merrion street

Minister for the Diaspora and International Development Ciarán Cannon, TD has extended his congratulations and thanks to the Irish chaplaincy in London on its 60th anniversary.

Minister Cannon said:

‘For the past 60 years, the Irish chaplaincy has done sterling work among Irish emigrants in London and provided a caring, compassionate and confidential link with home. Regrettably, some chapters in our country`s history have been allied to emigration, from the ships that left here during the dreadful years of the Great Famine to the more recent departures in the 1950s and 1960s. Wherever the Irish went, they made a massive contribution to the social and cultural life of their host communities. Sadly, not all reached the prosperity they may have dreamed of when they first left home and it was for this purpose that the Irish chaplaincy was established in 1957. Be it in visits to older people who may have felt isolated, providing support to those Irish who find themselves in prison in Britain, acting as a link between London and home or simply in being present, the Irish chaplaincy has been a constant for 60 years in the lives of the Irish in London. I am delighted that through the Emigrant Support Programme the Irish government has been able to support the important work of the Chaplaincy in recent years. As our Government continues to support the Irish abroad and to remove the barriers that may hinder our emigrants from returning home, I extend both my congratulations and thanks on behalf of the Irish Diaspora to the Irish chaplaincy for its solidarity with the Irish in London and for its advocacy of and caring concern for their needs’.