Now-prosperous Ireland remembers when it was not so fortunate and shares its agricultural knowhow with the world. Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

Ireland’s historical struggles with famine give its aid program a healthy does of empathy at a time when food shortages are being exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and other external factors, the country’s aid and diaspora minister told Global Atlanta on a visit here.  

Colm Brophy said that Ireland lost population for more than a hundred years after food shortages sent wave of migrants to North America and elsewhere looking for opportunity and nourishment in the mid-19th century.   

“We still have not got back to the actual population figure that was there, so that will give you an idea of the devastation,” Mr. Brophy said in an interview.  

But the times have changed Ireland, giving it a chance to give back, not only out of its abundance, but out of its experience in transitioning from a relatively poor country to one that now consistently ranks among the fastest-growing economies in the developed world.  

“We are now a very prosperous, dynamic, Western European country with a very strong and robust economy, very low unemployment — and we are now a destination for immigrants to come to,” he said.  

The aid and diaspora profiles, he said, overlap more than might be expected. As the case of Irish migration to North America shows, food insecurity often touches off migratory waves.  

“Right now — not in the future — we are seeing countries where their ability to feed themselves has been eroded. They can no longer do so. And that in itself starts migration movement, and migration movement, if not correctly addressed at a very early stage by the developed world and by the international organizations, leads to the crisis situations we see around migration, and that’s just not here in the United States. That’s on a global basis.” 

Most large refugee camps, he said, are found not in rich, Western nations, but in poorer countries dealing with the spillover effects from nearby conflicts — Jordan hosting Palestinians, Bangladesh hosting Rohingya Muslims displaced from Myanmar or Kenya taking in Sudanese.  

Now, a similar dynamic is playing out in Europe, where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to more than 5 million people leaving the country and millions more fleeing their homes within the country’s border as internally displaced persons.  

As has been reported, this will have ripple effects far beyond Europe, as the United Nations’ World Food Programme buys half of its grain supplies from Ukraine and Russia to feed people in the most vulnerable corners of the world.  

Even if the grain can be found elsewhere, the shortages are leading to higher costs that necessitate greater donations.  

 “The international organizations, if they just stand still, in meeting with their feeding requirements are going to have to see (another one-third to 50 percent) increase in financial support,” he said.  

Ireland has a large aid budget for a country of 5 million people  — about $1 billion, an amount that sees broad support in parliament due to empathy born of the country’s own past struggles. Still, Ireland has to take a targeted approach to the projects it supports. That means working with large multilateral organizations to achieve scale, and strictly structuring aid delivery in the niches where it can make a dent.  

One area Mr. Brophy said Ireland has emerged as a leader is climate financing, focusing on projects that help particular populations adapt to a changing climate. Instead of focusing on mitigation, an Irish project might focus on helping people deal with its effects, providing backing for the development of a more fuel-efficient stove, for instance.  

In agriculture, Teagasc — the Irish agriculture and food development authority — helps farmers around the world improve crop yields through technology transfers, he said.  

On health, Ireland can’t provide millions of vaccine doses like the U.S. and other larger countries, but it can help receiving countries build out their health care systems so that when they’re flooded with shots, they can actually get them into arms. Irish donations and knowledge transfers help with simple technology, refrigeration and command-and-control systems. The country is also focused on sharing its knowhow on mental health support for health care workers, piloting new programs in this regard.  

Ireland also works in the area of education, building on its own experience of transforming its economy without the aid of natural resources — instead relying on human capital, Mr. Brophy said.  

Ireland works to promote gender equality in places around the world  where girls are kept home from school. Sometimes, it’s an uphill battle that requires a commitment to “societal change,” Mr. Brophy said.  

“You must convince the parents and the family that it’s worth educating both genders; you must convince the state that if they can education instead of 50 percent 100 percent of the population that financially and economic lay they will be better off,” he said. (His host for the Atlanta leg of the trip, Irish Consul General Caoimhe Ni Chonchuir, led Ireland’s human rights and gender equality team at the United Nations before her recent arrival here.)  

Even in the case that education and opportunity do not mitigate migration, they can take away the sting of prejudice.  

“I think a lot of what we have to realize about how beneficial aid can be if used correctly, is that if somebody then does push to migrate or emigrate from their home country, if they’re educated, there’s much less resistance,” he said. “People don’t stand the borders and go, ‘I don’t want that doctor to be admitted.’ They never have and they never will.”  

In his final responses, Mr. Brophy brought his profiles of aid and diaspora together again, noting that his office was able to provide stipends to Irish organizations in Atlanta and beyond that were hit hard by closures and cancellations during the pandemic. He spoke not too long after Atlanta and Savannah hosted their first in-person St. Patrick’s Day parades since 2020.  

Bringing back travel is also important for Ireland’s economy. Just before coming down to Atlanta, Mr. Brophy visited New York to unveil in conjunction with Tourism Ireland the new Global Irish Festival series, which will incorporate special events in Mayo, Donegal, Limerick and Kerry throughout this year.  

The minister’s meetings included opportunities to showcase Irish sports — a key connecting point — and outline efforts to “expand and develop” the diaspora by ensuring that all members of Irish descent know that they are included.  

“We have a new diaspora policy in the last 18 months. And it’s all about reaching out in an inclusive way to all people with an Irish heritage to make sure that we’re talking and letting them know that there is much power there as well as our traditional, maybe, diaspora,” he said.  

That means those who carry another main ethnic or cultural identity, from African American to Mexican, can engage with portions of their Irish heritage.  

“One of the things that we’re very anxious to do with our new diaspora  strategy is to make sure that as whatever part you feel of you feel that it’s part of the Irish diaspora feels welcome — that it’s not exclusive,” he said.  

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For more information on aid or diaspora resources, connect with the Consulate General of Ireland in Atlanta here. 

As managing editor of Global Atlanta, Trevor has spent 15+ years reporting on Atlanta’s ties with the world. An avid traveler, he has undertaken trips to 30+ countries to uncover stories on the perils...

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