It is evident to anyone in a major city on St Patrick’s Day that an individual with the flimsiest connection to Ireland will be drinking Guinness and waving the Irish tricolour.
The strong affinity of the Irish to their homeland was evident when I worked in the Emerald Isle during the 1990s and saw that one of the interesting side-effects of the boom in the ‘Celtic Tiger’ economy was the number of expatriates returning to live and work in the country, many of whom were proud of their Irish roots and wanted to make a major contribution to its future.
It is therefore disappointing that there is scant celebration of our own nationhood in Wales outside of schools, Eisteddfods and rugby internationals. In particular, little has also been done to ensure that the Welsh Diaspora living across the World is linked back to the land of their fathers.
This is despite the presence of St David’s Societies across the USA and the publication of dedicated periodicals such as Ninnau, the Welsh-American newspaper. Yet, with an estimated 12 million Americans of Welsh descent, could we not be doing more to ensure that they and others can bring social and economic benefits to Wales?
Certainly, our Celtic cousins in Scotland have not been slow to take advantage of this and even before the SNP took power, economic agencies were using nationhood as a means to gain competitive advantage in the global marketplace.
For example, Scottish Trade International has established a worldwide network of Scots business executives who are either successful entrepreneurs abroad or are working in senior positions within international organizations. This group of around 900 business people is spread around the world and is more than willing to provide business advice and market intelligence to help Scottish companies develop their businesses.
Why aren’t we doing the same here? More importantly, what can we do in the short term to ensure that we link up Wales and those Welsh descent who live abroad? As someone who has lived overseas, ‘hiraeth’ is an emotion that I am all too familiar with. What can we do immediately to take advantage of this for the benefit of Wales?
First of all, let’s strengthen links between existing groups such as St David’s Day societies and different organisations here in Wales. With the advent of the internet as tool to break down the barriers of distance, there is no reason why there could not be a global portal which anyone with a Welsh heritage could access.
Secondly, let’s undertake a major exercise, like the Scots, to identify successful Welsh businesspeople across the globe and bring them together to form a strong network for the benefit of the Welsh economy. We could also do the same in other areas such as arts, fashion and sports.
Finally, and most importantly, let’s make St David’s Day a national holiday. After all, if we cannot celebrate our patron saint’s day within our own country in the same way as the Irish do, how can we expect those Welsh expatriates living in faraway lands to do the same?
Comments
this is the problem with Wales in general we need an alternative and not just people who play at it.
If I remember it was chaired by Elfed Roberts -but I may be wrong there I know Eleri Carrog was invloved in starting it May be that would be a good start point
"Why aren’t we doing the same here?" Borrowing from Supertramp, "Bloody well right".
I have put this question several times to several people with links to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). One chap with a very posh accent in what was the WDA's office in NYC (which I guess is now run by WAG) gave me the brush off. Sorry, but with such idiotic responses from WAG personnel one wonders if there is any hope at all for a future flourishing Wales.
I have a stinking HUGE wealth of experience and information on the patent system in the USA, but "there's no call for it" (in Wales).
I honestly despair for Wales. My Welsh mother tells me to forget about it, they (in authority) don't care or will never learn, just concentrate on what you are doing here (in the USA), love. It's their loss, not yours.
But I do care and I am so saddened that Wales is next to a laughing stock, "enjoys" a low status in the world, and this should not be the case at all. Wales has HUGE intellectual property/talent, but fails to harness it. WAG should be listening - but doesn't want to know. It's no wonder that Wales experiences such a brain drain of talent. A famous best selling Welsh author once wrote to me that the best thing he had ever done was leave Wales. I think I still have that email somewhere, but will never reveal.