I should have done this earlier but I want to give everyone
an idea of how I got to Ireland and the organization that made this year
possible. If you give me a little lee way, this side note will all come together
in the next post with my weekend plans.
Just a little background, I’m in Ireland through a George
Mitchell Scholarship which is run through the US-Ireland Alliance.
The USIA, for short, developed largely through the work of
Trina Vargo in the late 1990s. Trina was Foreign Policy Advisor to the late
Senator Ted Kennedy and played a role in the peace treaty that was reached in
the North of Ireland.
I’m going to break down that last sentence a little more. If you know what all of that means you can just skip to the bottom.
First, it's important to understand the extent of Irish
immigration to the US through most of the 20th century
(a better historical timeline might be
the
Irish Potatoe Famine to the boom of the
Celtic Tiger) Irish fled in masses from the
island. There was a lack of economic growth and the Irish were hungry for jobs.
For many of them they found those jobs in America.
I knew the typical American stereotypes of Irish immigration to the US (the NYPD is one that comes to mind for me) but I was really oblivious of just
how massive the Irish exodus was.
While there was massive migration and Irish-Americans
impacted the development of culture and life in the US in lots of different
ways, I think the most important connection to the founding of the USIA
revolves around Irish-Americans who became noteworthy politicians. The Kennedy family is our own version of royalty and when it comes to US-Irish relations some of the leading voices for generations (side note-Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest daughter of Robert Kennedy sat on the interview board for the Mitchell). So
around the time of the USIA founding Senator Kennedy would have been
influential but there were lots of other American politicians that had a special
interest in Irish relations. Chris Dodd and Tip O’Neill come to the top of the
list.
So the importance of a US-Irish relationship was personally
important for lots of American politicans all of the same generation, but there
was also another event that pushed the USIA into creation and helped the naming of the scholarship.
So just like American history, Irish history is complicated
and by no means can be explained in a blog post. I hope this just helps to
explain the USIA, and not the exhaustive history of the island. So in the South
of the island is the Republic of Ireland. The independence of the Republic
happens in several different forms through major events from 1916-1923 (all
will have to be for another blog posts).
But all those events center around the central dispute over British rule
over Ireland. The agreement is reached that the south will become independent
while six counties in the north stay a part of the United Kingdom (even
though they have their own government).
To add to the conflict there is a
really important religious element. Traditionally people supporting the nationalist
cause (to be a free state) were Catholic while those supporting the Unionist
cause (to stay a part of the UK) were Protestant and the north was were the largest population of protestants lived. The tension between the two causes
never really ceased from the early 20th century when the Republic was established
in the south of the island. By the 1960s violence began in Northern Ireland that
picked up international attention. The violence often referred to as “The Troubles” can’t really be defined like a more traditional war, but it was a
war. “The Troubles” included shootings, protests, hunger strikes, bombings, and
the list goes on. The numbers
vary, but it seems common to see the death toll from The Troubles between
3,000-4,000 (as I learn more I want to share more history about this in the
coming months).
As part of an attempt to bring peace to the North, along with
the rest of the UK, a ceasefire and peace treaty was reached in 1996 and is called the Good Friday agreement. Under President Clinton the US sent a special
envoy to work with the peace treaty. US Senator George Mitchell played an
important role in the compromise that was reached. (for more about George
Mitchell-
About George J. Mitchell)
The work of US politicians and citizens in the Northern Ireland peace process helped propel the establishment of USIA and who better to name their largest program after but the man who was at the middle of it, George Mitchell.
Just a last note, this weekend I heard Trina Vargo speak to
a group of people who all weren’t familiar with the USIA. After she gave a
standard message of what they do (events, Mitchell scholars, etc.) she also
said this, which I think helps summarize everything I just said…
According to Trina, there are three main areas that have
historically shaped US-Irish relations.
1.
Immigration
2.
The economy
3.
The Troubles
What has happened in modern times is these three issues no
longer stand like they used to. Now the Irish, just like everyone else in the
World, go where they can find jobs. It's much more likely for a young Irish
college grad to find a job in Australia now than it is in the US. Not to mention
many of the more famous Irish-American families no longer hold the national
stand that they used to (to use the examples from earlier Ted Kennedy and Tip
O’Neill have passed away and Chris Dodd is no longer in the Senate).
When it comes to the economy, during the boom years the Irish economy grew at a rate twice that of the US. Even though both countries are now in financial hard times the US no longer sees Ireland as
a place that needs help.
And finally when it comes to “The Troubles” Americans also
see that as a place where Ireland no longer needs “help.” Sure there is still
work to be done in the North, but for now it is a safe place.
So where does that leave the future of the US and Ireland?
That’s exactly what Trina Vargo is trying to find out and she is really honest
when she says she doesn’t know the answer.
But one way is through the Mitchell Scholars. The ultimate
goal is that we come back to the US with a new understanding of the island and
translate that to our future lives in American business, politics, academia-wherever the road might take us.
So for me I’m soaking up all the history and culture that I can and
beginning to think about how Ireland and the Mississippi Delta can all work
together…
No answers yet, but I still have the good part of a year.
Cheers,
chelsea
