Ireland must be unique for its ever-growing number of activist groups campaigning on international issues. This list, compiled by David Shanks, does not even include mainstream non-governmental organisations such as Trocaire, Concern, Oxfam, Gorta, Goal, Amnesty International, groups in Northern Ireland, or others involved in development education. The NODE Network, listed below, has more.
AFrI (Action from Ireland):
Founded in 1975. Seeks to alleviate poverty and hunger through education and campaigning.
Co-ordinator: Joe Murray. Phone (01) 496 8595 & 8610, fax 496 8592
Asia Network:
Set up in 1995. Phone 046 21525. Father Pat Raleigh, Dalgan Park, Navan, Co Meath.
BananaWatch:
A coalition of Irish organisations working for a "socially and environmentally sustainable" banana trade. (Run from office of Irish Fair Trade Network. See below)
Banulacht - Irish women in development:
Phone (01) 872 6952, fax 872 4183. Email: banulach@iol.ie Eileen Smith.
Christian Concern for Freedom of Conscience: Seeks to encourage Irish Christians to pray and act in support of Christians in the world who are persecuted for their faith. Quarterly newsletter: Church in Chains
Secretary: David Turner. Phone/fax (01) 282 7822. Comhlamh:
A volunteer membership organisation working for social justice, human rights and global development. Set up by returned development workers, it now includes anyone committed to its aims, particularly asylum seekers. Currently campaigning on asylum rights, food security and effective development work. Its offices - at 10 Upper Camden Street, Dublin 2 - also accommodates or provides mailboxes for several organisations listed below. Phone (01) 478 3490, fax 478 3738. Email: comhlamh@iol.ie
Robin Hanan. Cork office: 55 Grand Parade - phone (021) 275881, fax 275241, email: comhcork@iol.ie Barbara Hegarty.
Groups with addresses at Comhlamh:
Association of Nigerian Asylum Seekers in Ireland (ANASI):
Lekan OjoOkiji Abasi.
Baby Milk Action Ireland: "Aims to promotes good and appropriate infant nutrition and to halt the commercial promotion of bottle feeding" in Ireland and in the developing world. Phone (01) 462 2026. Gill Ryan.
Bhutanese Refugee Support Group:
Works with Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.
Burma Action - Ireland: Founded in 1996 to campaign for democracy and human rights in Burma (Myanmar). Phone (046) 21525. Chair: Father Pat Raleigh.
Congo Solidarity Group: Formed by asylum seekers.
Kurdistan Information Network:
Independent solidarity network to raise awareness of Kurdish people in the Middle East. Email: kurdsol@iol.ie
Anne McCluskey.
The NODE Network:
A network of grass roots development education centres and groups. Publishes addresses for activist groups and centres, of which there are about a dozen outside Dublin. Phone (01) 475 1998, fax 478 3738, email node@iol.ie Website http://homepages.iol.ie Isobel O'Duffy, Maeve Taylor.
Ireland Action for Bosnia:
Phone (01) 496 5501, Valerie Hughes.
Ireland Algeria Solidarity Group:
Founded last January, it demands independent investigation into gross human rights violations and prosecutions. Phone (01)840 5469, fax 840 1358. Brendan Butler.
Irish Black and Migrant Women: Camilla Dorcey.
Irish Palestinian Solidarity Group
The Irish Sudanese Solidarity Group
Somali Community Network in Ireland: Abdi Hassan Ibrahim.
Survival International: Environmental group. Brendan Sheehan, David Cotter.
Cuba Solidarity Campaign: Opposes US "blockade" of Cuba; campaigns for economic cultural relations between Ireland and Cuba; and lobbies for a positive Irish role in effort to end US-Cuba conflict. Phone (01) 832 4169. Bernie Dwyer.
Cuba Support GroupIreland: A splinter from the above with broadly similar aims. Phone (01) 676 1213, fax 661 1738, email cubasupport@clubi.ie Declan McKenna.
Debt and Development Coalition Ireland: Links world of high finance and poverty. Phone/fax (01) 857 1828. Jean Somers.
DEFY (Development Education for Youth). Organises One World Week: Phone (01) 475 1826, fax 475 1970, email defy@iol.ie Liam Wegimont.
Earthwatch (Friends of the Earth - Ireland): Phone (027) 50968 & 51283, fax 50545, email foeeire@iol.ie
East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign: Campaigns for selfdetermination for occupied East Timor. Phone/fax (01) 671 9207, email etisc@indigo.ie Co-ordinator: Tom Hyland.
Publishes analytical material on worlds of North and South. Phone/fax: (01) 286 0487. Colm Regan.
El Salvador Awareness: A splinter from the Irish El Salvador Support Committee. Tries to raise awareness through arts and crafts. Phone/ fax (01) 496 4138. Sister Peter of St Clare's Convent, Harold's Cross.
Galway One World Centre: Phone (091) 581688, fax 581694, email gowc@iol.ie Heike Vomhagen, Vicky Donnelly.
The NODE Network has details of groups in Ennis, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, the Midlands, Sligo, Tullamore, Waterford, and Co Mayo.
Ireland-South Africa Association: Successor to Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement. Phone (01) 285 1867 & 280 0866. Rev Terence McCaughey, Gary Kilgallen.
Irish El Salvador Support Committee: Founded in 1979. Monitors observance of peace settlement terms in post-War Nicaragua. Phone (01) 840 5469, fax 840 7026. Brendan Butler.
Irish Fair Trade Network: Promotes the Fairtrade Mark - adopted by Bewley's, Robert Roberts and Johnsons - an independent guarantee of a fair price for producers. Campaigns for codes of conduct for Irish business in dealings with Third World suppliers. Works Phone/fax (01) 475 3515. John Daly
Irish Mozambique Solidarity: Publishes critiques of aid policy. Phone (01) 847 7626. Melanie Reidy.
Irish Woodworkers for Africa: Promotes awareness of global forestry issues. Phone/fax (0506) 23557. Tom Roche.
Liberia-Sierra Leone Solidarity Group: Martin Rowan, 221 Palmerstown Woods, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.
Latin America Solidarity Centre (LASC): Founded in 1996, its regional solidarity and resource centre - at 5 Merrion Road, Dublin 2 - is also home to several autonomous "countryspecific" solidarity groups listed below. Publishes newsletter, , and coordinates Latin America Week. Phone/fax (01) 676 0435, email lasc@iol.ie
Groups at LASC:
Chile Desk: Madge Carberry.
Colombian Network: Gearoid O Liongsigh.
Irish Brazil Solidarity Group: Colette Spears.
Irish Mexico Group: Acts in solidarity with poor communities and its members act as human rights observers in the conflict zone in Chiapas. Phone (01) 676 0435.
Irish Nicaragua Support Group: Not as active as it was before Sandinista electoral defeats since 1990. Phone/fax (01) 676 0435. Molly O'Duffy.
Missionary Society of St Columban: Founded in 1918 to work in China, today it works in 15 Asian and Latin American countries, focussing on justice and peace issues. Quarterly newsletter: Voices for Justice . Phone (046) 21525, em ail cmed@indigo.ie, Website http://indigo.ie/Columban/ Contact: Father Pat Raleigh.
Ogoni Solidarity Ireland: PO Box 6089, Dublin 1. Phone (01) 853 1542.
Pax Christi - International Catholic Movement for Peace (Irish Section):
Campaigns on disarmament, human rights, and North-South relations. Phone (01) 496 5293, fax 496 5492. Tony D'Costa.
Peru Solidarity Group: Phone 8373745.
Tibet Support Group: Phone (01) 260 4064, 269 8618 & 260 4064. Anthony O'Brien.
The Irish Refugee Council: Representative body for 53 NGOs. An advocate for people fleeing to Ireland from persecution. Phone (01) 872 4424, fax 872 4411, e mail refugee@iol.ie Director: Nadette Foley.
Refugee Trust: Helps refugees outside Ireland. Phone (01) 283 4256 & 283 5155. Father Kevin Doherty CSSp.
Vietnamese Irish Association: Phone (01) 874 2331.
West Papua Action: Portlaoise-based group founded in 1996 to campaign for the people of the Indonesian controlled territory, "the province of Irian Jaya." Phone (0502) 61035, email wpaction@iol.ie Mark Doris.