The hard-hitting recession spreading across the island of Ireland and the increase in the value of the dollar versus the euro isn't preventing Irish bargain hunters from boarding planes in their droves bound for New York.

Aer Lingus spokesperson Rosemarie Curran said "traffic to New York has held up pretty well for November and bookings are strong into December." Curran said this was in line with bookings for the same time period for 2007.

"It appears that the customers continue to enjoy Christmas shopping trips to New York despite the declining dollar," she said.

Curran added that the Irish airline, currently in the process of reducing staff numbers, has for months been advertising promotional offers as low as €179 each way in an effort to keep the Irish shoppers flying. "The number of promotional offers to the U.S. over the past few months has definitely helped to boost bookings for the holiday season," Curran said.

According to the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME), which claims that Irish businesses are losing millions in revenue each year because of natives shopping abroad, 291,000 Irish shoppers traveled to New York and spent an estimated €1,900 each in 2007, for a total of €553 million.

Testing the waters to see if the same could hold true for 2008, the Irish Voice spent an afternoon with shoppers from all corners of Ireland in the Mecca of shopping, Macy's in Herald Square.

The Irish shoppers were aggressively adhering to shopping lists and smiling from ear to ear when they realized how much value they were really getting for their buck, or euro in their case.

Gillian Hawley, accompanied by her sister Lisa and best friend Caoibhe Brennan, was "delighted" after suddenly realizing she can get "another 11 percent" off the already heavily reduced items she had strewn over her arm.

"So hang on, I can get more money off this stuff," she asked Caoibhe in disbelief. "Yes, I told you that before. If we go up there and show our Irish passports we can get an 11% discount card," said Caoibhe, pointing past a brunette sales assistant who was busy selling an expensive necklace to a red headed Irish gentleman who declined to be interviewed.

"Sure, then this BCBG top will only cost me about $20 and that is only about €15," said Hawley, turning her back to see what else she can pick up. Her stylish pink and black BCBG Maxamara top was originally $125.

It was Lisa's first shopping trip to New York. London is their usual preference for retail therapy, they admitted. "Forget London, we'll be coming here every year from now on," smiled Lisa. Gillian, 26, is an accountant with an Irish phone company, Lisa, 29 works in a gym and Caoibhe, 25 is a student.

The Co. Galway girls, unfazed about the current economic climate in their homeland, spent five days in New York shopping and "just having a great time." They had no limit on the amount they would spend over the course of their stay. "We all have credit cards so if we run out of cash, they'll be coming out," said Lisa.

The girls continued their shopping at the designer section of Macy's, with plans to go to the Jersey Gardens outlet center the following afternoon in New Jersey to get further reductions on Tommy Hilfiger clothing, a popular yet expensive brand of clothing in Ireland.

Not everyone was in New York last week for garment shopping. Anne-Marie Riley, a teacher from Co. Louth, only discovered the day before arriving in New York that she was going to wake up in a different city on Thursday.

Her now fiance, Aidan Tolan from Co. Armagh, surprised her with a four-day trip to the Big Apple so he could propose to her and splurge on a diamond while visiting.

While browsing around the designer bags section of Macy's, Riley shared her excitement of getting engaged and admitted she was in New York only a few months ago shopping.

Riley said that although her job in Ireland was safe, she was certainly going to be more cautious with her spending this time around. "I'm only going to be buying Christmas presents this time," she said. "I'm limiting myself to $1,000 maximum."

Riley, who just arrived off an Aer Lingus flight three hours before her visit to Macy's, talked while Tolan went to pay for a bag she had chosen as a gift. Her soon-to-be fiancee, who is in the construction trade, had lost his job at home and was forced to move to Edinburgh to work.

Mother and daughter team from Donegal; Lynn and Tessa Carson, took four days out of their busy lives in Ireland - Lynn works with Newbridge Silverware - to do a spot of shopping. Lynn, no stranger to New York, and Tessa, planned to spend approximately $1,400 each. "We also took the (credit) cards just in case," laughs Lynn.

By the time the Irish Voice caught up with the women, Tessa had spent most of her money on Christmas presents, while Lynn purchased a few items for herself. Both ladies plan to make a return trip next year.

"I'm sure the economy in Ireland will bounce back so we'll be hopefully back here again doing our shopping next year," added Lynn.

Diane Duffy and Paddy Robinson, also from Donegal, are staying in New York for six days. Robinson, who had just emerged from picking up the 11% discount card available to all foreign shoppers at Macy's, was delighted with his trip. "New York was just amazing," he said.

Unlike her boyfriend who had never been to the city before, Duffy, a teacher, participated in the St. Patrick's Day parade in 2006.

Robinson, a truck driver, admitted that although he currently has a job, he is fearful for what the future holds in Ireland. "We're not going too mad with our money," he said.

Duffy, who said their flights were booked back in March, has been saving for the trip since then.

Noelle and Mary McNamara from Tipperary were on the noon Continental flight that arrived in New York that day.

The mother and daughter duo not only planned to shop till they dropped, they also booked two Broadway shows, one boat trip and several other activities. Visiting New York is a tradition for the McNamaras.

Said Noelle, a nurse, "This is my fourth year coming to New York." Since returning home to Ireland after last year's trip, Noelle had been saving and had $3,500 to spend on clothes for her children and her husband.

Feeling secure in her job, Noelle said she spent the same amount of money last year on her trip, and feels she gets way better value for money this side of the Atlantic. "And I'll be back next year at the same time," she said as she returned to picking out kids clothing.

Also just off the plane, and straight into Macy's for bargains, were Kelly and Shelia, addiction counselors from Dublin. This was their sixth year back to back in New York.

"We come every November at the same time," said Shelia. Four days of non-stop shopping was the plan for the ladies. For years, the girls traveled with an entourage of about 12 people, but this year only three of the old gang were able to make it. Putting it down to being tired of traveling and the slump in the Irish economy, Kelly and Shelia said there was nothing stopping them from getting on the plane for New York bargains. Their budget, the same every year, was approximately $2,500.

After spending the afternoon in Macy's, the ladies were running out the door, countless bags of designer outfits in tow, and dashing up Fifth Avenue to get into the Abercrombie and Fitch store before it was due to close.

Admitting they were aggressive shoppers, the Dublin girls said they were getting the 10 p.m. bus to outlet stores at Woodbury Commons on Thanksgiving night.

"We shop through the night and then come back about 8 a.m. in the morning and go straight out to Jersey Gardens for another full day of shopping," explained Kelly, admitting many cups of coffee would be consumed.

Kelly won a $2,000 shopping trip to New York last year on an Irish television show. "The aim of the show was to prove to Irish viewers that it was way cheaper to shop in New York than Ireland," she said.

Upon returning to Ireland after her all expenses paid trip last year, Kelly then had to look for the same items of clothing and designer labels in Ireland. "She saved about €1,500 by coming here," said Shelia. For a Co. Clare family, coming to New York on a visit was something they always talked about but never got around to doing until this year.

Madeline, who was trying to decide if a DKNY sweater would be a nice gift for her daughter Nicole, told the Irish Voice she was accompanied on their five day trip, via Continental Airlines, by her mother and father, her five sisters, one niece and her friend Cathy. "We always wanted to visit New York and this year we decided why not," said Madeline.

Madeline, an office worker, said she had not put a limit on the amount she would spend. "There is great value here for the euro so we will buy as much as we can for the family and friends for Christmas," she said. For one Irish shopper, being in Macy's around the holiday season brought back memories from 53 years ago.

Maureen Maloney Keys, originally from Co. Kerry but living in New York since 1954, was once an employee in Macy's. "I came to America in 1954 on the Britannic and I got a Christmas job in 1955 in Macy's selling children's clothes," said Keys, who was shopping at the Mecca with her Co. Laois husband Fergus, her American born daughter Deirdre and her grandson Patrick Altman. Keys said times have changed.

"There were so many Irish people working here back then. They all got jobs here when they came off the boat," she said. Now, she admitted, there are no Irish employees in Macy's, just thousands of Irish shoppers!