Considering the diaspora as a national asset is certainly not a new phenomenon, nor is it unique to Ireland. Governments around the world are beginning to think about engaging their overseas populations in innovative ways. Rather than viewing expatriate business, cultural, scientific and policy actors as ‘lost’ to their countries of origin, active efforts are now being made to identify and link highly skilled offshore citizens to national economic development projects through initiatives such as formal mentoring programmes, international advisory boards, and investment programmes, with the support of home institutions.

Diaspora strategies that extend across a range of social, cultural, political, educational and financial dimensions are now being implemented by both developing countries and developed countries including New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Israel and India, to name but a few.


In the UK, the Institute for Public Policy Research recently published a paper which examines the increasing trend of immigrants subsequently ‘re-migrating’ to another country and proposes that governments may want to find ways of encouraging these migrants to return some time in the future or maintain contact with them in their countries of onward or return migration.1 It is important to note that the retention of highly skilled migrants is as significant as attracting them in the first place. While such immigrants may not formally be a part of the diaspora, they will hold an affinity to the country and could be engaged in diaspora strategies.2

The Irish diaspora is quite staggering in size and depth. In addition to over 34 million Irish Americans registered in the 2000 census, not including 5 million who claimed to be Scots Irish, there are also 3.8 million Irish Canadians, 1.9 million Irish Australians and 500,000 Argentineans of Irish heritage.3 Add to that 800,000 Irish-born people living overseas and an estimated 6 million people in Britain having a close Irish relative and the sheer scale of this diaspora becomes both impressive and daunting. There are now 3.1 million Irish citizens living outside the country and this number is increasing, with 72,000 passports issued in 2007 alone.4 There is also a growing next generation, with more than 10 million Irish Americans under the age of 18.5 Although Ireland itself has only a population of approximately 4.4 million and constitutes just 1 per cent of the total population of the EU, when looking through the lens of the diaspora, we are in fact a highly globalised country with over 70 million members in our transnational community.

These Irish can be seen as a global tribe united by history, culture and shared experiences and networked through technology. In a highly competitive world this potential network offers many advantages for Ireland of which we have yet to take full advantage. Other countries see the opportunities and are actively putting in place extensive programmes of engagement. In examining the initiatives pursued by others, there is much left for Ireland to consider and certainly a lot to be learned from their experiences.

As a global leader in the area of diaspora philanthropy, The Ireland Funds since 1976 has raised over $300 million ($210 million in the past 15 years) and funded over 1,200 organisations in Ireland and beyond. Its networks among the global Irish are now active in 12 countries and 39 cities around the world. It organises over 100 events annually, attended by 40,000 people, and has built a database of over 100,000 names. With such a track record, The Ireland Funds is now looked upon as a thought leader in the area of diaspora engagement and through a range of research, conferences, seminars and presentations is actively contributing to the body of knowledge in the field of diaspora studies, bringing a vital practitioner perspective.

Section 1 Background to diaspora strategies 9

Defining diaspora: common trends and recent developments 9

Section 2 Ireland’s current context 11

The Smart Economy – a role for the diaspora? 13

Section 3 Ireland and its diaspora 15

A long history of migration 15

Capturing the Irish diaspora: extended citizenship 16

The diversity of our diaspora 17

Examining and redefining the relationship 17

A diffuse and diverse national asset 19

Where can the diaspora help? 23

Section 4 Key lessons from other countries 25

Section 5 International diaspora initiatives 27

Developments in diaspora engagement: a comparative review 27

of international diaspora strategies and initiatives

Research and data 29
Capital flows – remittances 30
Capital flows – bonds 3 1.
Capital flows – philanthropy 33
Capital flows – foreign direct investment 36
Capital flows – venture capital and support for indigenous industry 39

Diaspora knowledge networks 45

Importance of educational exchange 53

Visits to the homeland 58

Engaging various generations 63

Recognition and awards 65

Section 6 Differing roles of government 67

Section 7 Culture matters 69

Section 8 Global best practices: conclusions for Ireland 73

Armenia, an old nation but a new state, has a significant diasporic population estimated at around 5 million people. This diaspora is well resourced, skilled, talented, well connected, capable, and willing to engage. Until recently however the Armenian state has lacked the institutional structures necessary to harness this resource productively. What humanitarian and infrastructural support a disenfranchised diaspora was able to provide was often used counter-productively. Since 2000, however, the relationship between the Armenian state and the Armenian diaspora has began to change, initially through a series of conferences with the diaspora. More recently, a new Ministry for Diaspora Affairs has been established. The diaspora is now included as a partner in formulating a vision for the new Armenia (Armenia 2020 strategy), promoting inward investment through the Armenian Development Agency and the globalisation of indigenous firms through Armentech, and in proposing and financing new major public-private partnerships. The Armenian case provides lessons both for willing diaspora groups (that they should seek suitable institutional forms before engaging and investing) and home states (that without proper institutional frameworks much effort can be dissipated without effective results).

irska dijaspora je daleko prenapuhana jer je vrlo popularno u americi biti irskog podrijetla, pa se svaka šuša kojoj je neka čukunbaba bila irkinja izjašnjava kao ircem podrijetlom. kad bi toliko bilo iraca, brate mili, katolici bi s hispancima bila uvjerljiva većina u americi.

Svatko tko nosi prefiks Mc u svom prezimenu za sebe tvrdi da je porijeklom Irac..
Za Irski preporod, koji je trenutno zbog svjetske gospodarske krize poremećen, zaslužne su i ogromne investicije veliki multinacionalni kompanija (IT, Farmaceutski sl. sektori) u Irskoj i mislim da su one bile presudne- jednostavno Irci ponudili porezna rasterečenja ulagačima u vremenu (devedesetim) kad je postojao i višak kapitala za ulaganje i postigli efekat.

Sličnog sam mišljenja i za našu Herceg Bosnu i Hrvate u BiH,
Kažu da najveće hrvatseke tvrtke izvezu i prodaju u BiH 2,5 mlrd eura svoje robe, moje je razmišljanje neka 5% od tog iznosa se reinvestira na područje BiH i večio dio toga gdje žive Hrvati, trend iseljavanja Hrvata iz BiH je zaustavljen, a započinje trend povratka..
Da ne govorimo o tom da če nam prestati prigovarati za ono nešto miliona kuna koji ulože kako rekoše (zli jezici u HR) za narodne nošnje i opanke u BiH.

ne samo to, nego rastom kupovne moći hrvata raste i hrvatski izvoz i gospodartvo, to je sve povezano jedno s drugim. hrvatska griješi ako misli da će postati dio naprednog svijeta, a imati 1.000 km granicu s tamnim vilajetom. ali doći će iz dupeta u glavu, polako i dolazi. hrvatskoj je imperativ osoviti hrvate u BIH na noge i tako osnažiti i vlastitu poziciju. vidiš kako se bogaljska srbija trudi oko RS, iako ni sebi ne može pomoći, ali stalno su tu negdje, imam dojam da su svaki dan tu.