West Cork towns join diaspora initiative group

FURTHER sessions for the Cork County Community Diaspora training took place recently and welcomed a new collection of communities including Drimoleague, Drinagh, Ballydehob and Innishannon.

This followed from the very successful launch of the Pilot Community Diaspora Initiative which aimed to connect Cork parishes with their global diaspora, creating visibility for their locality while building relationships with descendants of these communities from all over the world. 

In welcoming representatives of a number of communities to County Hall, County Mayor Seamus McGrath explained that it was a joint initiative between Cork County Council, Cork Foundation and the National Diaspora Programme ‘Ireland Reaching Out’. 

‘It will provide an a fantastic opportunity for Cork parishes to discover their descendants, encourage them to visit while also significantly increasing international awareness of these locations in the first instance,’ he said.

The Community Diaspora Initiative will build upon the experiences of the pilot parishes and roll out the opportunity for all Cork county parishes to get involved, offering everyone the prospect of tracing their ancestral home.

Áine Collins, chairperson of Cork Foundation expressed great enthusiasm with this partnership between Cork Foundation, Cork County Council and Ireland Reaching Out, ‘This is a great opportunity to connect our Irish – Cork community abroad and at home. Our Irish community abroad is a National asset which we are delighted to be connecting to their ancestral place,’ she said.

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