People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

N.Y. Times highlights young Irish fleeing the old sod -- the bad old days are back again

Posted on Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 12:19 AM

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In a front page article The New York Times has focused attention on the number of young Irish fleeing Ireland as the recession bites.

"Hunt for Jobs Sends the Irish Abroad Again" is the headline, just the latest in a series of Celtic Tiger dismantling articles that have been in the U.S. media in recent weeks.

The main focus is Antoinete Shields, who once employed 26 people in her construction company and now cannot even give work to her son who is on his way overseas.

"This is where we are" she says. "sad isn't it."

Sad indeed,and the damage done to Ireland;'s image over the past few weeks has been truly catastrophic and I am not trying to sensationalize that.

"Ireland seems set to watch yet another generation scatter across the globe to escape desperate times" The Times states.

They have it right in one.

If America was open to irish immigrants like it was from Famine times to 1965 we would be swamped with the hundred thousand or so who would rush here.

Instead, Canada and Australia will take most of them as will Britain of course.

Those countries will be fortunate to have them.

Unlike in my time, 66 per cent of young Irish now have university education and good job skills.

Little wonder they are highly sought after.

Sad isn't it to think of the billions spent educating them for another country to benefit?

But it has mostly been so in the history of the Irish Republic.

Why should this era be any different?

And it is not as bad as it used to be. Facebook, Skype etc. means people can stay in touch much better than the odd letter home days.

'A lot of mothers are learning a lot about computers these days" says Mrs Shields in The TImes.

A lot more will be learning too before this is over.

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averagejoewa | Nov 21, 2010, 10:54 AM EST

Unfortunately, the United States wants to keep the Irish out because it is more interested in turning itself into a larger version of Mexico thanks to all the Hispanic illegal immigrants. Personally, I think that Ireland's economic problems will be relatively short-term as foreign companies are attracted to Ireland's lower wages.

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monaghanjack | Nov 21, 2010, 10:05 AM EST

I'm one of those who went to Britain seeking work. I returned & tried to integrate into the New Society of the Celtic Tiger but found that a new society had evolved which limited work to those who subscribed to the majority beliefs. As a result I set up our now "world famous" software creation near Belfast and I'm glad I did.

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