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Generation Emigration

Generation Emigration

The Irish Times forum by and for Irish citizens abroad

Monthly Archives: August 2012

Michelle thumb Visitors in their own country

Holidays at home made some emigrants want to move back. Others were glad to leave again. CIARA KENNY talks to emigrants who returned this summer.

No Irish sign thumb ‘The bad behaviour of some young emigrants makes me ashamed’

For the first time in my life I feel my accent could stand against me professionally and socially, as the bad behaviour of some young Irish people in Australia is tarnishing the reputation of us all, writes Carol Gibney.

Wall poster thumb Time to go back home

Two years teaching English in South Korea has brought wonderful experiences and cured me of the depression I suffered before I left Ireland. If I was right to move, am I mad to return, asks Fergal Reid.

Colm Kansas 2 thumb ‘I try not to think of Ireland as home anymore’

We have wonderful memories of Ireland, but my family and I will not be moving back. Kansas is where we call home now, writes Colm Roughan.

Lynda Callaghan Leicester thumb Growing up in one place but calling another place ‘home’

Lynda Callaghan grew up as an Irish child in Leicester. Now she is documenting the stories of the elder Irish community, finding out what brought them there and what life was like for them as Irish immigrants.

Farmleigh Fellows Asian opportunities: Applications for Farmleigh Fellowship now open

The graduate scheme aims to equip young Irish professtionals with the business, cultural and communication skills needed to succeed in the Asian marketplace.

President thumb Getting to the heart of the young Irish

An initiative, launched by President Michael D Higgins, aims to harness the potential of a new generation by offering them a platform to help chart a new direction and vision for the country, writes Carl O’Brien

patrick mckenna homesick thumb Once, I was Irish; now I am just ‘me’

After three decades struggling with my identity as an Irish person in Canada, I realise now that I don’t belong to Ireland, Canada or anywhere else; I belong to me, writes Patrick McKenna.

COMPAS thumb2 Entries sought for photo competition on migration
  • News
  • August 21, 2012, 11:34

The University of Oxford Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) have recently launched their annual phototography competition focusing on migration, and are inviting Generation Emigration readers to submit entries on this year’s theme, “New Lives and Dreams”.

Jane OFaherty thumb Au pairing as a test run for emigration

Working in Spain for the summer has given me a taste of what it might be like to emigrate when I finish my degree, writes Jane O’Faherty in Valencia.

Hapenny_Bridge thumb Have your say: what were your impressions of Ireland on your last visit?

Have you been home to visit Ireland this summer? If so, what did you get up to, and what were your impressions? Share your experiences and thoughts.

dubai thumb Adjusting to life in the UAE

More and more Irish people are leaving for the United Arab Emirates each year. Rachael Power spoke to three recent arrivals about adjusting to a very different way of life.

Emma Donnelly thumb ‘It was terrible saying goodbye . . . it still hurts’

Hosting friends and family offers Irish emigrants the chance to reconnect with loved ones and show off the place they now call home, but saying goodbye can make the distance from Ireland more acutely felt than ever, writes CIARA KENNY

atlantic thumb Atlantic Argument: a poem

ANONYMOUS I’ve fallen out with my younger brother, Not the first time, Probably not the last. This time has a never before finality. Now separated by an ocean, We won’t be home for Sunday dinner, The lethargy of overeating overpowering …

crosscare thumb Providing support for vulnerable emigrants

Crosscare’s priority is to work with vulnerable emigrants so they can make the move in a planned and prepared manner, with good information and knowledge of available supports at their planned destination, writes Joe O’Brien.

padraigmoran thumb ‘One thought kept recurring. My mother might be dying, and I’m not there’

She had to spell it out to me. I was sitting in a staffroom in London, Skyping my mother on borrowed Wifi, while she sat pulled over in her car in the west of Ireland telling me she had cancer, writes Padraig Moran.

crosscare thumb Migrants to Britain unaware of welfare rights
  • News
  • August 14, 2012, 08:52

Vulnerable Irish emigrants to Britain are at increased risk of becoming destitute because of a lack of awareness regarding entitlements to welfare support once they leave Ireland, according to a new report by Crosscare Migrant Project.

Fiona Sneyd thumb Will we be able to come back?

As we form relationships abroad, move up the career ladder and think about buying property, we are increasingly becoming at home in the countries we live in, but many of us still plan to return to Ireland eventually. The question is will we be able to when the time comes, asks Fiona Sneyd.

Michael D Higgins thumb Have your say: what would you ask the President?

President Michael D Higgins will be interviewed by The Irish Times later this week. We’re inviting Generation Emigration readers to submit questions or thoughts they would like to ask or share about being young and Irish, including about emigration.

mauriceredmond thumb Talking the talk

Getting to grips with the local language can be one of the biggest challenges faced by emigrants as they settle into their new life abroad. RUADHÁN MAC CORMAIC , DEREK SCALLY and CLIFFORD COONAN speak to those who have made an effort to learn, and others who are getting on without.

Katie Taylor gold Have your say: did you watch Katie’s victory?

In today’s discussion we want to know where, how and with who you watched Katie Taylor’s victory yesterday. Did it make you proud to be Irish?

Louise Hogan London thumb The non-entitled generation

Those of us who finished school just as recession hit never really experienced ‘the good times’, but it’s not such a bad thing. We expect to have to work hard, writes Louise Hogan.

Positivity thumb Generation Emigration: ‘What has been most striking is the positivity’

Contributors to Generation Emigration have shown a resolute determination, despite difficult circumstances, to take control of their futures and get on with creating a better life for themselves and their families, writes Ciara Kenny.

Barbara Scully thumb Have your say: hosting friends and family from home

Does hosting folks from home make you homesick or give you a newfound appreciation for your home abroad? We want to hear about your experiences.

Sinead-and-Howard-thumb Leaving Ireland for Canada´s prairie provinces

An increasing number of Irish singles and families are embracing the opportunities offered in Saskatchewan, writes JENNIFER HOUGH

Perth Hills Facebook group thumb Coping without grannies, granddads, uncles and aunts

Being far from family means we have to create new support networks for ourselves abroad, writes Clare Calvey.

counselling thumb Providing support beyond the departure gates

Donijka Monk and Mary McHugh have set up a psychotherapy service to provide counselling via telephone or Skype to Irish people who are struggling with geographical distance or emotional isolation from loved ones.