Offaly – Reaching Out and Engaging with Our Diaspora

Offaly – Reaching Out and Engaging with Our Diaspora

Minister Joe McHugh launches Offaly’s Diaspora Strategy at the 2017 National Ploughing Championships.

Diaspora Minister Mchugh and Cllr Liam Quinn

Minister Joe McHugh and Offaly County Council Cathaoirleach Liam Quinn

Minister Joe McHugh launches Offaly’s Diaspora Strategy at the 2017 National Ploughing Championships.

 It was a fitting venue for the launch as Offaly once again welcomes over 280,000 visitors to Europe’s largest outdoor event in Tullamore. Minister McHugh remarked that the National Ploughing Championships showcases the best of indigenous and international talent in the agri-food sector and is a perfect example of local diaspora initiatives in action.

With support from the Department of An Taoiseach through the Local Diaspora Engagement Fund, Offaly County Council is pleased to publish the Diaspora Strategy 2017-2020.  Speaking about the Strategy, Chief Executive of Offaly County Council commented “The Strategy brings together key initiatives that will connect and engage Offaly’s global Diaspora to bring positive change and impact for Offaly and ensure that the Diaspora feel part of a shared progressive vision that benefits “bring home”. The ultimate focus of these initiatives is to capitalise on linkages and connections to create economic progression and jobs in the county”.

Central to this Diaspora Strategy, the county’s strengths as a business base include a central location, good connectivity and quality of life making it a great place to live and work.  Dublin, Limerick and Galway are just an hour’s drive away.  Furthermore, Offaly’s central location provides an opportunity for workers to ‘reverse commute’.  This emerging trend is where employees (or the self-employed) may live in the greater Dublin area (or other urban area) and commute against the traffic flow to work in Offaly.

The Offaly Diaspora Strategy seeks to build on these strengths and with funding received under the Local Diaspora Strategy Development Fund, a series of actions have been undertaken: -

                                                                     

Commissioning of 2 thematic   videos and a 40 advert to promote Offaly.  Designed to appeal to the   Diaspora audience, the chosen themes are: -

  •   Offaly – Great location attracting dynamic   companies and talented staff
  •   Offaly – A great place to be (work/life   balance)
  •   Offaly Advert: Live, Work, Visit and Invest

    

Scoping research to provide   baseline data – e.g. databases available, LinkedIn base, appropriate   marketing channels on which to market the video and suite of other marketing   materials.

       

The development of a coherent   Offaly Diaspora Strategy which draws influence from the Local Diaspora   Toolkit, published by the Minister for Diaspora Affairs

 

Minister McHugh noted that “There is a huge potential to reach out to Ireland’s diaspora whether that be the large and historic community in America or the new ones in Australia, New Zealand and in the Gulf States. Helping bring this diaspora to Ireland or helping emigrants who are returning home is the best way to share ideas and knowledge and to create lasting connections that benefit all”.

Offaly County Council Cathaoirleach Liam Quinn explained that “This Offaly Diaspora Strategy has been designed as a high impact roadmap to highlight focused marketing efforts that will make a measureable impact across economic, cultural and social themes with our Diaspora wherever they may now be around the world.  We respond to Diaspora research that shows that they want a closer engagement with ‘home’ which remains a key part of their identity and something important in their lives”. 

 

The videos are available to view on YouTube Channel This is Offaly.

  Diaspora Launch

 Orla Martin, Local Enterprise Office, Rose of Tralee Jennifer Byrne, Offaly County Council Cathaoirleach Liam Quinn and Offaly County Council Chief Executive Anna Marie Delaney

Diaspora Minister Mchugh

Minister Joe McHugh, Cathaoirleach Liam Quinn, Councillors John Clendennen, Peter Ormond, Chief Executive Anna Marie Delaney and staff of Offaly County Council.

For more information, contact

Orla Martin

Head of Enterprise

Local Enterprise Office Offaly, Offaly County Council.

Tel: 057 93 57480

Email: info@leo.offalycoco.ie