'Forgotten Irish' fund falls short of target
A campaign to raise €1m to help the "Forgotten Irish" in Britain has collected just €2,000.
While millions across the world were yesterday celebrating their Irish connections, only very few apparently were willing to contribute to the fund to help the less fortunate Irish in Britain.
The travel website lookaroundireland.com hosted the campaign, with two charities, The Safe Home Project in Co Mayo and the Irish Fund of Great Britain's Forgotten Irish, set to benefit. Both organisations help to resettle struggling emigrants who wish to return home to Ireland.
Up to yesterday, however, the total amount raised was just over €2,000 -- despite an impressive 3,000 hits a day on the website.
Campaign organiser John McKeown described the response as "very disappointing". But he insisted that the campaign will continue to raise as much as possible for the two charities.
"The term 'Forgotten Irish' probably sums it all up. We were probably ambitious with the amount we aimed to raise. Nevertheless, we will keep the campaign open in the hope that there will be a response," he said.
John McKeown's father had emigrated from Ireland to Liverpool in the 1940s and he was inspired to set up the fund after viewing the TV documentary 'The Forgotten Irish', which largely focused on Irish people who had emigrated during the 1940s, '50s and '60s.
- Brian McDonald
Irish Independent
