What makes
us different from other 'Irish' charities in Britain
today?
Most charities are established to service
one specific area of need - such as the arts, youth, or community
development. But we are mandated to support an extensive range
of charitable causes. We can work in several areas simultaneously,
or we can choose to focus on a particular sector. In general,
we can support charities active in the following categories:
- Development & care of Irish
emigrant communities
- Sharing and development of Irish arts & culture
- Education & Community Development
We share our brand and ethos with eleven
other Ireland Funds around the world. Together, we have established
an unrivalled and influential global network of Irish people
and friends of Ireland.
Who are The Forgotten Irish?
In the decade following World War II,
hundreds of thousands of Irish men and women migrated to Britain.
Economic circumstances forced then to
leave their families and communities. And so, they took the
boat to England in search of work. They worked as casual labour
on building sites. They built the motorways and the London
Underground. They cleared and rebuilt bomb-damaged towns. They
worked on the land, in domestic service and in healthcare.
Many did not have a loving family or caring
community to leave behind. They sought an escape from the misery,
and often the abuse, of institutional life. Raised in orphanages
and institutions, they had little or no information about their
family origins. Their attempts to create a life and an identity
were often hampered by hostility and rejection in Ireland and
Britain
Whether motivated by economics or emotions,
they left behind a country that was enduring some of the darkest
days of her history - an Ireland that could never have imagined
or hoped for the 'Celtic Tiger'
Their combined efforts helped to rebuild
Britain, and - by means of an estimated 3 billion Irish pounds
worth of 'remittances' - they helped Ireland to emerge from
one of the darkest and most poverty-stricken periods of it's
history.
Whatever their reasons for leaving, their
labour built the foundations of the Ireland we know today.
We Should not forget them. |
