IIIC immigration legal services alert - Irish International Immigrant Center’s immigration attorneys and social workers are available for all Irish immigrants during this time of uncertainty. We are closely following changes in immigration policy. If you or anyone you know wants to speak to an attorney or social worker please call us at 617-542-7654.

Legal clinics during March
(Clinics are in the evening)

March 7 and March 21 – Irish International Immigrant Center, One State Street, 8th Floor, Boston.
March 29 – St. Mark’s Hall, 1725 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester.
Our Downtown Boston location is fully accessible by public transportation. For info, call 617-542-7654 or check at iiicenter.org.

Working to save the environment

Donal Hogan from County Galway made the big move to the US after graduating with a degree in biodiversity and conservation. For Donal, the lure of wide-ranging opportunities in the US made it the perfect place to further his career, and when his friends recommended the IIIC for his J1 IWT visa, he applied straightaway.

Says Donal, “The whole team at the IIIC were immensely helpful and efficient in helping me sort out my visa in a short space of time. There was always someone to answer my questions and offer advice on contacts in the field.

Donal’s first job offer came from The Great Basin Institute, an environmental non-profit based in Boise, Idaho. His role was as a research associate in the institute’s Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring project, which conducts rangeland habitat surveys on the vast public lands in the Western US. What he learned - plant identification, soil characterization and field skills - were acquired working and camping for seven days in a row in the desert.

Following on from the field season in Idaho he continued working for the GBI in California for two months. Because of a heavy work schedule, Donal had six days off every two weeks. He used his time to experience the spectacular Pacific Northwest, taking multi-day backpacking trips in Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Yosemite and other national parks. This experience left Donal with a wealth of great memories, stories and the “trip of a lifetime.”

As the summer season came to a close and all of the rangeland plants dried out, Donal began work back in Boise as a Forest Inventory Technician in the Boise National Forest. Boise has become Donal’s favourite city in the US. It’s a relatively small city of 200,000 people but the people are some of the friendliest and welcoming in the US. The city has a vibrant nightlife with many events, while only being a 40-minute drive to ski slopes and a few hours’ drive from many wild and beautiful places.

Donal has gained an appreciation and understanding for the diverse cultures in the west from meeting rural Idahoans, cowboys on the range, and Native Americans to the vibrant city folk of San Francisco, New York and Boston.

Raising funds for immigrants and refugees – “24 Hours of Ireland” on St. Patrick’s Day – America is a nation fueled by immigrants, and few cities in America feel the vibrant pulse of new cultures like Boston. Immigrants make this country - and this city - great. The plight of our immigrant brothers and sisters is on all of our minds these days, but it's rare we have a chance to actually get involved!
We’re delighted to be partnering with Aeronaut Brewing Company to raise funds for immigrant and refugee families. The IIIC has been designated as Aeronaut’s 2017 St. Patrick's Day charity, and they’re throwing a massive two-day Irish cultural festival at Aeronaut Craft Brewery, Somerville, on Fri., March 17!

We'll feature live music by Sláinte, one of the most rip-roaring Irish bands in the entire region, with many more entertaining performances Friday night and Saturday. Try your luck and help support the IIIC’s important work for the immigrant community by participating in our exciting auction and raffle!

There’s so much to look forward to, especially as Aeronaut releases its very first Irish stout!

Please join us for what will most certainly be a hopping time! For more information, please see our website, iiicenter.org, or contact Jason McCool at mccool@aeronaut.net.