Connected Communities, Global Relationships

The Western Development Commission (WDC) has published  Connected Communities, Global Relationships a new report on research carried out by our Policy team on diaspora engagement in the West and Northwest of Ireland. Emigration has been one of the defining forces in the history of the West and Northwest of Ireland and that experience has shaped our society, our economy and our sense of identity.

Through its work as a regional development agency, the WDC  has aways had a strong sense of the scale and value of the enduring and mutually beneficial relationships that continue to link people and communities in the West and Northwest with people in other parts of Ireland and across Britain, North America, Australia and many other parts of the world.

The research gives us a much clearer picture of who is doing the connecting, about the nature and geography of these relationships and about the success stories and challenges.  It also gives us a much clearer idea of the kind of supports or initiatives which could enable that work to become more coordinated, effective and sustainable.