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Massive rise in emigration as 40,000 left Ireland in 2010

New statistics show its at highest levels since the Famine

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Friday, September 16, 2011, 7:31 AM

Updated Friday, September 16, 2011, 3:49 PM

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39 Comments

Over 40,000 Irish citizens emigrated last year

Irish emigration is now at its highest level since before the Famine with 111 quitting Ireland each and every day according to official figures.

The government’s Central Statistics office has confirmed that emigration has more than doubled in the past two years with over four thousand people seeking a new life in America alone in the period covered.

The vast majority of those emigrating are aged between 15 and 44 with Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand their likely destinations.

“You’d have to go back to the 1800s to get levels like that,” said CSO spokesperson Deirdre Cullen.

Over 40,000 Irish citizens quit the country in the last year as harsh economic reality hits home.

A new survey has confirmed that 40,200 Irish nationals emigrated in the 12 months to April, a rise of 45 per cent year on year.

Irish passport holders accounted for over 50 per cent of the 75,000 people who emigrated between April 2010 and 2011.

The figure for Irish nationals has increased from 27,700 to 40,200 in that period according to official data from the Irish government’s Central Statistics Office.

The survey also confirms a drop-off in the level of emigration amongst non-Ireland people for the second year running with EU accession states like Romania and Bulgaria attracting their citizens back home.

The CSO figures state that emigration from Ireland reached 76,400 in the year ended April 2011, an increase of 11,100 on the 65,300 recorded in the previous year.

The report states that more than twice as many men and women of all nationalities left in the year to April than did in the same period in 2006 with 37,800 women and 38,700 men leaving in the survey period.

Of those, 18,900 people emigrated to Britain with over half of them men. The UK figure is up 31 per cent on the previous 12-month period.

The United States welcomed 4.400 Irish emigrants, of whom 2,400 were male.

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Almost 34,400 of those who emigrated were in the 25-44 age group with 33,100 in the 15-24 age group, 2,200 in the 45-64 age group and 5,000 people aged 65 and over.

Of the men who left, about 18,300 fell into the 25-44 age bracket, while 15,000 were aged 15-24 while amongst women leaving, most fell into the younger 15-24 group.

The UK and Australia are growing in terms of the numbers of Irish emigrating there but the survey indicates a fall in those leaving for other European countries.

The number of immigrants into Ireland also increased in the same 12 month period, from 30,800 to 42,300.

The CSO survey also shows a two per cent fall in employment, down 37,800 in the year ended mid-2011, compared with 2.9 per cent in the previous quarter. Analysts believe this trend suggests that unemployment is tapering off.

A population increase of 0.3 per cent in the year was unevenly distributed across the regions with Dublin showing the biggest increase of 0.7 per cent.

The CSO said: “The natural increase in the population continues to be very strong,” with 75,100 births in the 12 months to April this year and 27,400 deaths.

“The combined effect of strong natural increase and negative net migration resulted in a relatively small increase in the overall population of 13,600, bringing the population estimate to 4.48 million in April 2011,” said the CSO.

The rise in emigration has been condemned in a statement from the Union of Students in Ireland.
President Gary Redmond said: “Our graduates have two options: leave the country in search of work or join the dole queue.

“Soaring unemployment and emigration is hampering any hope of realizing the Government’s ambitions of creating a smart economy in Ireland.

“Masses of highly skilled graduates are leaving for distant shores, taking with them the future prosperity of this island.”

Nster.com

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39 Comments

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LaoiseRyan | Jan 01, 2012, 09:24 AM EST

GerogeDillon doesnt seem to realise that he would be considered as much of a foreigner or settler here as the Nigerians or Poles etc.

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kinvara7 | Sep 20, 2011, 07:46 AM EDT

You ask me to ‘Produce ONE survey in which the majority of Irish people supported their country being taken over by foreign settlers, or else accept my characterization of you as a racist liar.’ To begin with go and look up the word racist in a dictionary, because you don’t seem to understand what it means. Look again at how you have worded your request: ‘people [who support] their country being taken over by foreign settlers’, that is reason and balance in your mind. You don’t seem to understand that I have used a survey of your own choosing, which you have said time and time again proves 70% of Ireland agrees with you, and I have shown that it does nothing of the sort.

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kinvara7 | Sep 20, 2011, 07:33 AM EDT

Previously you stated that: ‘over a thousand settlers a week [were] streaming into Ireland’, do you now accept that half of the 40,000 or so that came into Ireland over the last 12 months were Irish people returning home? As regards the survey, could you please point out where I ‘lied’. George the survey you keep citing is that conducted by the Irish Times on 1004 people. I think you have cited it to death and I have challenged your interpretation of that survey where you say that 70% of Irish people agree with your views. That survey said that over a quarter were happy with the current situation and a total of 43 per cent say they would like to see some, but not all, immigrants leave the state. The key word there is SOME. While 29% would like to see most leave. It is fair to say that most of the people surveyed would not know the different legal obligations and rights that attach to migrants depending on their status. Many would be led by a misunderstanding of certain matters. For example, how many will read the above article and think that the 40,000 that arrived over the last 12 months are all foreigners, when in fact half are Irish? How many made the mistake of presuming that all of those that left the country in 2009 and 2010 were Irish, when in fact that was not the case –do those misunderstandings impact on attitudes? Of course they do. Despite the economic factors facing the country, the survey does show a benign attitude towards immigrants amongst those polled. It is stretching it a bit to say that over 70% of those polled agree with your views on ‘ethnosuicide’.

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kinvara7 | Sep 20, 2011, 07:29 AM EDT

George: May I begin by noting that you did not refute my examples of why you are a liar, a hypocrite and a fool. Secondly, I only post comments under one name; unlike you, who also post comments under the name WoundedKnee. Thirdly, on what basis do you presume to call me a racist? As regards backing up my assertion that you are a racist (and with little trouble finding examples) here are some of your previous comments: ‘My biggest beef about Dublin is that it is full of foreigners.’ ‘Ireland doesn't need Mass Immigration, least of all from Muslims.’ And here is a post from you using your WoundedKnee name: ‘it's a worrying prospect, another step towards Ireland's ethnosuicide.’ Hmmm…So of the foreigners, you least like those from Muslim countries and you think Ireland is heading for ‘ethnosuicide’. Clearly you’re not concerned with economic factors, you just use them as a vehicle to promote your main views expressed above.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 19, 2011, 03:43 PM EDT

kinvara aka trealach: You're a racist idiot and a liar. You use the word "mongrel". Are you claiming that this is a word I have used? Show me when and where I have used that word; otherwise admit you're just a piece of racist garbage. If you can back up that piece of racist slime you invented, I may respond to your other lies. In the meantime for those readers who are not racists such as you are, I point out that you lie about the make-up of those being issued PPS numbers (that's 70 thousand FOREIGNERS per year you damn liar, not Irish). And you lie about the various public opinion surveys (that's PLURAL, you fool, there were more than one) that have been taken about Irish people's attitudes to Mass Immigration. Produce ONE survey in which the majority of Irish people supported their country being taken over by foreign settlers, or else accept my characterization of you as a racist liar. Since I know you can't, it'll be for the best--I prefer not to dialog with racist liars.

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kinvara7 | Sep 18, 2011, 03:56 PM EDT

@Springfield9: I already dealt with this (of course it would have been better if Mr. Dervan did in his article). Of the 42,000 half are Irish people returning home...let that sink in; 8,400 moved to the country from the UK and the rest of the old EU, while 9,000 came from the new accession states. A further 7,900 came from the rest of the world.

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Springfield9 | Sep 18, 2011, 10:11 AM EDT

...... and 40,000 came from God knows to get the dole. Even Steven.

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kinvara7 | Sep 18, 2011, 07:03 AM EDT

Every time you mention that Irish Times survey I laugh (how often have you cited it now?). To begin with it was a poll of 1004 people, and if you think it supports your contention that 70% of Ireland agree with your views about 'mongrel' this and that then you're very foolish. If anything, given that the majority of those polled would not know the legal difference between an EEA worker and a Non EEA worker, the survey showed a rather benign attitude towards immigrants; even in the face of the crisis. If I recall, over a quarter of those polled were happy with the current situation, while 43% would like to see SOME immigrants go home. That is very very different to the mongrel this and that diatribes you engage in. Finally, do you remember George when you were talking about the thousand immigrants arriving every week? Well you constantly failed to understand that about half were Irish people returning home. You also fail to understand that an Irish Passport is a very sought after document. Irish people, through their acts of genorisity, humanity and decency, their friendly, affable and modest character have imbued that document with its proud reputation. It is for that very reason that so many seek it; sadly, some seek to use its reputation for wrong. However your rant is just that, a rant. Más buan mo chuimhne, dúirt tú go raibh Gaeilge agat, ach ca bhfuil sé? Tá Trealach ag caint leat...

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kinvara7 | Sep 18, 2011, 07:03 AM EDT

GeorgeDillon: Intelligent readers have no respect for you. You are a proven liar (for example, you made a post claiming I hate the Irish language, even though you knew that was false, as I have often posted in Irish and have set out ways to increase its use); a hypocrite (because you call people liars and then talk of how much you despise liars); and stupid (example: you thought Poland had a population of 70 million people). Furthermore you are a racist; talking about immigration is one thing but constantly ignoring facts and spewing 'mongrel' this and that is very very different.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 17, 2011, 02:40 PM EDT

haasny: You're a stupid racist bigot. This site would be better off without ignorant racists like you. And you're a damn liar, too, though I guess most racists are liars. For the benefit of intelligent readers out there, and that doesn't include racists like hassny, people should be aware that in opposing Mass Immigration to Ireland, a country whose ruling capitalist class is forcing an exodus of young Irish men and women, even while they are replaced by foreigners, I am articulating the viewpoint of the great majority of Irish people. Surveys always show at least 70% of Irish people want Mass Immigration stopped. Racist liars like hasny won't tell you that. I just did.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 17, 2011, 01:03 PM EDT

Curpeter--I will have no dialog with you while you show yourself incapable of getting my name right. As for intelligent readers, I stand over all I say. The fellow in Rio is a Nigerian. The only question is the one I posed when I first got word of this--is he naturalized Irish (Ireland has the laxest naturalization system in the world) or is he using a false Irish passport? (Ireland is the most careless nation in the world as regards keeping its passports out of harm's way). Curpeter, if you ever get to articulate a rationale for Ireland importing foreign settlers even while young Irish men and women are leaving their homeland, let us have it and we'll examine it to see if it has any validity. Until you do that you remain a bigot and a racist and, what's worse, a bore. I have no interest in any dealing with you.

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sirpeter | Sep 17, 2011, 09:57 AM EDT

Georgy Boy."Irishman caught with 72 cocaine capsules in Brazil"(Irish independent)You really are a racist fecker aren't ya? Let's be having the link Georgy?

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pilib04 | Sep 17, 2011, 08:16 AM EDT

Perhaps the symbolism of Martin McGuinness as Uachtaran na hEireann will give our country a real economic boost.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 17, 2011, 03:12 AM EDT

Yet more evidence of how the Irish have fecklessly misused their naturalization and passport process. A Nigerian is picked up at Rio de Janeiro airport, his belly full of dope. He's a mule. And guess what? He's traveling on an Irish passport. He either got his Irish citizenship thru the stupid lax Irish system, or he is just using one of the bogus Irish passports that Nigerian passport mills produce by the thousand. Either way--this African's a poster boy for the dumb Irish and their lazy and sloppy and spineless attitude to their own citizenship.

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sirpeter | Sep 16, 2011, 10:57 PM EDT

Georgy Boy is causing havoc again.ha ha..What strange is that he is American.He hates Ireland.Why should he care if we are over run by immigrants.Besides Georgy Boy those Polish women are really hot.I have it first hand they prefer Irishmen.We have even weaned them off the Irish swans and horses you said they eat.Irish "sausage" they can't get enough of.

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