FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COURT GRANTS LEAVE TO APPLY FOR A JUDICIAL REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT’S CASE

The High Court (of Ireland) has granted an international student at NUI Galway leave to apply for a judicial review of the Government’s decision not to renew her permission to stay in the country unless her four-year-old son is taken out of a State-funded primary school.

Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) Senior Solicitor Hilkka Becker represented the student, Mrs Erin Britton, in the High Court today.

Ms Becker said Mrs Britton’s application argued that the Government has acted unlawfully in this case.

“Mrs Britton came to Ireland to study a two-year masters programme in Medieval Studies at NUI Galway in 2006 and was not told before she came here, or on her arrival, that a condition of her permission to stay was that her son must not attend a State school,” Ms Becker said.

“The first time Mrs Britton heard of this condition was when she tried to renew her permission to stay, at a point when her son was already attending primary school and when she is more than halfway through her masters programme.

“She has found the rules have changed without notice and that the Government is telling her that, in order to stay in Ireland to finish her course – which is costing her €12,000 a year in fees, plus loans to cover her living expenses – she must take her child out of the school where he is happily settled and enrol him in a private school.

“We believe Mrs Britton has a right to expect her permission to stay in Ireland would be renewed on the same terms as it was initially granted in 2006 – with no conditions relating to her son’s education.”

Ms Becker said the Government has acted unfairly because it gave Mrs Britton no notice of its change in policy, she received no decision in writing and was given no opportunity to appeal.

“It is ironic that the day before the UN’s International Migrants’ Day, we are in court seeking leave for a judicial review of a decision which we firmly believe breaches the Irish Constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,” she said.

“The ICI has consistently lobbied the Government to spell out in law what migrants’ rights to family life are and this case demonstrates that need.

“We would urge the Government to apply the same rules in Ireland as apply in the UK, where a child of an international student is permitted to receive a State education while a parent is studying there, provided the child leaves the country when the parent completes their studies.”

For further information, contact Ruth Evans on +353 87 067 3676.

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Notes to editors

UK Immigration Directorate Instructions state: “The child of a student may therefore receive state education while his parent is studying here but he would be expected to leave with his parent on completion of the parent’s studies.” Chapter 3, section 4.6.

My wife and 4 year old son are living in Galway while I remain in the United States. I was living with them in Ireland last year while attending NUI Galway then moved back to the States a few months ago to complete my Masters in International Affairs in St. Louis, Missouri. Erin, my wife, is in the 2nd year of her 2 year Masters in Medieval Studies programme at NUI Galway while Aidan has been attending Claddagh National School in Galway since August 2007. Aidan excels at school and his teachers are always praising his successes and eagerness to learn. We are all US citizens and Erin is registered with Immigration on an International Student visa while Aidan is registered under her care as well.

Erin’s and Aidan’s one year visas expired 29 November, so she visited the Garda National Immigration Bureau in Galway that day and waited for two and a half hours only to be told the office was closed just as her number was about to be called. She complained to one of the officers about having to bring Aidan back the next day since she was concerned about having to remove him from a second consecutive day of school for the purposes of immigration. The officer assured Erin that he had seen that she had a child and not to worry; it would not be necessary to return with Aidan the next day.

Erin returned the next day, 30 November 2007, to re-register with GNIB. She was asked a series of detailed questions about her situation as was expected, including questions about Aidan and his status. Erin explained that he was enrolled at Claddagh National School in Galway early this past summer and commenced in August. He then attends a paid after school programme at the school everyday as well. The immigration officer explained that since Erin is in Ireland on an International Student visa that Aidan is not allowed to attend National School. The officer then threatened deportation of Aidan unless he was withdrawn from school immediately. As you can imagine, Erin was shocked. How can a 4 year old child, who has a PPS number and legally registered at a National school be deported! Not only that, but Erin was also refused a new registration card even though she is legally allowed to remain in Ireland as a full time Masters student in Medieval Studies (a programme that is unique only to Ireland). She receives US Federal Student loans and private US loans that provide for her entire school fees (unsubsidized) and living expenses. By no means is she nor is Aidan a financial drain to Ireland, if that is in fact the contention of Aidan’s attendance in National school while Erin is a University Student. On the contrary, she is generating a massive financial investment for the Irish economy.

As a result of this threat, Aidan will not be allowed to live fully as a growing student since there are no feasible private schools in the area. Aidan will now be forced to cease learning and socializing with his peers as no equivalent education alternative exists for him in Galway. He is too advanced for crèche since he spent the last year attending a crèche in Galway and was deemed to be well prepared for National school by the staff.

From Article 28 of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child:

The child has the right to education; the State has a duty to make
primary education compulsory and free to all and to take measure to
develop different forms of secondary education and to make this
accessible to all children. School discipline should be administered in a
manner consistent with the child’s human dignity.

Every child should be provided an education by the state, anything less is a violation of human rights. My son has demonstrated his ability to succeed in the nurturing environment of his crèche last year and now in Claddagh National School this year. It is unfair to Aidan to suddenly remove him from the stable environment he has been part of since August. The threat of deportation of a 4 year old child is appalling and refusing Erin an International student visa is unjust. Erin and I will do everything we can to bring about awareness of our situation to the organisations responsible and would appreciate your immediate assistance as well.

What can you do?

UPDATE
File a Complaint about GNIB:

Ombudsman for Children’s Office
Millennium House
52-56 Great Strand Street
Dublin 1
IRELAND
oco@oco.ie
+353 1 8656800

Contact:
Immigrant Council of Ireland
2 St Andrew Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
Information service: +353 1 674 0200
Administration: +353 1 674 0202
Fax: +353 1 645 8031
info@immigrantcouncil.ie

About the Immigrant Council of Ireland

The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) is a national, independent non-governmental organisation that promotes the rights of migrants through information, legal advice, advocacy, lobbying, research and publications, as well as training work.

We had a great three-day weekend and it was much more laid back than I had planned, which was kinda nice. On Saturday, I went to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Galway with Erin and Aidan. It rained the entire day. Actually it rained the entire weekend, but that wasn’t enough to dampen our spirits.

Though rainy, the parade was about the best I’d ever been to, period. There were school marching bands, traditional dancers, fun-costumed dancers, Gaelic football clubs, hurling clubs, pipers, ethnic groups of Galway and of course St. Patrick himself and a few fun variations as well. There were only a handful of corporate sponsored floats which is how it should be. The only other St. Patrick’s Day Parade I have attended was in St. Louis and although it was large, it was mostly company sponsored groups dressed up in kitschy garb. I could definitely spot the American tourists a mile away since they were the only ones dressed in green leprechaun hats wearing t-shirts emblazoned with Kiss me, I’m Irish and shamrocks.

The crowd was quite large and estimated to be about 50,000, although it didn’t seem like that many. Maybe the rain forced all but the hard-core parade goers to the pubs to watch Ireland give Italy a pounding in rugby, only to see their hopes of winning the 6 Nations Rugby title dashed after Scotland allowed France to score at the end of the following game. I digress… It was a great parade and I highly recommend attending it next year if you can.

Since it rained all weekend, we were forced inside for most of it. We cooked great meals, drank plenty of Guinness and watched loads of movies. It was a great break before the last two weeks of classes. Off to finish my paper…

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This past weekend we made a getaway from Galway City to the largest of the Aran Islands, Inis Mór. The island is a remote and beautiful place, especially in the off-season when many of the tourists are still busy planning their trips. We took advantage of this opportunity to save a little money by braving the cooler weather during the slow season and it was well worth it.

(don’t miss the slide show at the end of the post!)

We set out from Galway City on Friday afternoon by catching the shuttle bus to Ros a’ Mhíl (Rossaveal) where we hopped on the 6:00 pm ferry. By this time it was dark and the wind was picking up. The uncovered upper deck of the ferry was off limits, but I don’t think I would have enjoyed it much in the dark anyway. The ferry set a course for Cill Rónáin (Kilronan) and wow, was the sea choppy! We landed on Inis Mór about 45 minutes later and hopped into a mini bus to Ard Einne, our bed and breakfast for the weekend. Clodagh, the innkeeper, showed us to our room and we relaxed in the comfortable lounge downstairs before heading to bed.

In the morning, we were treated with a wonderful view of the bay and lighthouse of Kilronan from our window. The beds were comfortable and the bathroom fixtures were all new. The room had a kettle for tea and coffee along with milk and sugar in order to get the first morning buzz before breakfast. Downstairs, there awaited 3 glasses of juice and a full selection of cereals, fruit and milk. We had a nice chat with Clodagh and she asked if we liked a full Irish breakfast (eggs, bacon, tomatoes, brown bread) and either tea or French press coffee. Clodagh was most accommodating and she offered to ring the bike shop for us so we could hire a few bikes in order to explore the island. The B&Bs were running off-season rates, therefore we paid €40 (normally €50) for each adult. This was well worth it. The entire weekend was stress free since Clodagh helped us with all the little details such as phoning taxis and suggesting routes and sites to visit.

We headed off to town on our bikes and made our way along the coast road towards the seal colony near a beach on the northeast side. The road was sparsely traveled and offered spectacular views of Galway Bay, even on a cloudy Irish day. A horse greeted us and almost chewed up my hand. I really needed an apple for him, but ended up disappointing him instead. He put on a show for us, running up and down his stone wall surround. When we reached the seal colony, there were none to be found, but the view was spectacular nonetheless.

Just beyond the beach, the road forks to either the tiny village of Cil Mhuirbhigh or Dún Aonghasa (one of seven forts {map} on the Aran Islands) so we chose the latter in order to beat the rain. The road follows uphill to a base area of a few shops and a cafe about 2km up. We parked our bikes and headed to the Visitor’s Center. I have a Heritage Card, which offers free admission for one year to several historic sites in Ireland. I highly recommend getting one if you plan to see more than a few sites. It’s well worth it and supports the preservation of many cultural sites. The Visitor’s Center has information about the excavation and preservation of this prehistoric ringfort with activity dating back as early as 1500 BC. The hike to the fort from the Visitor’s Center is steep but manageable. It is possible to see both sides of the island as you near the top. The fort is essentially three rings forming a D-shape on the edge of a roughly 100m cliff that drops down into the Atlantic Ocean. As you can imagine, the view from the top is spectacular. At this moment, I was able to realize how far away North America was as I stared into the massively empty skyline.

We made our way back down to the ‘base camp’ and visited some really cool shops full of handicrafts from the island. One shopkeeper reminded me of my grandmother and was very close to selling me one of her hand knit authentic Aran Island sweaters (beware of imitations!). I took down her info and might place an order when I get some spare cash. I did purchase a really cool t-shirt depicting a Celtic druid. We had some lunch in a thatched-roof cafe and headed back out just as it started to rain.

The rest of the bike trek took us along a tiny old farm road on the West coast of the island. We aimed to see the wormhole, a geologic formation, by following a sign but never spotted it. We continued along the road that climbed a huge slope to near the highest point on the island. We spotted the signal tower, the highest point, but never found the road leading up to it. The bike ride was amazing. It was a bit challenging in spots with 35 pounds of weight on the back tire (my son was in a child carrier) but so peaceful in the light rain with the mist off the Atlantic ocean to our right. We rode along the seemingly ancient stone walls that followed the road and discovered another unmarked ringfort before making our way back to town.

We arrived back in Kilronan village and decided to warm up a bit at the American Bar with a couple of pints of Guinness and a bucket of chips. On the TV were Wales v. Scotland in the 6 Nations Rugby tournament match and a couple of locals enjoying the match at the bar. It was a great spot to unwind after who-knows-how many kilometers racked up on the bikes that day. The Guinness never tasted better and the chips were perfectly salty. What a treat! Apparently Scotland won the match, but we had to make our way back to the B&B before dark.

We had hot showers (electric showers are awesome, no waiting for hot water to come out) and got ready for dinner at the Aran Islands Hotel restaurant. The mini bus arrived at Ard Einne with a load of American students on holiday that were staying down the road at Tigh Fitz and heading to the same restaurant. All the girls in the group kept admiring our son who was charming them with his ornery-ness.

Dinner was a long affair but it was nice to relax after a big day of biking. We had a bottle of Valpolicella and some seafood chowder for starters. The chowder was lukewarm and lacking in salt. It wasn’t nearly as good as the creamy tomato stuff at The King’s Head but it did have a nice lemon flavor between the chunks of fish. Erin’s was much better since it was a more appropriate temperature. The service was lacking and we felt overlooked as the wait staff seemingly tended to the larger group by a margin of 3 to 1, though we didn’t let it bother us much. For the main course, I had a penne pasta with creamy tomato sauce and roasted vegetables. The veggies were perfectly crunchy and the sauce was subtle and could have used a bit more garlic. Erin had a half-lobster with steamed vegetables and a crispy cucumber-tomato salad. The lobster was a bit chewy but fun to crack into. We decided to let our son run his natural course of 3 yr old behavior during dinner as long as he didn’t run up and down the restaurant. This tactic worked for the most part and made for an enjoyable evening. The other guests didn’t seem to be bothered so everyone was happy.

I spotted a sign for the “Friends of Ted Festival 2007″ which is a brand new festival this year honoring Ireland’s favorite Aran Islands ‘residents’, Father Ted, Dougal, and Fr. Jack. I couldn’t resist, so I swiped it off the door for a cheap souvenir. The festival takes place in a few weeks and is a fundraiser complete with a contest that should settle a ‘dispute’ over which Island, Inis Mór or Inis Oirr, may claim the title of “Craggy Island,” the fictitious island inspired by the real Aran Islands. The dispute will be settled with a friendly 5-a-side football match. I predict this to become a popular annual event, especially since the 100 tickets available were sold out in a few days. Clodagh, the innkeeper, explained that the B&B owners were caught off guard by this year’s event and they should be better prepared if given proper advance notice of next year’s festival. It’s a great idea to promote tourism in this way, even if the title of “Craggy Island” is never resolved.

We had a well-deserved rest that night and woke up to another great breakfast and some amazing views from the front of Ard Einne, then headed back to the ferry. What a fantastic weekend! I highly recommend it and look forward to visiting the other two islands, Inis Meáin and Inis Oirr.

And now, the long awaited slideshow, or high-res flickr set

Today my family and I are headed to Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands. We will take a bus to the ferry which leaves from Ros a’ Mhíl (Rossaveal) in County Galway. The Aran Islands are a Gaeltacht, or Gaelic-speaking region situated at the mouth of Galway Bay in the West of Ireland. We are staying at Ard Einne guesthouse in Kilronan and plan to tour Dún Aengus, an Iron Age fort, and cycle and/or hike around the island. I’ll post a few pictures on Sunday when we return, just in time for Ireland v. France in the 6 Nations Rugby tournament. Erin Go Bragh!

Photo: A Galway Bay Hooker, originally uploaded by NoirinP.

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Something I’ve been meaning to post for quite some time is a list of beers readily available here in Galway, Ireland. There is certainly no shortage of public houses (pubs) off licences (liquor stores) in Ireland, and Galway is no exception.

One of my favorite pubs is The King’s Head, est. 1649. The atmosphere is great in this restored medieval home with a coal and peat burning fireplace downstairs inscribed with the date, 1612 as well as exposed stone walls and medieval artifacts which lend to this pub’s distinct feel. The live music is always a treat and is on almost every night when there is not a football or Gaelic games match on. Of course the Guinness is always grand (great, for you Americans) and the Heineken draft makes one wonder why they even call it Heineken in the States. It is smooth and creamy, not ’skunky’ like many of my friends would say. Other options are Budweiser, Coors and Miller Genuine Draft, the latter being the only one I can tolerate. Finally, The King’s Head offers Murphy’s Irish Stout (second class citizen to Guinness), Carlsberg (Danish lager, a nice break from the famous stout), and Smithwick’s (pronounced without the ‘w’) which is loads better than that copycat Killian’s Irish Red, once described to me as Coors with food coloring.

It has been my experience that these options are pretty standard fare in most Irish pubs. One may expect to find the occasional bottle of Corona (new to Ireland in the past few years as I understand, woo hoo!) or trendy drinks such as WKD or Smirnoff Ice (nasty). The King’s Head is highly recommended by this author, though there are many other pubs in Galway well worth asking for “pionta Guinness led thoil” (a pint ‘a Guinness, please) such as Tigh Neachtain (pr. tee knockton’s, Naughton’s Pub) or Tigh Coili. I would be amiss if I failed to mention, Roisin Dubh, Galway’s, and perhaps Ireland’s, top venue for live music. Check out their site for some of the acts coming up.

This brings us to the off licence. I have to admit, I occasionally miss American microbrews such as Red Hook and anything from New Belgium Brewery but never fear, the local off licence usually offers a wide selection of world beers. My favorite off licence is Harvest, with several locations in Galway. They offer the standard Irish brews that you would expect, along with a few surprises. The first time I visited Harvest, I was aghast to see Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. They also have on offer a few from Samuel Adams and Goose Island Honker’s Ale. As we turn our focus to the old world, you’ll find Chimay, Newcastle, Tenents, Tuborg and a number of smaller English and Belgian ales too numerous to list.

I trust some will find this post useful upon venturing to Galway. Just keep a few things in mind when going for a pint: Remove your hat when you enter the pub, always say ‘please’ when ordering and ‘cheers’ when you receive it, be patient for the Guinness, “it takes 119.5 seconds to pour the perfect pint,” and above all, enjoy the craic. Slainte!

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to post more frequently. The original intent of this blog was to serve as a repository of my experiences as a postgraduate student in Ireland. It’s been a big transition: picking up the family, quitting a job, selling a condo and moving to a foreign for two years. I have had a difficult, yet rewarding experience in Ireland so far and my hope is to be a better historian going forward. If I am able to inspire just one person to become as crazy as myself and start a new life abroad, then I will be happy. Without further delay, I give my thoughts to you…

Wishing all a great New Year in 2007.

I’m in desperate need of new clothing and you digg users can help. Buy a kickass Threadless shirt for only $10 (new shirts being added daily for 30 days) and help clothe a poor graduate student in style. Everyone wins!

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As you may have read previously, I am a postgraduate in Economics at NUI Galway. Unlike many international students, my wife and I are not ’sponsored’ by a school in the USA. Therefore, we do not have the support, financial or administrative, that most other students here are availing. After six weeks of school, I finally have time to take a minute and reflect on the process of applying for and attending a postgraduate study program abroad.

It all started back in early spring of this year when my wife and I made the decision to apply to NUI Galway. She applied for the Masters in Medieval Studies for 2 years and I applied for a Masters in Economic Science in Policy Evaluation and Planning (say that 5 times fast) in the Cairnes Graduate School. We sent all the necessary materials and awaited their decisions. Meanwhile, we completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as we have always done in the past to obtain Stafford Loan funding for tuition and expenses. The FAFSA is easy enough as government applications go, just make sure you have all income tax information for both you and, if necessary, your parents. The application was a success and we received notice that our Student Aid Report (SAR) was ready and would be forwarded along to NUI Galway electronically. The idea here is once the school receives the SAR, they determine financial eligibility and expected family contribution, then certify the amount of loan monies that are available. This information is sent back to a student loan company such as Sallie Mae for approval. The loan is disbursed and everyone is happy. Easy, no?
So far, so good…or we thought. (more on this later)

The application process for NUI Galway on the surface was deceptively simple on the surface. They have a new process whereby all applications for postgraduate programs must be completed online. Simple enough. You submit your info, send in your letters of recommendation via overnight mail (make sure to get tracking information) and presto, your application is rolling along. The university advises a decision will be made 6 weeks after the closing date (deadline) of your program. Presumably, they wait until all applications are received, then proceed to the decision-making stage.

6 weeks came and went; no decision.

Around the end of this May, my wife received a verbal acceptance from her program director via email about 6 weeks after her program’s closing date and she was ecstatic. We were actually going to go through with our crazy decision to uproot our family (did I mention we have a 3 year old son?) rent or sell our home, and move to Ireland for 2 years. I was still awaiting a decision for my program, however we knew that this was the opportunity of a lifetime and weren’t going to pass it up. We started making all the preparations for our big move by selling our car, finding a tenant or prospective buyer for our home.

Well, that’s all I can bear to write about the subject for now. Stay tuned for the rest of the story…

My wife’s grandma “Merdie” passed away this Thanksgiving. She was an amazing woman with a historical political career as a local Democrat Party leader in Lafayette, Indiana. She was twice elected to the Democratic National Convention (1980 and 1984) as a delegate from Indiana and served as a voter registration officer for Tippecanoe County, Indiana. During the past year she took up water color painting and re-created a Monet, a portait of her grandson Giuseppe Alkire, some lovely outdoor scenes from various photo clippings. We remembered Merdie at a memorial service on December 1st with photo albums, her paintings and other memorabilia. Merdie was always full of joy and laughter and for that she will be missed. Here are the funeral notice and obituaries.

These are about a year late, but my buddy Jim inspired me to post these for a camping theme. (click on each picture to zoom in for a larger view)

Going up Vail Mountain in the gondola.

Dad and Aidan coming down the mountain in the fog.

Mom on the trail…

Out of the fog and rain at last!

The aspens are like a painting in the mountain autumn (but Aidan completes the perfect scene)

Let’s take a break from that backpack!

King of the Mountain!

At last, we make it to the bottom!

check out “Minor Thing” a blog by the not yet famous oil driller turned blogger, Jim Kennedy.

My First Bike!
Originally uploaded by jbritton77.

Look at my yellow bee “helmy!”