The National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin city centre has the builders in at the moment and as a result of the ongoing refurbishment, the best, or most well-known, of the Irish-painted works have been thrown together in one room. Each painting has a little placard giving a little information about the artist and the work. And each artist’s birth and death year is shown, as is the place of birth and place of death. What is remarkable is the number of Irish artists who died overseas. Yes, some died in Rome or in France, traditional homes of great art, but most died in London, or Exeter or the Isle of Wight. Or Poughkeepsie in New York state – hardly world-renowned for its artistic attractions. With the intense Irish weather, the brilliant skies and preponderance of rain, you might have expected more of our artists to stay, and even to attract artists from elsewhere. But this one great room in the National Gallery shows us as much about our history of emigration as it does about our art.
Actor, Gabriel Byrne – star of “Bracken” where he was Dinny and Miley’s neighbour, and “The Usual Suspects” – hit the headlines this week for criticising An Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s speech launching The Gathering 2013, a speech which Gabriel claims rubbed Americans up the wrong way and which he also found hollow in light of his own experiences with the famous Irish Diaspora – emigrants and their descendants. The Gathering 2013 is primarily a tourism drive promoting Ireland to the Diaspora and inviting the Diaspora to visit the country in 2013 where a number of special events will be held, and where there will be individual “gatherings” of those with the same family surname.
What seems to have gotten Gabriel’s goat is the overt commercialisation of The Gathering, the key performance indicator of which will be the hoped-for 325,000 extra tourists and their contribution to the revival of the Irish economy. And as a worker himself in the US, Gabriel has encountered that painful aspect of illegal Irish emigration – the Irish emigrant working illegally in the US, unable to return to Ireland for a funeral, christening or wedding because they would be unable to re-gain admission to the US afterwards. So Gabriel attacked The Gathering 2013 as a “scam” claiming we don’t care about our emigrants except to shake them down for a few quid.
The evidence suggests Gabriel is correct. We have senior members of this Government hoping that emigration will lessen the burden on the social welfare budget and help make the unemployment figures look cosmetically better. We have Minister Noonan dismissing concerns about emigration – 87,000 in the year to April 2012 according to the Central Statistics Office or an average of 240 for each of the 365 days last year – and suggesting it is a lifestyle choice. And maybe for some it is a lifestyle choice, but it seems that lifestyle choices have altered radically since the onset of the financial and property crisis in 2007/8 when only an estimated 45,300 emigrated in the 12 months to April 2008.
Irish has a painful history of emigration.
And do we care about our emigrants? Officially we seem glad to see the back of them. Unless of course the nation’s finances get so dire and the local well of gombeenism runs dry, and then we have to resort to appealing to their patriotism and sense of roots. As long as they bring their cheque-books with them.
Perhaps one day in the future, we might get a leader that will stand outside Dublin airport on St Stephen’s Day and apologise to those taking the planes to London, Boston and Sydney for the failure of this country to provide a space to grow up, be educated, work, have a family and a career and to grow old. And perhaps one day, we might frame a series of events that go beyond the fleecing of a few dollars by those who stayed from those who didn’t.
(Graphics above produced by Japlandic.com, contact here)
“We” also turn them down when they offer to work on state boards — for free.
I hope that this incident and others make people in this country, and those in the diaspora, realise why so many people emigrate from Ireland in the first place. There are huge push factors out of this country, stemming almost entirely from the corrupt and unethical nature of the governing classses. This country is a silent oligarchy.
The main purpose of emigration is to prevent a rebellion against their rule.
Too true!, The plan? “Get back to the bond market asap, at all costs, Nationalise all the debt! sure, who cares, great excuse for more taxation. Get rid of the pesky trokia forcing positive change and maybe a bit of accountability, thats the last thing we need.” They sit there longing for the easy life back.
And of course, force emigration so we’re left with a bunch of whipping class to do what we wish with. As long as we have a class to control and fool!. Anyone with a bit of sense, promise and politican distain will have left, i.e. the youth.
Absolutely spot on. It’s always seemed odd to me that (forced) emigration has been the answer to the corruption, failings and lack of commercial imagination of every government since the birth of this failed state.
Reblogged this on Awaken Longford and commented:
Well said, Kenny and Co should be ashamed!
Just to add some meat on the bone to the way Ireland treats young people when a recession happens.
I measured Figures from the CSO comparing the number of people employed in Ireland in their 20′s. In just the 5 years from 2007 till 2011 the number of people in their 20′s in work in Ireland decreased by 227,000. Total jobs are only down 300,000.
People in their 20′s are taking a complete disproportionate hit.
The population of people in their 20′s fell by 17% in the same period even though the population as a whole grew. There were 162,000 people less in their 20′s living in the country in 2011 than 2007.
How can an economy grow when the public sector and private sectors have decided to maintain wages in exchange for the people that stay doing their work and of that of those that retire and no new hires are employed.
This was a deliberate policy by both private and public sector to make the young pay for the recession they had no part in causing.
Compare the Croke Park Agreement with the UK public sector policy (agreed by all three main parties) of real wage cuts for the last 4 years in exchange for continuing to hire young people at normal rates.
Its not just better for young people its better for the economy as a whole
This is not only short sighted and disgusting its economic suicide.
How can the domestic economy grow when we are excluding so many young people who normally spend over 100 % of any wages they earn.
The Youth unemployment figures went from 5% to over 30 % in the same period. If it were not for emigration our youth unemployment figures would be worse than the 50% in Greese and Spain.
Ireland is a sow that feeds on its own farrow – James Joyce.
What a disgusting indictment of yet another generation of self interested Irish clientalists.
I haven’t the figures for past periods of emigration but this current epidemic is as a result of self interested policy, short sighted policy.
Its no coincidence that the people who should be alerting us to the above figures are civil servants of 40 and over.
it’s not just the twenty-somethings leaving, there are 30 and 40 somethings leaving with families as well. It would be difficult to blame these people for despising Ireland and breeding that hate into their children. They have been failed and abandoned and I wish them all well in their future lives.
Good post Nama.
But forgive me for saying, I feel you lack the eloquence of this young man.
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@ JR
Actually JR the stats are quite clear.
A small number of 30 and 40 somethings are leaving but the vast majority of those leaving are in their 20′s. This is a story that is not being told.
The number of people in their 30′ and 40′s working in the economy in 2007 v 2011 is virtually the same. It is the 20 somethings that are taking almost all of the brunt of the 300,000 job losses.
Not only are they leaving but those who stay have virtually no chance of gaining employment hence the youth unemployment has gone from 5% to 35%
“Perhaps one day in the future, we might get a leader that will stand outside Dublin airport on St Stephen’s Day and apologise”
Yes, and perhaps some day we might have a proper protest of 20-somethings marching through Dublin demanding meaningful reform.
Everyone knows the old adage by now, “A people deserve the government they permit.” Is it possible to perceive emigrants as turning their back on the country? I know there are a number of other factors (opportunity, employment, climate etc), but essentially emigrants in their 20s are “choosing” (granted it’s not that it’s a choice for some) not to tackle the system. A year in Oz, why not? Who can blame them? There’s no chance of change happening from the inside, look at the Croke Park Agreement.
Our society is mostly about “keep your head down and don’t make an ejit out of yourself”. Of course, the smarter ones figure out it’s about looking after yourself, but that’s hardly unique to any society.
“Of course, the smarter ones figure out it’s about looking after yourself, but that’s hardly unique to any society.”
You are ignoring that our neighbors across the water took a more civilized course of action as I mentioned above.
It also means that their recession and drag on growth will not be as damaging.
“Looking after yourself” in that sense isn’t just selfish its very bad for the economy.
A simple policy change would reduce youth unemployment, the need for emigration and improve our growth prospects.
It’s so sad that our young and old have to leave their Country. Forced out. Shame on the Government, it’s time they left…. the sooner the better.