Background

The Diaspora exists due to massive emigration – a fact that carried pain and suffering down the centuries

 

The silver lining is our Collective Power 

Diaspora Numbers & Current Population

People who claim to be genetically Irish amount to approx. 70ml globally

 

We are:

• 7ml in Ireland – North & South

• 39.9ml in USA

• 10.5ml in Europe

• 9ml in UK

• 4.7ml in Canada

• 2.2ml in Australia

 

Only 10% of the genetic Irish population is living in Ireland

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Ireland is an under-populated and under-developed country – with much of our population overseas

Historic Population Numbers

Year 1600

• 1.4ml Ire 25%

• 4.1ml UK 75%

Year 1840

• 8.2ml Ire 30%

• 18.5ml UK 70%

Year 2020

• 7ml Ire 10%

• 65ml UK 90%

Ireland as an economy

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Up to 1970
Ireland was insular
Some signs of growth

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In the 1980’s
The start of emigration

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1990 to 2010
The Celtic Tiger era
Significant growth in infrastructure
Increase in Foreign Direct Investment

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2010 onward
Our local economy collapsed; principally banking and property. FDI remained unaffected.
Ireland is now being re-structured financially with capital from abroad, mainly America

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Diaspora Support in Time of Crisis. It’s my opinion that when times of crisis came we should have had access to the strength of our Global Diaspora – in particular in banking and national policy. Of course this can only happen when it is agreed policy and with prior commitment. However we are evolving well as a country with a reasonably high level of social and political stability – taking a lead from Europe and Canada. It is apparent these same challenges are not being addressed in the UK and in the USA

Foreign Direct Investment

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Let’s remind ourselves that we are often regarded as the 51 st state Ireland is a gateway for North America into Europe. Technology enhances our access to each other. We are a bridge and a gateway between the populations of the:

• European Union 447ml 

• USA 331ml

• UK 68ml

= Over 1 billion people!

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Dublin airport is a global hub with traffic of 30ml + people last year

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As Britain pulls away from Europe our status as an international hub becomes stronger. Many of the major US companies located to Ireland over the decades had a diasporic connection

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Foreign direct investment sustains Ireland. We box above our weight in this regard

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Most of the giants of Tech and Pharma are here….The Big 4: Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft:

• 3ml sq ft of office space in Dublin

• In London 2.4ml sq ft

• In New York 3ml sq ft

• Amazon is a tenant in one of our buildings

25% of the 1ml jobs created since 1990 are by American based companies

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The pulse of Silicon Valley can be felt in Dublin

The Irish in Silicon Valley begin to co-locate to Dublin

Part of the next phase is the Irish guys in Silicon Valley co-locating to Dublin

The young Collison brothers from Limerick in with their fintech company in Dublin

The team from Intercom led by Eoghan McCabe have their new HQ in Earlsfort Terrace

Changing Demographics

It’s interesting to note how our national demographic has changed over the past number of years 1/6 th of our population i.e. 800k people are non-nationals. Interesting that 800k born in Ireland currently live overseas. So the inflow matches the outflow in our population

Ireland as a Good Society

A good society is where we want to live. It is important that people feel connected and part of society. That non-nationals integrate with ease. A cohesive society needs input from it’s citizens – And that is part of what this collective is doing well. We realise that Ireland is not perfect .. But Ireland continues to improve. People are returning in increasing numbers for quality of life. How good it feels when solidarity happens

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Thousands of us travelled home to vote in the referendums to change social policy – in 2015 and 2018 a wave of humanity brought many of our medics home to be part of coping with the Covid pandemic. I hear my father’s voice echoing down the years saying; “Lads, stick together. It’s easy to snap a twig. But when combined it’s nearly impossible”

Business & Internationalism

In my world of property development and investment. I experience first-hand the positive influence of Irish connectivity and sentiment on business Internationalism has always appealed to me. It allows me to develop buildings to a standard that attracts international clients into Ireland.

My Own Business.

In my own family business we have experienced challenges over the past decade - including questionable government policy. These challenges taught us and are still teaching us invaluable lessons – such as:

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How to re-finance our businesses

Our national banks are mostly part of a sunset industry – and managing their decline is what is now happening here. The standard American funding model is 20% banking and 80% equity. The reverse is the case in Europe. Investment funding is now part of our future. Our own company is becoming quite active in this space and our aim is to educate and advise in this sector. The local becomes global! the global becomes local!

Unifying the Energy

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How do we best unify our energy? 

 

By:

Creating Sustainable Finance, Buildings and Jobs – A Sustainable Society. Lobbying government to create policies that
lead to an equitable and productive society So Ireland becomes a place that can accommodate it’s Diaspora should they
choose to return

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By:
Celebrating our achievements and our history! I encourage you when next in Dublin to visit Epic Ireland – the Emigration Museum in the Dublin Docklands – last year voted Europe’s top visitor attraction - it sets out our national story beautifully – our history, our struggles, our achievements. The founder is a member of our diaspora - Neville Isdell former CEO of Coca Cola

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By
Enjoying the Homeplace. The Home Place matters to us all. It is in our souls. It’s hard to believe the superb quality there is now for us to enjoy in Ireland – in the age of COVID we appreciate it even more. Even with our challenging weather – it’s great!

 

And most importantly by connecting with each other in a Tangible way!

 

I appreciate the role Tangible Ireland plays in this important dynamic It is superb to be connecting across four continents this evening. It’s a delight for me to participate - Thank you for inviting me!

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Paddy Kelly
19 th August 2020

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