A Facebook page titled 'Ireland Abandoners' has fuelled significant anger and controversy online for claiming that Irish emigrant workers 'abandoned her when she needed you most.'
The page, setup yesterday, has clocked up over 800 comments on its first post, despite having only a little over 50 fans, as expats from around the globe have responded in anger to the suggestion that they weren't welcome home.
“Basically you have all left now, many of you hope to return one day when things pick up, when the economic climate changes to suit you, well, guess who is changing it? the people that stayed behind we will not allow you to reap the benefit of the crops that we are sowing now!
“Take down your Tri Colours, you are not worthy of flying them and are not welcome back so stay where you are because the Irishness is better off without you! (sic)”
- Original post on 'Ireland Abandoners' Facebook page (This has since been taken offline)
The vast majority of responses to the page have been strongly against the idea, including insults and, in some cases, threats against the page's administrators.
The controversy was mentioned on Irish radio station 2fm, which prompted the administrators of the Facebook page, now on Twitter with the handle @IrelandAbandone, to thank the DJs for the 'shout out'. The radio staff, however, tried to distance themselves from the discussion:
The controversy was mentioned on Irish radio station 2fm, which prompted the administrators of the Facebook page, now on Twitter with the handle @IrelandAbandone, to thank the DJs for the 'shout out'.
The issue of the value in staying in Ireland while peers emigrate has been debated in the national media before, and a recent viral video on YouTube, 'Just Saying' was viewed over 250,000 during the holiday period, as it explored the experience of being left behind.
Here’s the video:
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