Life & Style
/
Generation Emigration

Generation Emigration

The Irish Times forum by and for Irish citizens abroad

Monthly Archives: November 2011

Fergus thumb A generation lost to emigration, as over the seas we fly

Fergus Ahern, a 25-year-old bricklayer from Limerick who emigrated to Australia six weeks ago, wrote a song called Generation Lost in reaction to the mass exodus of young Irish people. Watch the video here.

Property News of the week
  • News
  • November 30, 2011, 10:57

Catch up with all the stories relating to emigration or the Irish abroad last week on irishtimes.com in our weekly news round-up.

Vera-Keogh thumb From one island to another

Vera Keogh left Ireland for Canada with her family this summer, and is enjoying every minute of her emigrant life so far, despite the difficult goodbyes.

Tayto thumb Have your say: what do you miss most about Ireland?

Is it the rolling green hills, the wild western coastline, the craic, a proper pint of Guinness, Barry’s tea or Tayto crisps? Whether clichéd or obscure, in this week’s Have Your Say we want to hear what you miss most about Ireland.

Rory Gleeson thumb “I’m heading off for a while, don’t pity me”

Knowing that finding work in Ireland would be tough, Rory Gleeson took up a construction job in London after finishing his final exams in Trinity College last summer. We shouldn’t feel sorry for him, he says, he’s excited about seeing the world.

Brighter Days thumb Brighter Days: short animated film about emigration and return

Brighter Days is a short animated film by Donegal director Daniel McGarrigle, chronicling the life of his grandfather Colm Melly. Colm was born in Donegal in 1923, emigrated to the UK to work on the construction of Heathrow airport in the 1940s, before eventually returning home to the Glenties to raise his family. The film is based on Colm’s memoir, Brighter Days in Donegal. View the film here.

Darren Gaffney Melbourne thumb “I got homesick. All I want is to be home in Ireland again”

Living in Australia on and off since 2007, Darren Gaffney found he missed home more, not less, as the years passed. So he ‘felt a huge weight lift’ after deciding to move back to Ireland for good next year.

australian_flag_ thumb Destination in Focus: Australia

***New feature on Generation Emigration*** Every Thursday, we’ll focus on a different destination for Irish emigrants, with practical advice on jobs, visas, and accommodation, and useful links to social networks and emergency assistance. Please add any info you think would be useful in the comments section. First up: Australia.

Student protest Nov thumb News of the week
  • News
  • November 23, 2011, 11:28

Round up of stories that caught our eye on irishtimes.com in the past week, relating to emigration or the Irish abroad.

Isabel McCann France thumb “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else”

Isabel McCann was an immigrant in Ireland as a child. Since moving back to Paris to pursue a career in acting recently, she has rediscovered an appreciation for the warmth and friendliness of Irish people, and the decency of Irish …

Heather Leahy and Stephen Martin with their two children in Canada Have your say: what did you think of Arrivals?

What did you think of Arrivals? An overly grim depiction of live abroad, or an accurate portrayal of the loneliness and hardship experienced by emigrants who never wanted to leave Ireland in the first place?

Larry Fay, Goolgowi, Australia thumb Arrivals documentary follows up with Departure Day emigrants: is life any better?
  • News
  • November 21, 2011, 12:53

Tonight on RTÉ One, Arrivals follows up with the five Irish families who featured in Departure Day documentary last January as they prepared to emigrate in search of a more successful working life overseas. One year on, is life really any better for them? Watch the promo video here.

John Power thumb Emigration does not have to be a tragedy

A three month internship with a Korean newspaper turned into a permanent job and an eye-opening opportunity for journalist John Power.

marc de faoite thumb “Moving back to Ireland is not in my plan, but none of it ever was”

Marc de faoite has lived in London, Brussels, France, India and Malaysia. He has found himself and lost himself around the world, and moving back to Ireland is not in the plan, he writes.

UCC Diasporas “The team is a focal point for new people arriving in London”

In the fourth of our weekly interviews on Generation Emigration, Jack O’Connell speaks about setting up a football team for Irish men in London.

Sarah Lennon thumb “Ireland’s not perfect, but it is home”

After two years travelling and working abroad, Sarah Lennon has just turned down her “dream job” in Toronto to return home to Ireland.

Bill Lehane thumb To thrive, Ireland must foster immigration

When his American girlfriend’s Irish visa was about to run out in 2009, Bill Lehane quit a stable job in RTE and moved to China. After spending time in the US and in Prague, they are now married and living in London, and although they can now legally return to Ireland to live, they can’t see themselves coming back any time soon.

Michael D thumb News of the week
  • News
  • November 16, 2011, 12:28

Every Wednesday, we’ll be publishing a post linking to the stories that caught our eye on irishtimes.com in the past week, relating to emigration or the Irish abroad. If we’ve missed anything, or you would like to post a link to another site that you think would be of interest to readers, please do so in the comments section below. Think of it as a community noticeboard to post interesting bits and bobs, info about upcoming events, etc…

Ireland photo thumb Have your say: would you move back to Ireland?

In this week’s discussion forum, we are asking: would you move back to Ireland if you had the chance? Do you intend to return in the future?

Aidan Boyce thumb2 “I emigrated when I had a choice because what was happening was untenable”

Disillusioned with life in Ireland during the boom, Aidan Boyce emigrated to France before moving again to the US.

Vancouver thumb A Vancouver welcome for new Irish immigrants

In the last couple of years, the influx of young Irish immigrants to Vancouver has been greeted with mixed feelings by those of us who’ve been here a long time, writes Mary Monks of the Irish Women’s Network.

Stephen Fraser thumb 2 “Talking to your wife only through a computer is hard”

In our continued weekly series of emigrant interviews, Stephen Fraser describes his life in Brisbane, where he got a 12-month engineering contract, while his wife Rachel is staying in Ireland.

katie Harrington “It’s not the goodbyes we dread. What worries us is when we’ll see each other again”

Katie Harrington was the first of her friends to emigrate when she signed a contract to teach English in Abu Dhabi in 2009. She came back to Ireland for a visit this summer to find very few of her friends still here.

Irish American flag thumb Did you benefit from the Donnelly Visa programme?
  • News
  • November 9, 2011, 11:55

Democrats Abroad Ireland are looking for personal stories from people who benefitted from the Donnelly Visa programme in the US in the 1980s.

Aisling logo All emigrants need the prospect of a safe return

Alex McDonnell, coordinator of the Aisling Return to Ireland project, writes about marginalised emigrants whose experiences have been driven underground.

Irish flag thumb2 Have your say: How have you been treated as an Irish immigrant?

In this week’s Have Your Say, we’re asking: How have you been treated as an Irish immigrant in your new country?

Lauren Crothers thumb A blend of joy, adventure and unimaginable tragedy

Photojournalist Lauren Crothers spends her days photographing Cambodian politicians and survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime, and hanging out at Angkor Wat at weekends; it’s a far cry from scraping a few sub-editing shifts together every week in Dublin, she writes.

Ronan Browne Finland resized The welcome immigrant

Ronan Browne moved to Finland with his family last year, and received a warm welcome as an Irish person, but soon discovered his experience as an immigrant differed greatly to those of other nationalities.

Cahalans thumb I used the Church, the GAA and the web to meet people

In our continued weekly series of emigrant tales, Ann Cahalan speaks about moving to Qatar with her husband and two small children, and the challenges of making friends while maintaining links with home

Irish Immigrants arrive at Ellis Island, New York, early 20th century. Image courtesy of Library of Congress via pingnews (no known restrictions). Traditions of emigration: The Irish habit of going away

Historian Enda Delaney puts this current wave of emigration into historical context.

Paul,Janette & Eva O'Connor-thumb “It was like a wake, my own funeral”

Paul O’Connor, a land surveyor from Dublin, moved to Canada in April when he was offered a long-awaited job. Here, he reflects on his departure from Dublin, and those difficult goodbyes.

Aeroplane thumb Have your say: How far would you travel to find work?

How far would you travel to find work? Do you think the long commutes are worth it, or would you prefer to emigrate or have no job at all?