Irish Graduates of Singapore: Four Decades of The Irish Graduates Association of Singapore
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Having a photograph of two Singaporean Chinese brothers on the cover of a book about graduates of Irish universities may come as a surprise to most people. The brothers, Mr Michael Yeo (left) and Dr David Yeo (right) are the scions of the Yeo family that founded the iconic Singapore beverage company, Yeo Hiap Seng. They graduated from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in the 1950s. They are founding members of The Irish Graduates of Association of Singapore.
Over the years many Singaporeans and Malaysians have travelled to Ireland for their tertiary education. As for the Irish, the De La Salle Brothers and the CHIJ Sister were all graduates of Irish universities. The Brothers from University College Dublin, and the Sisters at University College Cork, except for Br Joseph McNally who transferred to the National Art College.
The book contains stories and photographs of people and places linking Ireland and Singapore through the graduates of Irish universities and colleges. It focuses on the strong educational links between the island of Ireland and the island of Singapore, the Emerald Isle and the Little Red Dot.
Beginning with the founding of the Trinity College Dublin Association Singapore Branch in the 1930s, the author follows through to the founding of The Irish Graduates Association of Singapore (IGAS) in 1980. Chapters on Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Galway relate the stories of IGAS members, including some who arrived at an Irish boarding school in midwinter.
The book is the culmination of four years’ work on The Irish Graduates of Association of Singapore 40th Anniversary Heritage Project. A broad sweep of research included Singapore, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Malaysia, as well as oral history interviews. The interviews provide unique perspectives of the social, cultural, economic and historical landscapes of Singapore and Ireland as seen through the personal lenses of IGAS members from the 1950s to the present day.
The project received funding from The Ireland Funds Singapore (TIFS). The book will raise funds for TIFS.
About the Author
Rosemary Lim née Wright was born in Portadown, Northern Ireland. She has lived in Singapore since 1990 and is a long-time member and past president of The Irish Graduates Association of Singapore. She is a graduate of Northern Ireland’s two universies, the Queen’s University, Belfast, and the University of Ulster. Her interest in Ireland–Singapore connections goes back to when she first arrived in Singapore. She wrote An Irish Tour of Singapore, published in 2008, and contributed the Irish chapter in 50 Years of Singapore Europe Relations in 2015.
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