Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. It is timely that we are having a debate on the Irish diaspora this week. We are on the eve of St. Patrick's week, when our Ministers will rightly be travelling to the four corners of the world. The purpose of those visits is to acknowledge, support and celebrate our Irish people and their achievements in their adoptive countries. As we know, the Irish nation is not confined to the island of Ireland. It consists of all the people on this island and Irish people spread throughout the world.That is the reason it is important we take time to reflect on our responsibility to the diaspora, while at the same time considering its needs and potential. We cannot say there are 70 million people of Irish extraction throughout the world without looking at their make-up. As there has been emigration from Ireland for well over 150 years, we are talking about several generations. We are talking about first, second, third, fourth and fifth generation Irish. What is important is that they have different needs and potential.

When the Government decided to appoint a Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora, it was a step in the right direction because it reminded all those who wanted to identify with what they saw as their homeland that they had not been forgotten, that they were important and would form part of the country's future, as they did of its history. I cannot think of a better person to fill that role than the Minister of State, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan. He has brought huge vision and energy to this role, in starting from zero, so to speak, and bringing us to where we are today. It is clear he devotes almost every waking moment to this job. He has travelled to many places and is still being asked to visit many others.

To return to the make-up of the diaspora, it is important to reflect on the fact that there are people who need support and help. The Irish abroad section of the Department has been doing a fantastic job in this regard and I hope that work will continue into the future.

The Minister of State has rightly said culture and sport are very important elements of the status of the diaspora. In the past few months I had the privilege to be in Dublin Castle when Irish ambassadors from around the world returned for a conference. I was present for the module on culture. Each ambassador who stood up could not have emphasised more the importance of culture, sport, literature and so on to the status of the Irish abroad and the image of Ireland. Very often they are the fuel of the engine of tourism. Surveys conducted during the years have shown that culture and sport are very high on the priority lists of tourists to this country. They have opened many doors in the context of promoting industry and trade.

Today I received an invitation to attend a performance by a well known Chinese group in Dublin. On the front page of the brochure I received there was a reference to traditions dating back 5,000 years. That is exactly the claim we make. Great treasures, including the Ardagh chalice, the Book of Kells, our great writers, sportspeople and musicians, attract such attention to a small country such as this.

The diaspora played a huge role in the peace process. President Clinton would not have invested as much time in or taken such a hands-on approach to the peace process but for the impression the Irish in America had made on him. They were mature and wanted to be inclusive in the country they had adopted. President Clinton and his advisers realised it was very important to keep in touch and today we have peace on the island of Ireland.

I was delighted hear the Minister of State talk about the civic forum. It is the right way to go. Those working at the coalface have most to offer in facing everyday challenges and monitoring potential. That is one of the reasons I am glad that we are looking at the concept of giving them a role in the election process. The idea of having a vote in presidential elections should be kept high on the agenda. I hope that, when Dr. Maurice Manning comes back with the report, it will contain a recommendation that at least one person representing the diaspora be a Member of the Seanad, even if only as a Taoiseach's nominee. We did this in the case of Northern Ireland and it proved to be a very good way to keep in touch. It is important to remember that people of Irish extraction want constant and regular communication with Ireland. There are many ways, in particular through social media, by which this can be achieved, but the best way to achieve it is to send people who could interact with various organisations in differents countries. Incidentally, we are not just talking about America, Britain and Australia, as there are many other countries in which people claim Irish extraction and they must always be kept in mind.

I sense momentum which I think is also being sensed among people from Ireland who are living abroad. We have a whole new generation – hundreds of thousands of young people - who have emigrated. Incidentally, members of the diaspora did not always leave because of deprivation or the lack of work. They also left because they wanted to live in a new environment and because of their professional skills. However, we need to pay particular attention to the new emigrants to America, Britain, Australia and elsewhere. Interestingly, in the 1950s and the 1960s, there was, so to speak, homogenous interaction among those who emigrated, but the position is somewhat different today. New means must be found to engage with the young Irish people who have left to introduce them to the social and cultural life of America. That is what the Minister of State is doing. He is receiving publicity in the mainstream press, the ethnic press and on local radio. That is the way to get the message across. I wish him well in the future and have no doubt that he will leave an important footprint on his journey.