Global Irish Christmas Community Outreach
News
07 December 2020
It is always difficult to be away from home at Christmas, but doubly so in what has been a very challenging year for Irish people everywhere.
The Minister for Diaspora, Colm Brophy T.D., is very conscious of the isolation that many will be feeling at this time of year, and has asked Irish Embassies and Consulates around the world to reach out to our diaspora communities and try help Irish people around the world connect with home at a time when they cannot physically travel. The New York Consulate is proud to have taken part in this outreach effort for the holiday season, assembling over 500 care packages to be distributed with the help of our community partners in New York and Pennsylvania.
The welfare of Irish communities abroad is at the heart of the work of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, and central to this commitment is the Emigrant Support Programme, which supports our cultural and community organisations abroad. The immense value of this thriving network of organizations became even clearer during the pandemic, when Irish communities across the United States sprang into action to protect the vulnerable and help each other. We are proud to support our community organisations in their important work, and were delighted to parter with the New York Irish Center, Emerald Isle Immigration Center, Aisling Irish Community Center and the Rockland GAA in New York, as well as the Irish Diaspora Center in Philadelphia to distribute these Christmas packages. We are especially grateful for the services of Liffey Van Lines - who helped us deliver the packages to our community partners - as well as to the Irish Arts Center for providing an Irish book or music CD for each box.
We have also been working to create a way to help connect the diaspora all over the world, and want to also invite you to share your story with our global Irish family through Things Remembered, part of a new initiative, @To Be Irish at Christmas. Submit a 30-60 second video telling us about that one special thing that connects you to Ireland at Christmastime -- the family heirloom bauble, your best Christmas jumper, or a traditional family recipe. Learn more about Things Remembered and share your own memory at www.tobeirish.ie
Beannachtaí na Nollag!
