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New wave of Irish immigrants arrive in New York

Fleeing Ireland's financial crisis in search of a new life

MOLLY MULDOON,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Friday, December 10, 2010, 5:38 AM

Updated Friday, December 10, 2010, 5:47 AM

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James Dunn, 23, and Conor Hynes, 27 - new immigrants from Ireland hoping for a new start

Photo by NY Metro

As Ireland bears witness to a new wave of immigration, countless numbers are flocking to New York in search a new life.

Orla Kelleher, who runs the Aisling Community Center in Yonkers has witnessed an increase in the numbers coming to New York.

“I absolutely saw Irish immigration to New York grow in the past year,” she told Metro.com.

“Until two or three years ago there were more Irish people returning to Ireland than there were people coming here,” said Kelleher.

“But unfortunately, I think a lot of them are finding it was a bad move. There are little to no prospects for anybody to find work there,” she told Metro.com

New York welcomed an influx of Irish immigrants during the 1980s, but a significant number returned to Ireland over the past decade due to the period of prosperity.

However the recent downturn has resulted in high levels of unemployment, especially among young people and as a result many have left Irish shores once again.

“The vast majority of (Irish immigrants) have a college degree or a masters,” said Kelleher.

“And if they do have legal status -- and many of them don’t – they still have to settle for a job in the construction industry. But having work for only two or three days a week is far better than sitting at home at Ireland.”

A recent graduate, 24-year-old Tara Skehan, left Ireland last October to come to New York. A trained accountant, she lives in Woodlawn in the Bronx, which is home to a large Irish community.

“Most people who are recently out of college don’t have a chance of getting a job, not even a part-time job in a supermarket,” said Skehan. “I want to stay here and work for a couple years but if I have to leave America, I’ll go to Australia.”

According to Irish immigration advocates there are as many as 50,000 undocumented Irish in the U.S.

“Some U.S. legislators were shocked the Irish were part of the undocumented community,” said Kelleher.

“We’re a small number by comparison with other communities, but the number of undocumented Irish here is greater than the population of some counties in Ireland.”

With the current wave of Irish emigrants, figures seem set to increase.

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grnd10ka | Dec 14, 2010, 05:44 AM EST

@sirpeter, I am slovak and as a small nation in Europe we are very modest, hardworking people and we were nearly thousand years under the rule of hungary and austria and we had to fight for our independence,too. We also have had a history of emigrating.Despite of negatives of communism era most people had a work and most educated people got work straight after college.Our unepmloyment now is around 14% and our average wage is 2-3 euro per hour.After receiving a euro everything is a more expensive. By nature I am more melancholic, so my eyes are a bit melancholic too:-) But it is not becouse we are poor. I come from ordinary middle class family.I am thankful to had an opportunity to work in Ireland or Greece and would like to come back on this beautifull green island if will be a chance. Just for information some famous people in USA with slovak ancestry: Andy Warhol, Jon Bon Jovi, Angelina Jolie and her father John Voight, Paul Newman, Jim Cazievel, Tom Selleck..

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Selouscout | Dec 13, 2010, 05:36 PM EST

@sirpeter, I have read the arrogant and racist comments by this buffoon, he/she/it GeorgeDillon many times on this forum. He/She/It has way to much spare time.

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sirpeter | Dec 13, 2010, 05:02 PM EST

@grnd10ka..Maybe I'm a little harsh on the dull,aggressive and tactless and have zero sense of humour.Maybe they just have a different sense of humour compared to the Irish.I admit i'm not really fully sure.Alot of them just don't laugh much,not with Irish people anyway.Also though the women are beautiful i must say.I find they have a kind of melancholy look in their eyes.I don't know if it is a look of resignation or just the way they look.If you are Polish maybe you could educate me on the matter.I thought maybe it might be caused by hardship and lack of money under communist rule.

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sirpeter | Dec 13, 2010, 04:47 PM EST

@GeorgeDildo..Foul language hope it offends you,I will continue to think up new foul words to describe you.Thank God you are just a moron on the internet.You should become a member of Stormfront if you are not already.

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grnd10ka | Dec 13, 2010, 02:07 PM EST

George Dillon you should try a polish or czech beer!

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ancavker | Dec 13, 2010, 01:46 PM EST

woundedknee: While I admire the idealism and the loyalty of the men who would not accept the treaty, not acccepting it at the time was a disaster for Ireland. It caused more death and destruction than the war of independence, and accomplished nothing. In addition it made partition permanent. If youa ctually take the time to study Irish history at the that time, and see why De Valera refused to accept the treaty, you can only shake your head in sadness. The same man who took the same oath to the british crown 10 years later. The civil war was not about the partition of Ireland. DeValera was a disaster for Ireland. The cicil war left Ireland broken and disillusuoned asnd bitter. In addition many fo the ebst men (and women) on both sides were killed or left the country in sadness and disgust.

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ancavker | Dec 13, 2010, 01:36 PM EST

Does that mean all these Irish from Ireland will be invading my NYC Irish- American neighborhood again, like the 1980's? Will they still have that arrogance and nastiness, like that last bunch? Will we constantly have to listen again to how bad America is, and how we have no right to claim we are Irish? Do we have to stock up on bleach, to clean up our steps and porches after they finish puking all over them from their out of control drinking on a Saturday night? Will we now be asked to leave certain pubs in the neighborhood as it is now only for Irish born patrons, and dumb yanks are not welcome just like we were than? Will we witness the endless drunken fighting again? Will we have to contend with the fact that more than a few only bathe once a week? Will we have the snickers and jeers when they see so many of us dumb yanks who are involved with that "ould trad sh@te as they call it? I know this sounds harsh, but anyone on this site who lives in any of the NYC Irish-American neighborhoods and remembers the last crowd that came over, knows exactly what I am talking about. And no it was more than just a few who behaved like this. Sorry I am just not feeling the sympathy for them any more. They use us Irish-Americans and then abuse us.Not to mention all the effort that was exerted the last time by dumb yanks to get that crowd legalzed, and little to no appreciation by many of them. Stay home and fix the mess you made.

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GeorgeDillon | Dec 13, 2010, 10:33 AM EST

"A third of poles will leave Ireland in the next year". Where do you get that information, sirdirtymouth? Do you have visions after drinking a couple of sixpacks of cheap Polish beer? Or maybe its rotgut Polish vodka that helps you commune with the Great Polish Nation? Were you one of the guys I saw getting drunk by the canal in Dubllin last year? Did two of the six Poles who were sprawled on the ground drunk assure you that their travel plans included a permanent return to their birthplace in 2011?

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grnd10ka | Dec 13, 2010, 09:54 AM EST

I agree with sirpeter but I dont agree that many eastern european are dull and without sense of humor.. Anyway irish man have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen and of course great sense of humor:-)

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allicat4u2 | Dec 13, 2010, 09:51 AM EST

We welcome the Irish above any others but know ye...there are no jobs in the good ol' USA...unless...you are a teacher...make 63K in NYC teaching if you have a Masters plus 30 credits (Maybe around 55 with just a Masters), there are also jobs in technology...but everything else you need an education for is frozen or shut down. And unskilled labor is taken up by Mexicans and Island people who are illegal...that is all restarunt jobs, factory jobs(Where there are no Unions and where they are still open which is not a lot, most have moved to China), and construction jobs. They say Americans are lazy and its youth dont want labor jobs so that is why illegal immigration is needed in this country...but that is a lie...ask any kid in high school if he/she would like to work at McDonald's to save for college or a car and the answer would be "YES." But they can't get these jobs due to what is happening here. America has been sold to greed.

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sirpeter | Dec 12, 2010, 10:24 PM EST

Woundedbollocks..When it comes to you we can be foul-mouthed eloquent writers too.You don't live here so you don't know whats happening on the ground.The cuts Ireland are making and will continue to make over the coming years will see a huge drop in immigrants.A third of poles will leave Ireland in the next year. That is approximately 67,000 people. Almost 50% aim to leave in the next two years (100,000). The new income tax system in Poland, with income tax at 18% is part of the attraction. The Polish government is setting a low income tax to attract labour back.I have met loads of these poles.Firstly the foreigners are not spongers,they are ordinary people ALL appear to be young, who want to work and make a living.I haven't seen any of them over 50,because they don't have English,and old people don't want to move anyway.Now that jobs are harder to get,Irish people will be filling their places.Because employers can now get the Irish to fill the jobs the Irish didn't want to do.WHY? because the foreigners are extremely poor at dealing with the Irish public,partly because they sound very abrupt due to poor English. Very few Irish people like dealing with the foreigners,they are Eastern European most of them,they are dull,aggressive and tactless and have zero sense of humour.They can live on welfare here,but the cost of living is killing them.The foreign unemployed can't get work on the side. They don't have the Irish contact's and they don't have a ready made base like the Irish people do all over the world to help them get work.Also most seem to be ambitious and don't just want to exist.They want to live comfortably.I have talked to them and this is my experience.Use your logic Woundedbollocks you are away off the mark.You think they are all a bunch of beggars and spongers.

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jacersagain | Dec 12, 2010, 07:06 PM EST

Hah! New wave of immigrants arriving in NYC! Hah! D’ye think there’s room on the planes and boats and trains for my country’s pollytitions emigrating to the US of A?? All of them? Pulleeeease??? Please please please?

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snuffey | Dec 12, 2010, 05:38 PM EST

The Irish migrants should move here to Oklahoma, or too Texas, or Kansas. We have some of the best people in the USA here. Never move in with the snobs on the East or West coasts. Besides that we need some fresh Irish blood here

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WoundedKnee | Dec 12, 2010, 03:22 PM EST

You know the Irish used to have a reputation as being eloquent writers and speakers, but I've noticed that the current generation tend to be foul-mouthed illiterates. Witness the attacks on me by posters sirpeter and palmeiras. I don't propose to answer their dumn attacks, except for one element. This is that sispeter is flagrantly lying about immigration to Ireland. He tells you that well over 30.000 foreigners left Ireland last year. But what he doesn't tell you is how many foreigners arrived! This figure, according to the Central Statistics Office in Dublin, is about 60,000 so far in 2010. Now why are 60,000--it'll me more when they add in december-- foreigners coming to live in Ireland when the country is broke and unemployment is huge and the Irish are leaving? Would it be as welfare frauds perhaps? The Irish welfare system sure beats working in Eastern Europe. And they can do a little under the table work in Ireland whenever they have a mind to--the Irish seem incapable of controlling migrant labor. And, one more thing, don't forget that the 60k are only the ones looking for work. It doesn't count their children or granpa and grandma, who are increasingly tagging along. Child care is expensive in Ireland. No problem, import grandma and grandpa from Gdansk, and if they get sick the Irish taxpayer will pay to treat them! There's no doubt about it, the current Irish are utter morons. They export their own young people in order to make way for foreigners.

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WoundedKnee | Dec 12, 2010, 03:10 PM EST

anneduffy--you are the voice of reason here. Give Ireland back to the Irish--And make them keep it!

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