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Saying a sad farewell to America but longing to stay here

Why does the US discriminate against bright, young Irish?

By
Eoin Brennan,
Irish Voice Intern
Published Friday, January 20, 2012, 3:17 PM
Updated Friday, January 20, 2012, 3:17 PM

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Eoghan is being forced to leave his job and life in New York and return a Dublin with no future for him
Eoghan is being forced to leave his job and life in New York and return a Dublin with no future for him
Photo by Photocall


Irish Voice intern Eoin Brennan is returning to Ireland because his J visa is up, and so are his options for staying legally here, at least for now.  But with jobs virtually non-existent in Ireland, he won’t be home for long, and laments the fact that strict U.S. visa laws prevent him from building a future here.

This week I will return to Ireland following my one year stay in New York, on the J-1 graduate visa, which allowed me to work in the U.S. for one year following my graduation from university in Ireland. I have spent the year working at the Irish Voice.

The past year has been an incredible one for me, with challenges and rewards greater than any I had encountered at home. I have faced low points here and moved past them to reach some of my best moments. I have learned in the way that New York City insists, quickly and intensely.

In my life I have lived in three different cities and countries, in seven different homes and in the past five years I have packed up my belongings and moved from one place to another 10 times.

I’m not exactly nomadic, but I’ve done my fair share of clearing out rooms and packing up suitcases in the last while.  It never bothers me though, and I’ve always enjoyed it in a way.

However, the moving was always done with a solid base beneath me; a community and place I called home, an indisputable fact which meant that any sort of temporary relocation carried no real sense of displacement. In my mind I was just moving around a bit, home would always be there and I’d always be back.

However, now that I face the prospect of returning to Dublin following my year in New York I feel that solid base getting unsteady underfoot, a fear of displacement growing rapidly within me. I am almost certain I will not reamin there for very long.

Although I have only been gone from Ireland for a little over a year, the place I remember as home has rapidly changed since I left.

The places and landmarks are all the same, albeit with a few more boarded up businesses dotting the landscape.
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28 Comments

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gobdawpaddy | Jan 14, 2012, 05:58 AM EST
Agree with jamcelt and woundedknee, the Irish electorate voted for gombeen men and women in Fianna Fail for decades, people whom you wouldn't trust to cross O'Connell street with a 'poe of p***'. Paddy voted for people with the intellect of Jackie Healy Rae, Bertie Ahern, Mary Coughlan, John O'Donoghue, Martin Cullen, Conor Lenihan, Mary O'Rourke, BIFFO etc. etc. who made a b***s of things. I recently enquired of an Irish friend if George Lee could be elected in the rural constituency that he lives in and was bluntly told 'NO', they wouldn't be able to understand him 'down here'. If Biffo and co. is what Paddy chooses in democracy to be 'representative' of them, they are probably too dumb to be permitted to leave the rock that is Ireland. Don't export your problems to the greatest country in the world.
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Pittsburghkid | Jan 13, 2012, 04:24 PM EST
It's all racial. Democrats want to make whites a minority in America
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WoundedKnee | Jan 13, 2012, 08:02 AM EST
Excellent post, Jamcelt. Why should we serve as a bolt-hole for all the Irish who jump ship whenever things get tough? Why don't they fix their own country?
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Jamcelt | Jan 13, 2012, 02:50 AM EST
The USA's first priority is to protect jobs for their own citizens, first and foremost. Not to give them to Irish people who are traditionally all too quick to abandon their own country when things go wrong. I am Irish, by the way.
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jmccarten | Jan 12, 2012, 11:18 PM EST
The reason America limits European entry is entirely political. The Irish Americans no longer see aiding their fellow Irishmen to come to America as a political cause. They are ambivelant about Irish immigration therefore the Immigration and Naturalization Service can act to deport Irish who over stay a Visa. On the other hand American politicians are so busy pandering to the Hispanic vote they allow millions of illegal aliens to stay in this country. Obama has publically stated if you are a illegal alien you are only deported if you commit a serious felony. No so for Irish immigrants. I live in New Mexico right on the border, it is like a police state you cannot turn a corner without seeing a police car. The police in America today have to be armed like soldiers to deal with the drug traffickers entering the border states. Ironically, there are so many illegals committing crimes in this country Obama's quasi unofficial amnesty policy has backfired and he has had to deport more illegals than any other President. My advice, immigrate to another country (Canada, Australia)America is no longer the place it was ten years ago.
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like2tweet | Jan 12, 2012, 09:51 PM EST
Allentown,dont be too smug I hope someday you face a tough life decision and show more class
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allentown | Jan 12, 2012, 09:26 PM EST
Hey Eoin, just wait till January 2013 when Romney becomes President. All illegal aliens have to go home. Probably there will be a couple of openings at Irish Central.
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WoundedKnee | Jan 12, 2012, 07:53 PM EST
Colkelley: If you are referring to folks from south of the Rio Grand who come north, why did you say "speaking broken Spanglish"? Those people speak Spanish, not Spanglish.
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irishcoffeekid | Jan 12, 2012, 04:02 PM EST
I would like to think he did his homework BEFORE going back to Dublin - he knew the life of his J1 Visa and its 12 months - surely he's been doing his own homework and looking for employment BEFORE going back. You can't keep whining about a visa you know has an expiry date and then lament the week you're leaving about having no job back home. Most of the reason the Irish do suceed is because they are creative and smart and always on the look out for opportunities - lamenting about something isnt going to change isnt going to make the USG suddenly throw out visas to people who knew it was a one year stint. If he's that set on getting back here, do what i did, apply and keep applying for the Green Card Lottery - I waiting 5 years and dreamed of coming to the USA then I got awarded a Green Card in the lottery - its all about being progressive, being positive and always looking forward - good things dont pass you by. Being depressed about the economy wont get you a job and it wont get you a visa in the USA either!
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ciaradexy | Jan 12, 2012, 02:18 PM EST
Thats the joy of the EU Tiocfaide. We had people who could come here legally and work without an visa or red tape same as us if we wish to go to a European country to live and work.
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Nelsonbarry | Jan 12, 2012, 02:17 PM EST
Hey Eoin, Contact Obama at the White House and ask how his aunt and uncle are staying here as illegals and having the country give them room and board for the good life. Maybe he will extend the same to you.
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TiocfaidhArmani | Jan 12, 2012, 01:38 PM EST
I don't think we Irish can complain, even during the 'boom' years in Ireland it was a nightmare for any US citizen to get a visa to work in Ireland while we let every tom, dick and harry in from elsewhere.
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micky74007 | Jan 12, 2012, 11:50 AM EST
It really is a shame this country makes legal immigration so hard, yet turns a blind eye to the millions of illegals who pollute our culture. Good luck in Dublin, and I sincerely hope all the best of life comes to you.
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mhichil | Jan 12, 2012, 11:40 AM EST
that is your problem! you act as if you understand the immigration notice and respond in English. you are much too educated for cheap labor. best wishes!
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carrickcourt | Jan 12, 2012, 11:03 AM EST
Good luck to you Eoin. My young Irish third cousin once removed Robin was able to find work in Ireland about two years ago now. Robin was an engineering honors grad from UCD, which no doubt helped him find a job in Ireland.
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