullying and exam stress

FIRST STEPS PLAYGROUP, Belfast
This voluntary community based group offers full time care and education to children under the age of 5 from both Catholic and Protestant communities

GREATER SHANTALLOW COMMUNITY ARTS, County Derry
A year round programme of arts and cultural activities designed to encourage maximum local community participation

HELPING HANDS, County Tyrone
The group offers a practical domestic ‘handyman’ service to the elderly, single parents and those on low incomes

MID SKEGNEILL COMMUNITY GROUP, Belfast
Offers programmes to help young people with drug and alcohol dependency issues, and an outreach project to help the elderly through befriending networks and visits

NORTHERN IRELAND OUTWARD BOUND CHALLENGE COURSE, Belfast
The challenge course will help 8 young people to develop self-esteem, self-awareness, leadership and team building skills through group based outdoor activities

STADIUM YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE, Belfast
A 12-week cross-community programme targeting potentially “at risk” young people in the Shankill and Ardoyne areas

YOUNG AT ART WORKSHOP, Belfast
The project offers art classes delivered through The Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Communities, culminating in a presentation at Belfast Children’s festival 2006

THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS WERE SUPPORTED BY PRIVATE RESTRICTED DONATIONS

BELVEDERE COLLEGE, Dublin
The College is working to upgrade its science and technology facilities within the newly developed "Dargan-Moloney Science and Technology Building”

MILLTOWN INSTITUTE OF THEOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY, Dublin
Milltown offers civil and religious awards to doctoral level in Theology, Philosophy and Spirituality. A Chair of Spirituality is to be established in memory of Father Joe Veale who died in October 2003

NSPCC: CRAIGAVON, County Armagh
Helping children and young people to recover from abusive experiences through various projects such as the Inter-Link Project for young people who display sexually harmful behaviour, and the Young Witness Service, which helps young witnesses to give evidence in court

SIGHTSAVERS INTERNATIONAL
Combating blindness in developing countries for over 50 years through treatment of the three main causes of eye disease: cataract, river blindness and trachoma

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IRELAND (RCSI) ,Dublin
Incorporating Schools of Medicine, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy and Nursing, plans are ongoing to extend the School of Pharmacy & Research Institute, the National Surgical Training Centre and its student sports facilities

TYRONE GUTHRIE CENTRE, Annaghmakerrig
The ‘Annie Deeny Prize’ was created in memory of Mrs Annie Deeny, a teacher and mother of six children who, although she wrote, never sought to have her work published. The prize is a two-week residency in the Centre for an unpublished writer

WEXFORD FESTIVAL OPERA, Wexford
Since its foundation in 1951, Wexford’s Festival Opera has taken place in the Theatre Royal on Wexford’s High Street, which is now undergoing major redevelopment and expansion