Talks by Fidelma McCorry
This paper looks at the factors specific to South Australia which engendered widespread support f... more This paper looks at the factors specific to South Australia which engendered widespread support for Irish Home Rule in a British and Protestant colony where the Irish community has historically been accepted as being small and insignificant. These factors relate to size, power, social connection and activity and the characteristics of the South Australian Irish community. Australian wealth and wages were poured into the coffers of visiting Irish parliamentary delegates but the moral sustenance offered proved as important as the fiscal.
Patrick O'Farrell suggests that the donations merely salved the Irish-Australian conscience but Michael Davitt noted the worth of Australian means offered to reach an Irish end.
The explosion of online communities in recent years means the world appears smaller than
ever. P... more The explosion of online communities in recent years means the world appears smaller than
ever. Paradoxically, ethnic communities can appear larger and more widespread having the
ability to reach out to members of their diasporas in ways previously unimagined. The Irish
have been considered both a temporal and spatial nation but now, more than ever before, they
are a people unbound by physical borders. This paper investigates the impact of social media
and technology on Irish migrants to South Australia in the 21st century in comparison with
those who came to Adelaide in the 1970s. Impact is measured in terms of return visits,
regularity of familial contact and the settling in process with regard to family, social networks
and working life. Also considered are questions of ‘home’ – where is that now?
Papers by Fidelma McCorry
Appetite
The purpose of this article is to map the data currently available on the subject of eating pract... more The purpose of this article is to map the data currently available on the subject of eating practices and food environments in small (i.e. one-and two-person) households. Specifically, the enquiry is focused on commensality; the act of eating together. Research dates from the late 1980s, however, there are few recent publications on this subject. Searching Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest and Google Scholar, 2,949 papers were found, but only 457 discussed any element of the research questions. These were further distilled to a count of 117, by abstract reading to 53 at which point, quality, location and study focus eliminated a further 34 articles leaving 19 articles. After full reading, it was clear that only seven of these focused on the research question in detail and these are marked as four-star articles by bold text. The 19 articles are analysed for quality and their aspects of relevance to the central research question is discussed.
Healthcare
Outdoor and indoor environments impact older people’s mobility, independence, quality of life, an... more Outdoor and indoor environments impact older people’s mobility, independence, quality of life, and ability to “age in place”. Considerable evidence suggests that not only the amount, but also the quality, of public green spaces in the living environment is important. The quality of public green spaces is mostly measured through expert assessments by planners, designers and developers. A disadvantage of this expert-determined approach is that it often does not consider the appraisals or perceptions of residents. Daily experience, often over long periods of time, means older residents have acquired insider knowledge of their neighbourhood, and thus, may be more qualified to assess these spaces, including measuring what makes a valued or quality public green space. The aim of this Australian pilot study on public green spaces for ageing well was to test an innovative citizen science approach to data collection using smart phones. “Senior” citizen scientists trialed the smart phone audi...
Immigration quotas in Australia are guided primarily by economic policy—the needs of the nation a... more Immigration quotas in Australia are guided primarily by economic policy—the needs of the nation are quite rightly the principal concern of policymakers. Using data from a mixed-methods study, this article engages in a dialogue between labour geography and population and migration studies through an examination of the lived experiences of migrating workers and their families. The paper examines a number of cases where policy and practice have detrimentally affected the migration experience of Irish migrants who came to Australia under the Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visa. The case study focuses on interviews with secondary 457 visa applicants, namely the wives of former 457 workers. These interviews highlight the problems faced by newcomers to Australia who arrive under this visa. The experiences relayed by these women demonstrate how ill-considered policy relating to qualification transferability makes entering the workplace and, therefore, transition to life in Australia more difficult than it needs to be. While the cases that underpin this paper ended in migration failure (the families involved returned to Ireland), the core issues of qualification transferability and skill comparison were replicated in the wider study dataset (of 1022 survey responses and 80 qualitative interviews). While acknowledging that citizens generally have more freedom and more civil rights than non-citizens, the findings of this study indicate that further review of Australia’s 457 visa is needed, particularly with respect to the limitations placed on the agency of migrant workers. Greater awareness amongst prospective migrants as to the purpose and limits of the 457 visa is also necessary, in order to avoid misinterpretation and the extreme personal repercussions outlined in this paper.
Books by Fidelma McCorry
This chapter considers the role of technology in global migration, contemporary emigration motiva... more This chapter considers the role of technology in global migration, contemporary emigration motivators, and Ireland’s diaspora engagement policy and practice. It analyses the results of two surveys of Irish migrants to Australia carried out in 2012 and 2014 which reveal that the characteristics of Irish migrants since 2008 differ markedly from those of the post-1980 period and the years just prior to the collapse of the Irish economy. These datasets are compared with recent academic studies undertaken on Irish migrants to Australia in an effort to uncover changing trends in Irish emigration since the death of the ‘Celtic Tiger’. Improvements in communication and travel, including the rise of social media, particularly of Facebook and Skype, have changed the migration experience allowing Irish migrants to live transnational lives. These technological developments increase contact between the diaspora and Ireland and look set to influence future generational engagement with the homeland.
Thesis Chapters by Fidelma McCorry
Although a small cohort, often deemed insignificant, the Irish in South Australia developed an ex... more Although a small cohort, often deemed insignificant, the Irish in South Australia developed an extensive network of social, business and political connections with the wider colonial society which aided them in their support of the long constitutional struggle for self-government taking place in Ireland during the four decades from 1870. Through the lens of the colonial press and an investigation of the support given to Irish nationalists this study shows the extent to which that small cohort extended its influence to the wider South Australian community to the benefit of the Home Rule movement. This was no mean feat considering the established view of scholars that the group faced the ‘unquestionable primacy of Anglo-Scottish colonisation’.1 Looking at the visits of the envoys of the Irish Parliamentary Party which took place between 1883 and 1912, this study, through a consideration of fundraising, the reputation of the Irish in the colony, the colonial press’ treatment of Irish issues and a lack of Orange opposition to Home Rule, investigates the impact and reach of this small Irish community during the years of Ireland’s foremost constitutional political movement. In its conclusion the research shows that underlying the long assumed quiet assimilation of this ethnic group into the general ‘Britishness’ of the colony, the Irish, from the outset, were aware of and consistently
1 Eric Richards. "Irish Life and Progress in Colonial South Australia " Irish Historical Studies 27, no. 107 (1991): 21
‘Yet we are told that Australians do not sympathise with Ireland’
8
maintained a separate cultural identity and, during the period under consideration, this was augmented by an increased politicisation amongst the group – a world development which affected the Irish at both the macro and micro level. This thesis further reveals that in South Australia the Irish Home Rule movement garnered strong support in a colony where the majority of the inhabitants were neither Irish nor Catholic and this was due to a number of factors. Amongst these were factors which contrast sharply with characteristics of the Irish and the Home Rule movement in other Australian colonies, particularly the size, unity and nature of South Australian Irish nationalists, the lack of a structured opposition to Home Rule, the colony’s natural affinity with the notion of self-government and the fraternal bonds which came about through the issue of land ownership and control. While fundraising was the prime object of a series of visits to Australia by Irish MPs between 1883 and 1912, acceptance of the Irish claim for Home Rule amongst Australians in general proved equally important. Despite the small community of Irish people residing in South Australia during the most active years of the movement the colony subscribed generously to the cause. While the loyalty and support of the Irish-born and perhaps even the next generation might be expected more surprising is the widespread involvement of the non-Irish and non-Catholic citizens of the colony.
Uploads
Talks by Fidelma McCorry
Patrick O'Farrell suggests that the donations merely salved the Irish-Australian conscience but Michael Davitt noted the worth of Australian means offered to reach an Irish end.
ever. Paradoxically, ethnic communities can appear larger and more widespread having the
ability to reach out to members of their diasporas in ways previously unimagined. The Irish
have been considered both a temporal and spatial nation but now, more than ever before, they
are a people unbound by physical borders. This paper investigates the impact of social media
and technology on Irish migrants to South Australia in the 21st century in comparison with
those who came to Adelaide in the 1970s. Impact is measured in terms of return visits,
regularity of familial contact and the settling in process with regard to family, social networks
and working life. Also considered are questions of ‘home’ – where is that now?
Papers by Fidelma McCorry
Books by Fidelma McCorry
Thesis Chapters by Fidelma McCorry
1 Eric Richards. "Irish Life and Progress in Colonial South Australia " Irish Historical Studies 27, no. 107 (1991): 21
‘Yet we are told that Australians do not sympathise with Ireland’
8
maintained a separate cultural identity and, during the period under consideration, this was augmented by an increased politicisation amongst the group – a world development which affected the Irish at both the macro and micro level. This thesis further reveals that in South Australia the Irish Home Rule movement garnered strong support in a colony where the majority of the inhabitants were neither Irish nor Catholic and this was due to a number of factors. Amongst these were factors which contrast sharply with characteristics of the Irish and the Home Rule movement in other Australian colonies, particularly the size, unity and nature of South Australian Irish nationalists, the lack of a structured opposition to Home Rule, the colony’s natural affinity with the notion of self-government and the fraternal bonds which came about through the issue of land ownership and control. While fundraising was the prime object of a series of visits to Australia by Irish MPs between 1883 and 1912, acceptance of the Irish claim for Home Rule amongst Australians in general proved equally important. Despite the small community of Irish people residing in South Australia during the most active years of the movement the colony subscribed generously to the cause. While the loyalty and support of the Irish-born and perhaps even the next generation might be expected more surprising is the widespread involvement of the non-Irish and non-Catholic citizens of the colony.
Patrick O'Farrell suggests that the donations merely salved the Irish-Australian conscience but Michael Davitt noted the worth of Australian means offered to reach an Irish end.
ever. Paradoxically, ethnic communities can appear larger and more widespread having the
ability to reach out to members of their diasporas in ways previously unimagined. The Irish
have been considered both a temporal and spatial nation but now, more than ever before, they
are a people unbound by physical borders. This paper investigates the impact of social media
and technology on Irish migrants to South Australia in the 21st century in comparison with
those who came to Adelaide in the 1970s. Impact is measured in terms of return visits,
regularity of familial contact and the settling in process with regard to family, social networks
and working life. Also considered are questions of ‘home’ – where is that now?
1 Eric Richards. "Irish Life and Progress in Colonial South Australia " Irish Historical Studies 27, no. 107 (1991): 21
‘Yet we are told that Australians do not sympathise with Ireland’
8
maintained a separate cultural identity and, during the period under consideration, this was augmented by an increased politicisation amongst the group – a world development which affected the Irish at both the macro and micro level. This thesis further reveals that in South Australia the Irish Home Rule movement garnered strong support in a colony where the majority of the inhabitants were neither Irish nor Catholic and this was due to a number of factors. Amongst these were factors which contrast sharply with characteristics of the Irish and the Home Rule movement in other Australian colonies, particularly the size, unity and nature of South Australian Irish nationalists, the lack of a structured opposition to Home Rule, the colony’s natural affinity with the notion of self-government and the fraternal bonds which came about through the issue of land ownership and control. While fundraising was the prime object of a series of visits to Australia by Irish MPs between 1883 and 1912, acceptance of the Irish claim for Home Rule amongst Australians in general proved equally important. Despite the small community of Irish people residing in South Australia during the most active years of the movement the colony subscribed generously to the cause. While the loyalty and support of the Irish-born and perhaps even the next generation might be expected more surprising is the widespread involvement of the non-Irish and non-Catholic citizens of the colony.