Blueprint to bring Irish emigrants back home
A west of Ireland community is drafting a scheme to bring back and house people who emigrated to Britain over a period of decades.
The plan is being put in place at Cahirciveen, Co Kerry – departure point for thousands forced to leave Ireland and the threat of poverty during the last century.
Advocates of the idea want a change in the local rules to permit Kerry people to apply for social housing even if they have not lived in the country for years past.
Paul O’Donoghue, one of those behind the project, said today that following the revelations on a recent TV programme of the dire situation of some elderly Irish people living in England, it was no longer possible to stand idly by.
He added: “These people left because of harsh economic circumstances. They are still our own people and we should try every way we can to assist these Kerry people who want to come home.”
Current local authority housing policy in Co Kerry maintains that applicants for housing have to be permanent residents in the county, but Mr O’Donoghue and his team are looking for reform.
The Caherciveen Social Services Committee has put together a blueprint that would circumvent the residency clause and also seek out and repatriate as many as 15 exiles at any one time.
A hotel building already owned by the committee, the former College Arms - Caherciveen’s first hotel – will be converted into apartments, if a funding application to the Department of the Environment and Local Government proves successful.
Ahead of securing the go ahead, the group has already tracked down a number of exiles with the help of social services in Britain and the scheme’s backers are confident of securing Government funding for the venture.
