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The Global Irish Diaspora Congress

The Global Irish Diaspora Congress is a series that examines the histories, cultures, heritages and identities of Irish communities beyond Ireland’s shores.
More than 70 million people worldwide can claim descent from Irish emigrants. For many decades there has been considerable scholarly interest in the history of emigration from Ireland, from its beginnings in the middle ages (to Britain and parts of Europe) through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (to all corners of the globe), and in how ‘Irishness’ has been and continues to be maintained and expressed by descendant communities.
However, the sheer scale of the Irish diaspora has created obstacles to an international conversation and exchange of ideas. Comparative perspectives will greatly enhance our worldwide research on subjects such as the many causes of Irish migration, the types of people who migrated, the shared or divergent experiences of the migrants in different places and times, the material remains of diaspora, the impact of migrations on host populations and cultures, and relationships between diasporic communities and Ireland.
This congress provides a stage for this long-needed, international exchange and discussion. Researchers from many fields and from every corner of the world are invited to each congress to attend a number of days of plenaries and parallel sessions, where they can present their work, meet fellow-researchers, exchange ideas, and establish research networks within and across disciplinary boundaries. The inaugural GID Congress took place in University College Dublin, Ireland in August 2017.


Comhdháil í seo ina ndéantar iniúchadh ar scéalta éagsúla na bpobal Éireannach thar lear idir stair, chultúr, oidhreacht agus fhéiniúlacht.
Tá breis agus 70 milliún duine ar fud an domhain a shíolraíonn ó eisimircigh na hÉireann. Le blianta fada anuas tá spéis á léiriu ag scoláirí i stair na heisimirce ó Éirinn, ón mheánaois (nuair a chuaigh daoine chun na Breataine agus chun na hEorpa) go dtí an 18ú agus an 19ú haois (nuair a chuaigh na hÉireannaigh chuig gach cearn den domhan). Anuas air sin tá scoláirí ag cur spéise i bhforbairt choincheap an ‘Éireannachais’ agus an chaoi a dtuigeann agus a múnlaíonn sliocht na hÉireann an coincheap sin i gcónaí.
In ainneoin na spéise seo cruthaíonn scála an diaspóra bacanna don chomhrá idirnáisiúnta agus don mhalartú smaointe. Trí dhearcadh comparáideach a fhorbairt cuirfear go mór lenár gcuid taighde ag leibhéal domhanda ar na cúiseanna iomadúla a bhain agus a bhaineann leis an eisimirce ó Éirinn, ar an gcineál duine a chuaigh ar imirce, ar thaithí na n-eisimirceach in áiteanna éagsúla i dtréimhsí éagsúla, ar chultúr ábhartha an diaspóra, ar thionchar na himirce ar na pobail a thóg isteach iad, agus ar na caidrimh idir pobail éagsúla an diaspóra le hÉirinn.
Leis an gComhdháil seo cuirtear ardán ar fáil don phlé agus don mhalartú idirnáisiúnta seo atá ag teastáil le fada. Cuirtear fáilte mhór roimh thaighdeoirí atá ag saothrú an ghoirt i réimsí éagsúla ar fud an domhain teacht le chéile le freastal ar laethanta de sheisiún iomlánacha agus seisiúin chomhthreomhara. Tugtar cuireadh do scoláirí a gcuid saothair a chur i láthair, bualadh le taighdeoirí eile, smaointe a mhalartú agus gréasáin taighde a bhunú laistigh agus lasmuigh de theorainneacha a ndisciplíní. Reáchtáladh an chéad Chomhdháil i gColáiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath sa bhliain 2017.