Ireland Reaches Out to 'Affinity Diaspora' as New Global Strategy Takes Effect
Ireland's Diaspora Strategy 2026-2030 moved into its active funding phase on Tuesday, July 1, with the new cycle of the Emigrant Support Programme beginning to provide financial backing to Irish organisations worldwide — a strategy that represents a significant evolution in how the Irish state understands and engages with its global community, embracing a broader and more inclusive definition of Irishness that extends beyond bloodlines to encompass all those who share a deep affinity with the island.
Background
Ireland's relationship with its diaspora is one of the most distinctive features of the country's national identity. The experience of emigration — driven by famine, poverty, political upheaval, and economic necessity over more than two centuries — has created a global Irish community that is estimated at 70 million people, spread across every continent and embedded in the cultural and political life of countries from the United States to Australia, from Argentina to South Africa.
The Irish state's engagement with its diaspora has evolved significantly over the past three decades. The establishment of the Emigrant Support Programme in 2004 provided a formal mechanism for funding Irish community organisations abroad, and successive diaspora strategies have sought to deepen and broaden the state's engagement with the global Irish community. The 2020-2025 strategy, which was the first to use the term "diaspora strategy" explicitly, set out a framework for engagement that has been built upon in the new 2026-2030 document.
The new strategy was developed following a consultation process that drew 10,000 responses — an unusually high level of engagement that reflects the depth of interest in the diaspora question among Irish people at home and abroad. The consultation revealed a range of concerns and aspirations, from the practical challenges faced by Irish people returning to Ireland after periods abroad to the desire of second and third-generation Irish people to maintain their connection with the country of their ancestors.
Key Developments
The most significant conceptual innovation in the new strategy is its embrace of the "affinity diaspora" — a term used to describe people who have a strong connection to Ireland that is not based on Irish heritage or ancestry. This category includes people who have lived and worked in Ireland, who have Irish partners or spouses, who have studied in Ireland, or who have developed a deep affinity with Irish culture, language, or values through other means. The inclusion of the affinity diaspora in the strategy reflects a recognition that Ireland's global community is more diverse and more complex than a simple model based on ancestry can capture.
The strategy also addresses the practical challenges faced by the estimated 30,000 Irish citizens who return to Ireland each year after periods abroad. These returning emigrants often face significant difficulties in re-establishing themselves in Ireland — including challenges with accessing housing, healthcare, and social welfare entitlements, and difficulties in having qualifications and work experience gained abroad recognised by Irish employers and professional bodies. The strategy commits to a range of measures to address these barriers, including improved information services, streamlined administrative processes, and enhanced support for returning emigrants in the first months after their return.
Minister of State Neale Richmond, who has responsibility for the diaspora, described the strategy as a recognition that Ireland's diaspora is a "unique national asset" that the state has a responsibility to nurture and support. He emphasised the importance of the affinity diaspora concept, noting that Ireland's global reputation and influence depend not just on the Irish-born and their descendants but on the much larger community of people who have been touched by Ireland and who carry a positive image of the country with them wherever they go.
Why It Matters
The Diaspora Strategy 2026-2030 is significant not just as a policy document but as a statement of values. The decision to embrace the affinity diaspora — to say, in effect, that Irishness is not simply a matter of blood or birth but of connection, affinity, and shared values — reflects a more open and inclusive understanding of national identity that has important implications for how Ireland presents itself to the world.
The practical significance of the diaspora for Ireland is enormous. Irish people abroad are ambassadors for the country in their professional and personal lives, advocates for Irish interests in the political systems of their adopted countries, and contributors to the cultural and economic life of Ireland through tourism, investment, and remittances. The diaspora's support for Ireland during the financial crisis of 2008-2012 — through bond purchases, tourism, and advocacy — was a tangible demonstration of the value of maintaining strong connections with the global Irish community.
The strategy's focus on returning emigrants is also significant. The 30,000 people who return to Ireland each year bring with them skills, experience, and perspectives that are valuable to the Irish economy and society. Making it easier for them to reintegrate — by removing bureaucratic barriers and providing better support services — is both a matter of fairness and a sound economic investment.
Local Impact
The Emigrant Support Programme, which enters its new funding cycle from July 1, provides financial support to Irish community organisations in countries around the world. In the United States — where the Irish-American community is estimated at 35 million people — the programme funds a range of organisations that provide welfare services, cultural programmes, and community support to Irish emigrants and their descendants. In the United Kingdom, where there is a large and diverse Irish community, the programme supports organisations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and other cities with significant Irish populations.
In Australia, Canada, and across the European Union, the programme funds organisations that provide practical support to Irish emigrants — including welfare services for elderly Irish people who emigrated decades ago and who may be isolated or in need of care — as well as cultural and community programmes that maintain the connection between the diaspora and Ireland. The new strategy's emphasis on the affinity diaspora is expected to open up the programme to a wider range of organisations and communities in the coming years.
What's Next
The Department of Foreign Affairs will publish the full details of the 2026-2027 Emigrant Support Programme funding round in the coming weeks, with organisations invited to apply for grants to support their work with Irish communities abroad. The department has indicated that the new strategy's emphasis on the affinity diaspora will be reflected in the criteria for the funding round, with organisations that work with a broader definition of the Irish community encouraged to apply. A mid-term review of the strategy is planned for 2028, which will assess progress against the strategy's objectives and identify any adjustments needed for the remaining years of the strategy period.
