East Mayo town lauded as 'Ireland’s most diverse community'
THE Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, and the Minister of State for Equality, immigration and Integration, David Stanton, have this morning attended the Embracing Diversity – A Future Together seminar, in Ballyhaunis
Addressing the attendance, Minister Ring said: “This seminar is a great opportunity to celebrate the significant achievements in Ballyhaunis in the past 40 years in assimilating many different nationalities into the life of the town”.
A mixture of community representatives, academics, sporting figures and policy makers will come together today in the Bekan GAA Centre of Excellence to start to develop recommendations for mapping a more integrated future for the town and towns of similar composition.
The seminar will also be addressed by former Cork senior hurler and footballer, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín.
Today’s event is being jointly hosted by the Department of Rural and Community Development, the Department of Justice and Equality and Mayo County Council.
Minister Ring said: “Ballyhaunis is a tremendous example of a mixed community, living, working and cooperating together to create a fantastic place for people to live and bring up families. In this respect it serves as a real example to other towns.
“I’m glad of the role that programmes, like my own department’s Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, have played in supporting the community in the town. We need to follow the lead of the people of Ballyhaunis in capitalising on the benefits of having vibrant and diverse communities.”
Minister Stanton stated: “I am delighted to be here today at the Ballyhaunis Integration Seminar addressing the vitally important topic of embracing diversity, particularly in the context of inclusion and integration of migrants within our communities.
“Ballyhaunis is indeed a town that has embraced diversity in a positive and inclusive manner. It has been a destination for migrants from a variety of countries over many years and has enjoyed a successful history of intercultural engagement. Indeed, in 2016 Ballyhaunis was the most diverse town in Ireland according to the 2016 Census."
Residents of migrant origin from 20 separate ethnicities comprise 60% of the population of Ballyhaunis.
The growth of the town and the diversity of the locals has contributed to a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect between the many ethnic groups in the community.
Ballyhaunis has had an overall positive experience of inter-culturalism - the arrival of young people and families has grown the population in the area and has also led to
Along with the positives, inter-culturalism has also brought challenges in terms of education, public services and community.
This seminar is an opportunity to consider the story of Ballyhaunis, Ireland’s most cosmopolitan town, and to use the learnings to support other Irish towns in embracing the opportunities that diversity brings.