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Generation Emigration

Generation Emigration

The Irish Times forum by and for Irish citizens abroad

Monthly Archives: September 2012

Toronto camogie thumb Camogie: A unifying force for Irish women in Toronto

The establishment of the Toronto Camogie Club shows how a simple pastime can galvanise an emigrant community and bring people together, writes Trish Griffin

Thomas Clohosey thumb ‘The longer people stay away, the less likely they are to return’

The exodus has had a life-changing effect on those leaving, but also on those left behind, writes CIARA KENNY

Fergal Anderson thumb Moving home was political

When I was in college there was no appetite for change in Ireland, but the crisis is an opportunity that we’re hoping to grab with both hands. We’ve moved home and started a farm, says Fergal Anderson

Forgotten Irish Video: Being young in Ireland today
  • Opinion
  • September 28, 2012, 11:21

Young people often feel undervalued, but it is encouraging to know our voices are being heard through the President’s Being Young and Irish initiative, writes ‘The Forgotten Irish Graduate’

spunout thumb We need to talk about mental health
  • Opinion
  • September 28, 2012, 09:48

We all need to take collective responsibility to tackling mental health stigma and can start by taking time to talk about mental health with the people around us, writes Marie Duffy.

Living American Dream thumb Living out the American dream

WILD GEESE: Colman Lydon, MD of Fonepool, a telecoms business in New York providing mobile phone services to students travelling to the US on J1 visas

The number of Irish people emigrating rose to 46,500 last year, the highest level since the recession began. Photograph: Aidan Crawley Emigration rises to record high
  • News
  • September 27, 2012, 13:17

A total of 46,500 Irish people emigrated in the year to April, a rise of 16 per cent on the previous 12 months.

Roisin thumb Developing survival mechanisms to see us through the crisis
  • Opinion
  • September 27, 2012, 01:00

We have no guarantee that the future holds better things for us, so all we can do is be resourceful and make the most of the hand life has dealt us, writes Roisin Agnew.

young people thumb What do you have to say to generations gone before?

Are you angry or resentful that the burden of boom-time excess has fallen so heavily on the shoulders of the young? Do you feel young people are misunderstood? What positive action can older generations take to support young people? Have your say.

Daithi thumb Young people need to be engaged, equipped and empowered
  • Opinion
  • September 26, 2012, 00:45

Young people can bring about transformative change in Ireland if they are properly supported, writes Daithí de Butléir.

Kate Katharina Feruson in Berlin Trading the safe and familiar for an adventure

Emigrating on your own does get lonely sometimes, but I am lucky to live in an age where I can communicate with my friends scattered all over the world, writes Kate Katharina Ferguson.

ClareHerbert thumb Young people doing it for themselves
  • Opinion
  • September 25, 2012, 01:00

Emigration is not the only narrative of youth today. Many young entrepreneurs and innovators are creating new opportunities and striving to make Ireland a better place, writes Clare Herbert

gen next parents What advice would you give to Generation Next?

Advice, like youth, may be just wasted on the young, but we’d like to hear what hints and tips you have for Generation Next.

'Booking flights was when it all became real, like a punch in the stomach' ‘Dublin couldn’t give me the support I needed’

Canada offers me more excitement and better employment opportunities than I could have hoped for in Ireland, but the dull ache of homesickness is difficult to tune out, writes Linn Vizard.

marie ‘Young people are Ireland’s most powerful resource’
  • Opinion
  • September 24, 2012, 00:30

Our so called “lost generation” are educated, fired up and ready to create change. They need all the support we can give them so their potential can be realised, writes Marie Duffy

Jill Meagher was last seen leaving a bar in Melbourne on Friday night Irish woman missing in Melbourne
  • News
  • September 23, 2012, 16:53

Police in Melbourne are appealing to the public for help in tracing the whereabouts of 29-year-old Jill Meagher, last seen leaving a bar on Friday night

Generation Next thumb Generation Next: a major new Irish Times series
  • News
  • September 22, 2012, 16:14

A major starting in The Irish Times today explores the plight of Generation Next, Irish people aged between 18 and 25 who were raised in the boom but grew up in the bust. Generation Emigration will be dedicated to young people for the week.

McKevitt familythumb ‘Home is a sense of belonging’

SARAH MCKEVITT moved to Dubai with her family two years ago, but it was a holiday experience in Thailand that made her reassess her sense of home

Matthew thumb Eastern promise pays dividends

WILD GEESE: Matthew Connolly, MD of Eire Systems in Japan, an IT company started by two Irishmen which employs a new generation of graduate emigrants.

gaa-online GAA expects All-Ireland final to net huge global audience
  • News
  • September 20, 2012, 11:58

The All-Ireland football final on Sunday will be watched live by more people across the world than ever before because of high levels of emigration and increased availability of coverage online and on subscription television channels, writes Alison Healy. Find out how and where to watch the match here.

gaa-thumb Soldiering through the US Gaelic league

2005: Some US soldiers coming home from Iraq stop in Shannon. They notice locals playing an unusual game. They learn it and, this year, become American hurling heroes. NIAMH SWEENEY reports on the changing face of Gaelic games in North America

Vancouver skyline thumb Building an Irish community in Canada

Ruairí Spillane set up a website to assist new Irish arrivals settle in Vancouver four years ago. A new website covering the whole of Canada will be launched next month, and they are looking for contributions from Irish people living in other Canadian cities. Can you help?

crosscare thumb Number of new homeless Irish in London increases
  • News
  • September 18, 2012, 13:05

The number of new Irish rough sleepers in London increased by 84 per cent in 2011, according to a new report by Crosscare Migrant Project.

youth thumb Interested in studying or interning abroad?
  • News
  • September 18, 2012, 01:00

Second level students interested in working or studying abroad after school are encouraged to visit the Youth on the Move stand at the Higher Options exhibition at the RDS this week.

Culture-night-thumb Irish Culture Night comes to Britain

To celebrate the ways we showcase our Irish identity through the arts, the Irish community in Britain will be bringing Irish Culture Night to London, Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool this Friday, writes Fiona Smith of the Federation of Irish Societies.

pearse thumb Are Irish eyes really smiling in Western Australia?

Meeting with an Irish TD in Australia gave me an opportunity to reflect on how lucky we are to be here, writes founding member of the Irish Families in Perth group Karen Hennessy.

Sarah-Griffin-thumb The ache of homesickness

When you’re gone, life is still just life, only in a different place. It is not the differences that make surviving easy. It’s the sameness of it, writes SARAH GRIFFIN

Leah Quinn thumb My complicated relationship with Ryanair

After three years living abroad, Leah Quinn has yet to perfect the art of packing light. She writes from London about her experiences flying with Ryanair to and from her home in Clare and how it has impacted heavily on both her wallet and blood pressure.

thumb Have your say: have you found work in your chosen profession abroad?

Have you found it easy or difficult to secure a professional position abroad? Were your Irish qualifications and experience recognised?

Anthony McDermott thumb My Generation: a poem

‘Now my generation’s leaving, a generation going away, a generation that didn’t cause this mess, but the generation that has to pay.’

Shane Heneghan thumb When an education means emigration

Foreign universities offer courses that are often cheaper than their Irish counterparts, with wider entry criteria, in locations with a lower cost of living. And that’s before you factor in the benefits of living and studying abroad, writes Ciara Kenny.

Obama and Clinton 2 Becoming a US citizen to vote for Obama

Fiona Weigant will cast her first ballot in a US presidential election this November. She reports today from the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina, where Bill Clinton endorsed Barack Obama last night.

Westminster thumb Lure Britannia

The UK, particularly London, has long been the most popular destination for Irish emigrants. But how easy is it to get your paws on a ‘cat and mouse’ there, asks CIARA KENNY

aeroplane thumb Emigration fairs taking place around the country

VisaFirst and WorkingAbroad are hosting visa and jobs fairs in September and October. Find out more here, or share your thoughts on these fairs. Have you been to one, and did you find it useful?

Deirdre thumb Learning the local tongues

It would have been easy to get by speaking English in Brussels, but improving my French and taking up Flemish has offered me more of an insight into two very different but overlapping sides of Belgian culture, writes Deirdre Lennon.

Philip Lynch thumb Beyond Belfast

Long lapses between visits home can have sobering consequences, writes Philip Lynch.