Seanad debates

Thursday, 31 January 2013

The Gathering Ireland 2013: Statements

 

1:00 pm

Photo of Colm BurkeColm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to deal with the role universities can play. Universities in the United States have a system whereby in every class year one person is appointed to keep track of 14 other people in the class. That person's job is to follow them and relate back information to the university on an annual basis as to where those 14 are now working. It works very effectively there but I am not sure if we have the same system in Ireland. When our graduates leave university there is a huge disconnect and we should work on that. In some universities in the United States, graduates pay the university $100 for the first ten years after leaving, which goes into research and development of the university. In the second ten years they pay $500 a year and in the third ten years they pay approximately $1,000. While it varies from university to university people have a great sense of pride in keeping in contact with their universities. I do not believe our universities are doing enough in that area. It is a huge system of connection that people maintain with their university, city and country. It is something we should try to develop within our universities.

There is such support in UCC. For instance I know of a person working in a university. She goes to the United States for the three weeks leading up to St. Patrick's Day and she does all the Irish functions. UCC is very lucky in having received approximately ยค87 million in donations and gifts to the university, which have helped them to develop further facilities.

That is something that we should grow out of The Gathering.

I want to touch on the use of established names. The message was sent home clearly to me recently when I contacted a friend who works in a lawyer's office in New York and spoke to her about the golf classic being organised by Senator Eamonn Coghlan. At first, there was not an enthusiastic reaction to it. This person is involved in the Cork society in New York. Once I mentioned the name of Senator Eamonn Coghlan, the attitude totally changed. We need to use established names, such as the Senator. There is a considerable number who are world-recognised names in promoting events. It is something we should take on board.

We need to work on selling the concept that there are significant connections from Ireland right around the world and established organisations, such as the different county societies in different cities around the United States. Even in China, there are associations being set up. There are GAA clubs in China and we also need to make contact with them to ensure they are kept informed about what is happening.

We can make this a major success. Much work has been done already but we have much more to do. I was Lord Mayor leading into the year when Cork city was the European capital of culture. We put a great deal of planning into it, but we could have done much more by using those who already had a connection with Cork. We relied too much on a small number of people. This will be a success if we have the maximum number of people involved. Going back to the university point, we need to look at medical organisations, accountancy organisations and architects' organisations, because they have worldwide connections, and use them much more to promote this event. Much work has been done, but we have a great deal more to do. It will be a success but we all have a part to play, even by making that one telephone call or sending that one letter. It all adds up.

I thank the Minister for the work he and the Department have done to date and I wish him every success for the remainder of the year on this matter.

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