We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
TÁNAISTE AND FOREIGN Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore has announced a new “recognition” awards system for members of the diaspora who are considered to have served Ireland or Irish communities abroad.
In his opening address to the Global Irish Economic Forum at Dublin Castle this morning, Gilmore applauded the “influence of the global Irish” which he said spread further in the world than any other small country. He described the Irish diaspora as hard-working and creative and that Ireland should take pride in their achievements. He said:
I am, therefore, pleased to announce that the Government will shortly introduce a new system of recognition for sustained and distinguished service to Ireland or Irish communities abroad by individual members of the diaspora.
He insisted that the system would NOT be an honours system but “rather will involve the formal recognition every year of individuals from a range of sectors at a ceremony in Ireland”.
The Tánaiste said that more detailed proposals would be brought before the Government shortly. The Irish Constitution does not support an honours system or nobility classification such as that conferred by the English monarchy.
The Government awarded its first Certificate of Irish Heritage two weeks ago to Bridget Hunter, the mother of a New York firefighter who died on 9/11. Joseph Hunter died while attending the site of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in 2001. People have been able to apply for the certificates since last Friday – but unlike that honorary first one, they will have to pay €40 plus delivery costs for them.
He also announced that an online network for Irish people “and those who think Irish”, WorldIrish.com, was being launched at the forum by John McColgan.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s opening speech recalled that in the same hall where the main forum was taking place, the Government and the President had welcomed Queen Elizabeth II last May – “a sight, an even, we thought we might never see”.
He said that he felt that the event was part of Ireland’s bid to get its “message of regeneration and resurgence” out to the rest of the world. He paid tribute to the late co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, who died on Wednesday night at his Californian home, saying that his example of creativity and leadership set the bar for the next generation.
It is that same spirit, that same creativity, that same love of Ireland, belief in Ireland, that brings us here to Dublin Castle today.
Clearly intent on reminding us of the State visits earlier this year, the Taoiseach referred to US President Barack Obama’s words of encouragement to Ireland on the steps of College Green, saying that our best days are ahead of us. As with Eamon Gilmore in a later response to Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams at the forum, he focused on some positives in the Irish economic situation in recent months, including:
He said: “My vision is to make Ireland the best small country in the world in which to do business by 2016.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Was driving in it today and the amount of people driving around with no lights on was unreal. People turn your lights on!!
It’s the yellow snow you have to be careful of.
Yeah, about that. It’s been foggy as fk since 5am in Galway. Nice goin.
@Mick Ryan: Met Éireann issued the warning yesterday. Media reported it today. Met Éireann blamed for the media not doing its job.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: if you’ve got access to the journal you be got access to met eireann site
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: yeah everything is the fault of the media – Met Eireann are such an exemplary organisation that they never make any mistakes – I mean I literally can’t think of one mistake by Met Eireann.
@Darren Byrne: it’s not a site most people look at unless prompted.
I tend to forget it exists until someone mentions a weather warning to me. And considering that only either happens here, or from someone directly informing me, how else would i find out important information?
@Mirabelle Stonegate: you can download the Met Éireann app and you can set it to send notifications when a warning is issued.
@Dave Hammond: I never said MÉ were an exemplary organisation. Nor did I say they never make mistakes. However, the original comment, to which I replied, implied that Met Éireann failed to notify, when in fact they had notified. This is a common trait among Irish people – blame the wrong person.
Never seen yellow fog before. Could that be toxic?
It’s actually just clearing here in Cork now.
@James O’Donovan: I don’t know what part of cork your in but it’s as bad as ever around the city
@Jason O Brien: Wilton area. Totally clear here now. Could barely see 200 yards all day up until now.
Jesus the North are getting another grey warning.
This is scandalous!
@Colm Hanlon: nationwide apart from the 6 counties. Journal sell out.
@Colm Hanlon: Fog is kinda grey…better than yellow fog…which tends to be mustard gas
I think most drivers will be in a fog of their own
Yellow fog, that’s a new one here?
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
Non-TCF/GVL Vendors
have your say