Ireland faces new wave of emigration

[Infinite Chaos]

Emigration is so widespread in County Galway that one of the Catholic cathedrals has started broadcasting its services live online, so Irish people can watch in Australia and the US.
Tuam Cathedral is not just showing live coverage of Sunday masses and Christmas services, but weddings and funerals too.

--snip--

It is estimated that 42,000 Irish people emigrated last year - almost 1% of the country's population. Link

Leaves me wondering who's going to repay Ireland's debt..

 

[Risky Thicket]

Leaves me wondering who's going to repay Ireland's debt..

It's very sad to see this

 

[EagleAye]

Leaves me wondering who's going to repay Ireland's debt..

Probably by the same Irish who emigrated to the US, Australia, and other places. The Irish may be doing what Filipinos are doing. Exporting their manpower who send money back to help support the family.

 

[gunner]

Leaves me wondering who's going to repay Ireland's debt..

Not only are they emigrating in more than usual numbers, it is mostly the 'young' graduates or other skilled persons leaving....Just those type that would most likely help get them out of this mess.

Paul

 

[justabubba]

Not only are they emigrating in more than usual numbers, it is mostly the 'young' graduates or other skilled persons leaving....Just those type that would most likely help get them out of this mess.

Paul

the older ones are sticking around for the good beer
there's now more for everybody

 

[alexa]

Leaves me wondering who's going to repay Ireland's debt..

They seem to be doing extraordinary well on putting up with it

DUBLIN (AFP) – Hammered by austerity measures a year after a massive EU-IMF bailout, Ireland is now being hailed as a eurozone poster boy for the way it is coming to terms with the consequences of its boom to bust.

As the government implements cuts and tax hikes under its bailout programme, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has praised Ireland as a “superb example” of how a country can work its way out of a debt crisis.

Austerity-hit Ireland is poster boy for euro bailout | CSRIreland.com

But there is apparently a feeling of despondence and with 14.4% unemployed - up from 4% it must be hell.

The Irish are digging in and complaining less than most. The problem as with everywhere is whether this austerity is going to produce a recovery.

While Ireland now forecasts a modest recovery with 1.6 percent growth next year, the biggest losers are the 430,000 jobless. Unemployment has soared to 14.4 percent from less than four percent at the boom's height.

“These are chilling figures and a chilling commentary on the failure of the austerity programme that was supposedly designed to save us,” said Irish Congress of Trade Unions chief economist Paul Sweeney.

More pain is coming next month with further budget savings of 3.8 billion euros in spending cuts and tax hikes aimed at reducing the public deficit to 8.6 percent of gross Domestic Product.

Sweeney said the austerity measures were “killing the patient and smothering any prospect of a recovery.”

With domestic demand flat, the brightest prospect on the horizon is a strong export performance — but there is concern the chill wind of a global trade downturn may hit this route to recovery.

Austerity-hit Ireland is poster boy for euro bailout | CSRIreland.com

 

[Ben K.]

the older ones are sticking around for the good beer
there's now more for everybody

Alas, the Guinness monopoly means it's hard to find a good domestically brewed beer. You can find good beers here, they'll just be Belgian or American micro-brewed.

On point, emigration may mean less than it used to in the past. Emigration doesn't mean permanent settlement in today's international infrastructure. I know many people who are single twenty-somethings who left, and many married thirty somethings looking to return home as they look to settle with a family looking for cheap and reliable support as only an extended family can offer. The abilities of the latter group to do so based on the Irish economy at the mo are restrictive to say the least, but things don't remain static and the urge never leaves people.

Globalism has made it easier for people to drop a life and leave, it also makes it easier to drop a life and return.

 

[Higgins86]

Why do the Irish leave in such huge numbers? Ben K would you say there was a lack of national pride or lack of attachment to Ireland?

 

[Ben K.]

Why do the Irish leave in such huge numbers? Ben K would you say there was a lack of national pride or lack of attachment to Ireland?

Getting a job, ease of travel and relocation, large Irish communities in most of their chosen destinations. We had the famine, a poorly judged economic war with the UK in the 30s and a depression in the 80s - all have led to waves of emigration. But even when things are good, young Irish people have tended to do a lot of travelling since the 60s.

 

[Higgins86]

Getting a job, ease of travel and relocation, large Irish communities in most of their chosen destinations. We had the famine, a poorly judged economic war with the UK in the 30s and a depression in the 80s - all have led to waves of emigration. But even when things are good, young Irish people have tended to do a lot of travelling since the 60s.

when you travel and go to places like Boston and meet people who say they are Irish even though they are like 2nd/3rd generation americans does that annoy you since you actually live in Ireland and your family stayed?

 

[Ben K.]

when you travel and go to places like Boston and meet people who say they are Irish even though they are like 2nd/3rd generation americans does that annoy you since you actually live in Ireland and your family stayed?

Why would it annoy me that a disproportionate number of people across the globe compared to my nations indiginous population identify with my culture? I'd call that a measure of cultural success even if I have some cynicism towards the political entity of "Ireland" we indiginous peoples have. I certainly have qualms when those people feel the need to fund and help arm "the struggle" when people living with it don't support it.

In the end, most Irish people are enamoured with their culture, are cynical toward the political representation thereof, love the geography and hate the weather. Luckily these habits toward leaving are counterbalanced by the inordinate need to reproduce - as they say in Connemara "There's nothing to do here except fishing and f***ing, and in the winter there's no fishing".

 

[Higgins86]

Why would it annoy me that a disproportionate number of people across the globe compared to my nations indiginous population identify with my culture? I'd call that a measure of cultural success even if I have some cynicism towards the political entity of "Ireland" we indiginous peoples have. I certainly have qualms when those people feel the need to fund and help arm "the struggle" when people living with it don't support it.

In the end, most Irish people are enamoured with their culture, are cynical toward the political representation thereof, love the geography and hate the weather. Luckily these habits toward leaving are counterbalanced by the inordinate need to reproduce - as they say in Connemara "There's nothing to do here except fishing and f***ing, and in the winter there's no fishing".

good way to look at it, I only ask because I have a couple of Irish mates out here who get irrtated by people saying they are Irish and then not knowing anything about their heritage.

 

[Ben K.]

good way to look at it, I only ask because I have a couple of Irish mates out here who get irrtated by people saying they are Irish and then not knowing anything about their heritage.

Sure, if someone is going to claim an identifer, they should probably know what that entails. I'd apply my attitude on a case by case basis. Personally though, I can;t really see someone identifying as the Irish "brand" as opposed to culture enough to annoy me, just make me feel indifferent.

 

[RDS]

A brain drain is a cause for concern. People with jobs too might just leave for greener pastures.

 

[Higgins86]

Sure, if someone is going to claim an identifer, they should probably know what that entails. I'd apply my attitude on a case by case basis. Personally though, I can;t really see someone identifying as the Irish "brand" as opposed to culture enough to annoy me, just make me feel indifferent.

I like that! Agree with you on the IRA stuff, saw a guy out in Boston about my age who had an IRA tattoo so I asked him why he had it and did he care that they targeted women and children. He had no idea they targeted civies he thought they were just the regular Irish army...sad times

 

[Penderyn]

the older ones are sticking around for the good beer
there's now more for everybody

Guinness????? Well, they say it is better over there, but I think that depends on how much you have got down you.