I was lucky in that I won my Framed Certificate 12 months ago for a story I wrote and submitted to them regarding my Maguire's from Drumgowna and the Nobles from Dromore (Fermanagh). I had seriously considered buying the certificate, but hadn't got round to it, and was thrilled when I won it. I was sad to hear a few months later that it was being discontinued but thankfully can now pass it on to my Granddaughter who is my Family History protégé. Regards. Patricia in Sydney -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dick & Ruth McKenna via Sent: Friday, 19 February 2016 8:56 PM To: Dave H.; [email protected] Subject: Re: FERMANAGH-GOLD Certificate of Irish Heritage scheme discontinued!! That's a pity. It means that my children and grandchildren will never get one. I was issued with my certificate on 10th May 2012, and it hangs proudly in our lounge room. Richard McKenna Tasmania Australia. -----Original Message----- From: Dave H. Sent: Friday, February 19, 2016 10:43 AM To: [email protected] Subject: FERMANAGH-GOLD Certificate of Irish Heritage scheme discontinued!! Certificate of Irish Heritage scheme to be discontinued 17/8/15 Culture, Irish abroad, Press Releases, Ireland, 2015 The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade wishes to announce that the Certificate of Irish Heritage scheme is to be discontinued. The uptake of the Certificate of Irish Heritage has been considerably less than anticipated. No further Certificates will be available for purchase after 24 August 2015. The Certificate of Irish Heritage was introduced in 2011 to recognise descendants of previous generations of Irish citizens in an official way and to give greater practical expression to the sense of Irish identity felt by many around the world. The Certificate was a practical expression of the importance the Government attaches to recognising people of Irish descent and encouraging people to trace their roots. It was never anticipated that the Certificate of Irish Heritage would provide significant revenue to the Government. In addition to purchased Certificates, a number of presentations have been made to well known figures such as President Obama, President Clinton, Tom Cruise and Lord Sebastian Coe. These presentations have been an important opportunity to recognise the achievements of the global Irish community, even where the connection with Ireland goes back over several generations. Arrangements will be put in place to allow for the presentation of Certificates of Irish Heritage to continue. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is conducting further analysis on how members of the Irish Diaspora seek to assert their Irish identity. This analysis will inform any future decisions on initiatives in this area. In the meantime, members of the Diaspora can continue to stay in touch with their Irish heritage by following @Globalirish on Twitter and signing up to our Global Irish Newsletter. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus ========================= https://www.facebook.com/groups/FermanaghGold/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message