EIIC News

President Higgins Visits the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in Woodlawn

President Michael D. Higgins visited Emerald Isle Immigration Center on Wednesday May 2^nd, accompanied by his wife Sabina, Ambassador Michael Collins and Consul General Noel Kilkenny. He was welcomed by EIIC Chair Brian O’Dwyer, members of the Center’s Board and Staff. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz greeted the President with a proclamation and declared May 2 “Irish Day” in the Borough.

The President was then introduced to all of the Center’s programs and spoke with many participants and volunteers about the work of Emerald Isle. In these difficult times he was particularly impressed by the work of the Center in alleviating the strain on the most vulnerable members of the community. Addressing the audience, President Higgins said that: “What is important is the kind of solidarity you show; the care, the instinct to look at strangers as someone like yourself.”

President Higgins was presented with a blanket that was made by the Center’s Knitting Group and met with the Gaelic Group. As a fluent gaeilgeoir he held a lively conversation with the group “ as gaeilge”, overcoming the gap between the dialects of Kerry and Connemara. The musical traditions of Ireland were represented by the beautiful singing of Mar y Courtney, who played throughout and was warmly greeted by the President and his wife.

Executive Director Siobhan Dennehy said that “We were thrilled with the opportunity to showcase the work of our staff and we were all delighted to have been part of the President’s inaugural visit to the United States.”

The assembled crowd was addressed by Chair Brian O’Dwyer, President Higgins and Board Member Jim Lombard, who made a presentation to the President. All of the speakers affirmed the importance of the work that the Center is doing, the multicultural nature of the services and the importance of community and hospitality in its work.

Emerald Isle Immigration Center: Drawing from the momentum of the campaign for immigration reform in the 1980’s, Emerald Isle was created to provide an outlet for the Irish community to receive immigration  assistance. The Center has expanded over the years to provide a broad range of services, including immigration, social services and employment programs, to a wide cross-section of the immigrant population in New York and its environs.

The Center has dedicated immigration staff in Queens and the Bronx who assists thousands of immigrants each year, helping them with anything from finding a job on arrival to processing for citizenship. These services are provided for free and are supported by the Government of Ireland’s Emigrant Support Program, the City Council of New York, NY State and the kind donations of many individuals.

Please contact Executive Director Siobhan Dennehy for further details on the event and Emerald Isle’s programs and history.