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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).

Minister Deenihan announces Emigrant Support funding for Britain 2014

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.