Name
Piaras Mac Éinrí, BA, MèsL (Paris), DEA (Paris)
Office Location
6
Bloomfield Terrace, Western Road
Contact details
Profile
I am director of a small research centre, the Irish Centre for Migration
Studies (ICMS), which is affiliated to the Department of Geography. Our mission
is to promote the ‘study of historical and contemporary migration, to
and from Ireland, within a comparative international framework, using new
information and communication technologies’. ICMS is the only specialist centre in this jurisdiction (we do have a
close relationship with the Centre for Migration Studies at the Ulster Ameican
Folk Park in Omagh, Co. Tyrone). Currently there are five staff employed at the
Centre.
The Centre’s activities may be summarised as follows:
- Research into immigration and
asylum issues in Ireland. We carry out a range of research projects,
usually on contract for external funders, on aspects of current Irish
policy as well as issues concerning service provision for asylum seekers,
refugees and labour migrants in Ireland. ICMS also provides leadership and
support for the Southern
Integrated Research Partnership, a unique coalition of statutory,
voluntary and academic agencies consisting of the Southern Health Board,
Cork City VEC, Cork City Council, NASC/Irish Immigrant Support Centre,
FÁS, Cork County Development Board, Cork City Partnership and the
Department of Social and Family Affairs. Our current research with SIRP
(October 2002) includes an intensive European Study Visit programme and
the first detailed survey of labour migrants in Cork city and county.
- I have pioneered new methods of
placing life narratives (oral archives) on-line. ICMS’ Breaking
the Silence: staying ‘at home’ in an emigrant society (led by Dr.
Breda Gray) employs XML and streaming audio to provide fully searchable
multiple routes to the data and to enable it to be accessed worldwide;
currently the methodology employed is unique. I am responsible for the
development (with Dr Jason King, visiting postdoctoral Fellow) of two
follow-up life narrative projects, Immigrant
Lives and The
Scattering: Irish migrants and their descendants in the wider world.
- Our website carries a wide range of
research materials in relation to migration to and from Ireland and is
used extensively by academics, NGOs and the general public.
Teaching programmes
- ES1001: Introduction to Europe and the European Union – section on
Population Studies. Website: http://migration.ucc.ie/indexpopulation.htm
- ES2008: Contemporary European Migration and European Settlement and
Society. Website: http://migration.ucc.ie/es2008/outline1.htm
- Contributor,
ES6002, Core-Periphery Relationships in Europe, module of taught
Masters' programme on European Development Studies
- I am also or have been also involved intensive seminars for the Centre for Migration
Studies Omagh in the context of their MSSc in Irish Migration Studies
(taught as an outreach QUB programme, for which I am extern), an evening
programme (with colleagues in Applied Social Studies and Sociology) in
interculturalism and diversity, and in-service training programmes (on a
collaborative basis) for civil servants, other statutory sector workers and NGO
volunteers and staff.
- A medium-term objective is to develop web-based distance
learning programmes in collaboration with a range of partners in several
aspects of migration studies. Preliminary discussions have taken place with
partners in Omagh, Canada, Scotland and New Zealand.
9. Research
Profile
9.1 Awards
- 2002:
Cork City Research Partnership. €53,328 for research on asylum
seekers and immigrants and the organisation, management and reporting on a
series of European Study Visits to study best practice in other EU
countries. The partnership is led by ICMS
- 2002:
National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism/Joseph
Rowntree Charitable Trust €3,000 for briefing paper on The Implications
for Ireland and Britain arising from the development of recent EU policy
on migration.
- 2001/2002:
Royal Irish Academy. Research grant of €35,000 for study ‘The role
of the third sector in the reception and integration of asylum seekers,
refugees and immigrants into Irish society’.
- 2001:
National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism.
IR£6,500 for RAXEN survey (European Monitoring Centre for Racism and
Xenophobia Vienna) on anti-racist organisations in Ireland
- 2001:
EU Commission Contract VS/2000/0312. ‘Governance models and new
migration patterns: local strategies to foster social cohesion in a
changing labour market’. The project was a study of immigration policies
in new immigration EU member states (Spain, Italy, Ireland). Award to
ICMS: approx. €26,000.
- 2000/2001:
Higher Education Authority. IR£30,000 under targeted initiatives
programme for study of third level access issues for refugees with status
in Ireland.
- 2001:
Mr David Ryan (private donor), Ryan Partnership, Westport CT USA:
$25,000 for work on oral life narratives.
- 1999:
Ireland Funds. IR£5000 for project Here to Stay: Refugees in
Ireland – an information pack for second level schools.
- 1997-2000:
European Commission. Project Leader, Euromodule on Comparative
Contemporary European Migration €10,000.
- 1999:
Joint project leader (with Professor Donnchadh O Corráin, Department of
History) of major successful submission to HEA under Programme for
Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) entitled Documents of Ireland
(http://doi.ucc.ie), a multi-disciplinary
project to digitise primary source material (text, visual and audio) for
use in multimedia web-based and other IT environments.
- 1997: Convenor of The Scattering, largest
conference on Irish migration ever held, with major keynotes and almost 100
papers. Funding secured: IR£86,000. (http://migration.ucc.ie/activities/conferences/scattering/index.html).
9.2 Publications.
- Mac Éinrí, P. (with
Lambkin, B.K.) (2003, forthcoming) ‘Whose Diaspora? Whose Migration? Some
current issues in Irish migration studies’. In Roe, M.D. & Lewis, C.A.
(eds.) Irish Journal of Psychology, Special Issue ‘Psychosocial
Dimensions of the Irish Diaspora’. http://migration.ucc.ie/whosediaspora.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (December
2002) Briefing paper for National Consultative Committee on Racism and
Interculturalism/Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (UK)/Migration Policy Group
(Brussels) The Implications for Ireland and Britain arising from the
development of recent EU policy on migration. http://migration.ucc.ie/schengencta.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (2001)
‘Immigration Policy in Ireland’ in Farrell, F. and Watt, P. (eds) Responding
to Racism in Ireland. Dublin: Veritas. http://migration.ucc.ie/irelandfirstreport.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (2001)
Irish section of report on ‘Governance models and new migration patterns: local
strategies to foster social cohesion in a changing labour market’. The project
was a study of immigration policies in new immigration EU member states (Spain,
Italy, Ireland). EU Commission Contract VS/2000/0312. Report included
survey of reporting of immigration in the Irish media http://migration.ucc.ie/section2.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (2000)
Introduction to Bielenberg, A. (ed.) The Irish Diaspora. London: Pearson
Education. http://migration.ucc.ie/irishdiasporaintro.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (2000) ‘Emigration:
An Enduring Tradition.’ In Jones, A. (ed.). The Scattering: Images of
Emigrants from an Irish County. Dublin: A. & A. Farmar. http://migration.ucc.ie/claretext.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (with
Dr Bryan Fanning) (December 1999) Regional
Reception of Asylum Seekers in Ireland: towards a strategic approach. Cork:
ICMS. http://migration.ucc.ie/regionalreception.HTM
- Mac Éinrí, P. (1998)
‘States of becoming: Is there a ‘here’ here and a ‘there’ there? Some
reflections on home, away, displacement and identity’ Chimera . http://migration.ucc.ie/statesofbecoming.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (1997)
‘Some recent demographic developments in Ireland’ Études Irlandaises, No
22-1, Spring, 145-64 pp. http://migration.ucc.ie/etudesirlandaises.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (1995)
‘Sex, death and destination: some current population questions’ Chimera 55-64. http://migration.ucc.ie/sexdeathanddestination.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (1994)
‘How does it feel? Migrants and the postmodern condition’ (1994) Chimera
87-94. http://migration.ucc.ie/Howdoesitfeel.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (1992)
‘Migration: l'expérience contemporaine irlandaise’ Irlande Politique et
Sociale, no. 4. Paris: Presses de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, 105-115.
- Mac Éinrí, P. (1992)
‘Irish Foreign Policy in the Nuclear Domain’ Irlande Politique et Sociale,
no. 4. Paris: Presses de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, 73-92.
- Mac Éinrí, P. (1991)
‘The Irish in Paris: an Aberrant Community?’, in King, R. (ed.) Geographical
Society of Ireland Special Publications No 6, 32-41. http://migration.ucc.ie/irishinparis.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (1989)
‘The new Europeans’, in Keogh, D. and Mulholland, J. (eds) Emigration,
Employment and Enterprise. Dublin and Cork: Hibernian University Press,
58-80. http://migration.ucc.ie/theneweuropeans.htm
- Mac Éinrí, P. (with
Maurice Goldring) (1989) ‘La diaspora irlandaise’ in Hérodote, 169-184.
9.3 Conferences and other public events.
- 2003,
May: Invited speaker, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities International
Conference USA Re-imagining Ireland Transformations of Identity in a
Global Context.
- 2002,
December: Discussant, public seminar on Migration Policy in Ireland and
Europe: Proposals, Issues and Experiences. National Consultative
Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, Dublin.
- 2002,
October: Stout Public Lecture (keynote), Stout Research Centre, Victoria
University, Wellington NZ, conference on Celtic Connections. Theme: The
Irish Diaspora – the view from Ireland.
- 2002,
October: invited speaker, Irish Association annual conference. Theme: Cultural
Identity and political transformation. http://migration.ucc.ie/irishassociationpme.htm
- 2002,
August: Keynote speaker, Merriman Summer School 2002. Theme: Beyond
tolerance – towards Irish models of multiculturalism? http://migration.ucc.ie/merrimanrev.htm
- 2002,
May: Invited speaker, joint seminar on implications of EU migration policy
for Ireland and Britain. Dublin, National Consultative Committee for
Racism and Interculturalism/Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
- 2001:
Invited speaker, Ulster-American Folk Park/Centre for Migration Studies
conference on the literature of Irish emigration, October 2001. Paper
title: ‘From emigrants and exiles to the new diaspora: Irish migrant
literature’. http://migration.ucc.ie/pmeomaghoct01.htm
- 2001:
Invited speaker, joint conference, Dublin, National Consultative Committee
on Racism and Interculturalism, Migration Policy Group (Brussels) and ICMS
on current developments in Irish and EU migration policy.
- 2001:
Invited speaker, Daonscoil na Mumhan summer school Inimirce in Éirinn,
(Immigration in Ireland)
- 2001:
Invited speaker, Centre d'Études Irlandaises annual symposium, Université
de Rennes. Paper title ‘Emigrants, strangers, homecomers: recent trends in
Irish migration’.
- 2001:
Invited speaker, Anglo-Irish Encounter conference on
multiculturalism and diversity, University of Limerick.
- 2001: Keynote speaker, McGlinchey Summer
School, Donegal. Topic: Irish migration, past and present – lessons to be
learned? http://migration.ucc.ie/pmeinishowenfinal.htm
.
- 2000:
Paper on ‘Emerging trends of immigration to Ireland’ to EFACIS (European
Federation of Associations and Committees for Irish Studies)
interdisciplinary conference, Université de Paris III, Sorbonne Nouvelle.
- 2000:
Invited speaker, Irish Social Policy Association. Paper title ‘Beyond
hegemony: towards Irish models of multiculturalism’. University College
Dublin.
- 2000:
Invited participant, Anglo-Irish Encounter conference on racism and
integration, University of Limerick.
- 2000:
‘Migration and the Net: presenting digital data collections on-line’.
Presentation for conference on Ireland and its Diaspora, Reading,
Researching, Writing, University of North London.
- 2000:
‘Immigration policy and experiences in Ireland’. Paper read to Cork
Literary and Scientific Society.
- 2000: ‘Changing Processes of Identity Construction
within the Irish Diaspora’, at conference on Locality, Identity and Diaspora, Universität Hamburg, 11-13
February 2000.
- 1999: ‘The Irish Regional Diasporas Project’ (jointly
with Dr Brian Lambkin, Director, Centre for Migration Studies, Ulster-American
Folk Park), conference on Irish
and Polish Migration in Comparative Perspective, Ruhr-Universität
Bochum, 6-10 October 1999.
9.4 Recognition of national/international standing
in research field.
- 2000
– 2004: External examiner, MSSc in Migration Studies, Queen’s University
Belfast
- March
2002: External assessor, Quality Review of Interdisciplinary MA in Culture
and Colonialism, National University of Ireland, Galway
- 2002: Board member, Immigrant Council of Ireland, NGO
working with migrant workers.
- 2002: Board member, National Consultative Committee on
Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI)
- 2001:
Board member, Tosach support agency for CDSP (Community Development
Support Programme), Dublin (funded by Department of Social, Community and
Family Affairs)
- 2001-2002: Contributor to Department of Social,
Community and Family Affairs on pilot training programme in intercultural
awareness.
- 2001: Contributed module to South Inner City
Development Association, Dublin (NGO coalition) on intercultural awareness.
- 1999-2002:
Joint founder and first joint chairperson, NASC/Irish Immigrant Support
Centre, Cork (NGO working with asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants).
NASC currently employs three full-time staff and works with more than
1,000 asylum seekers in Cork city and region as well as the growing non-EU
immigrant community.
- Interviewed on migration issues on RTÉ television and
radio programmes (News at One, Questions and Answers, Later with
O’Leary, Pat Kenny Show, Tonight with Rodney Rice, The Late Late
Show), TG4 Nuacht
(Irish-language television news), Radio na Gaeltachta, and on BBC Radio 4,
France-Culture and New Zealand National Radio.
- Print media: interviews published in U.S. Chronicle
of Higher Education, Irish Times, South China Morning Post, Wall
Street Journal, New York Times, Irish Examiner and regional
newspapers.
Other relevant interests
I have a strong interest in the role of the voluntary sector
in promoting the reception and integration of asylum seekers, refugees and
immigrants and am involved in a number of organisations, as detailed in section
9.4.
I am from Dublin. In a previous life I served with the
Department of Foreign Affairs, with postings in Brussels, Beirut (where I
became acquainted with refugee issues at first hand) and Paris. It has been my
experience that most people with an interest in migration have been migrants
themselves at some point in their lives.
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