Are you leaving?

[Hardy]

Thank you, Hound. He's going on spec, though I understand job prospects in his field are good in Perth.

[The Iceman]

I am kind of the reverse David. I kind of regret leaving and the committments I now have will keep me away for the rest of what Ive got left - but maybe its no bad thing given the current state of things back home.

I think the longer you spend away from "home" without being able to return for a visit, the more nostalgia plays tricks on you. Ireland is home and always will be. People in America are great but they are not your people and never will be so you never fully fit in. You have changed considerably too Puck I would imagine, so even if you did go home you wouldn't fit in there either. Its the disconnectedness of a long term emigrant.
There will always be a deep "yearning" to go back and I don't think you can ever fully explain to anyone, even yourself, what exactly causes that yearning or what it is you yearn for. I have spent many's a night over a few pints trying to figure that one out.
What I have learned now about being away is there is a bigger world out there and I'm a better man for it and I'd imagine you are too. I'm a big believer that wherever you are in life is exactly where you are supposed to be.

[Puckoon]

Yearning for that power bestowed only on St Padre Pio - and of course Conor Gormley during the 5 steps to glory block on Stevie McDonnell back in 2003...

Yearning for the power of bi-location.

You're right about not fitting in - If I stay here much longer Ill not fit through the front door.

EDIT:  

[Dinny Breen]

My younger son leaves for Perth, Australia at the end of this month. I always advised him and his brother to travel when they were young. But that was with the assumption that it would be travel with the certainty of returning. I was grateful that my lads grew up as something of a golden generation that was the first in a few centuries that would not have to emigrate to make a living. How wrong I was.

100% of the class of 2008 in his subject (Architectural Technology) had jobs secured before they graduated. Not one of the class of 2010 had.

My son is going with the intention of retuning. But I know enough of our history to know that nearly every emigrant departs with the same intention and only a small proportion of them manage to realise it. Reading this thread reinforces that knowledge.

I have conflicting feelings about it. I envy him the adventure and the wonder of discovery he will experience as I did when I got more education in my summers in New York than in the rest of the year in UCD. I dread the gnawing homesickness he may experience as I did in soulless St Albans, England when I thought that might be my life forever.

Most of all I'm angry and depressed, both with the fecklessness and corruption that have brought our society back to the dark days of the past and with myself for my failure to prevent this necessity from arising. But any temptation to feel sorry for myself is quickly overcome when I think of the Harte/McAreavey family.

Worked and lived in Perth Hardy, great city and great people, tell him to set himself up in Cottesloe or Freemantle, should be able to stay here http://www.oceanbeachbackpackers.com while he's getting himself sorted.

You have to get out and visit him too best of luck to him though, he'll have a ball...

[Hardy]

Thanks for the good wishes and advice Dinny. I'll pass them on.

[Billys Boots]

My younger son leaves for Perth, Australia at the end of this month. I always advised him and his brother to travel when they were young. But that was with the assumption that it would be travel with the certainty of returning. I was grateful that my lads grew up as something of a golden generation that was the first in a few centuries that would not have to emigrate to make a living. How wrong I was.

100% of the class of 2008 in his subject (Architectural Technology) had jobs secured before they graduated. Not one of the class of 2010 had.

My son is going with the intention of retuning. But I know enough of our history to know that nearly every emigrant departs with the same intention and only a small proportion of them manage to realise it. Reading this thread reinforces that knowledge.

I have conflicting feelings about it. I envy him the adventure and the wonder of discovery he will experience as I did when I got more education in my summers in New York than in the rest of the year in UCD. I dread the gnawing homesickness he may experience as I did in soulless St Albans, England when I thought that might be my life forever.

Most of all I'm angry and depressed, both with the fecklessness and corruption that have brought our society back to the dark days of the past and with myself for my failure to prevent this necessity from arising. But any temptation to feel sorry for myself is quickly overcome when I think of the Harte/McAreavey family.

There will be jobs again (sometime) in Ireland, and he'll hopefully have good experience under his belt at that stage.

[Evil Genius]

My son is going with the intention of retuning. But I know enough of our history to know that nearly every emigrant departs with the same intention and only a small proportion of them manage to realise it. Reading this thread reinforces that knowledge.

I have conflicting feelings about it. I envy him the adventure and the wonder of discovery he will experience as I did when I got more education in my summers in New York than in the rest of the year in UCD. I dread the gnawing homesickness he may experience as I did in soulless St Albans, England when I thought that might be my life forever.

Sympathise with what you're feeling, Hardy, but present economic crisis notwithstanding, I'm sure your sons case is not like that of the traditional Builder's Labourer or Nurse who was compelled to emigrate from Ireland, to a life which offered little realistic chance of return (until retirement, at least).

For no matter how bad things are generally, a young lad like yours, who is well-educated and has experience of working in Oz etc, will always get a chance back home (albeit at lower remuneration than he might have expected during the Celtic Tiger years).

I suspect that the real deciding factor will be how well he enjoys what he finds in Oz, not the state of what he left behind in Ireland. And when I say "what he finds", I don't just mean jobs and money etc, but more likely lifestyle and a woman (or bloke, should he be that way inclined).

So if he enjoys Oz, he'll stay, but if he doesn't (or stops enjoying it), he'll return, since in real terms, a flight ticket back from Perth is still "cheaper" (i.e more affordable) these days, than the ferry ticket back from Liverpool was back in the day.

Beyond that, I suspect that your yearning is heightened by the distance he's going i.e. you can't just nip over to Perth to see him, like you might eg to England. But even there, with Skype and E-mail and whatever else Bill Gates has got lined up in the next few years, you might find that he'll actually keep in closer contact with his oul fella from Oz, than you could with yours when you were in St.Albans.

[seafoid]

It might not be that bad, Hardy. Your son will get good experience in Oz and learn stuff he won't be able to learn in Ireland. Things will pick up at home. There will eventually be a better economic model.  Long term , Ireland has lots of advantages once it gets out of the FF nightmare.

Oz is far away but travel is affordable now in a way that it wouldn't have been when you were his age. 

[Hardy]

Thanks lads for the kind words and for pointing out the positives. The disappointment, of course, is that emigration is a necessity again, not a choice and we thought we'd put those days behind us. But I know it's not what it was and Australia is closer now in accessibility than England was to a less privileged generation of emigrants.

[The Iceman]

Get Skype set up at home Hardy on a decent computer or lap top. It makes being away a little bit easier. I talk to the folks at home at least once a week on it. They get to see the grand kids growing up and talk to them and when we come home to visit things are handier.

[ross4life]

It might not be that bad, Hardy. Your son will get good experience in Oz and learn stuff he won't be able to learn in Ireland. Things will pick up at home. There will eventually be a better economic model.  Long term , Ireland has lots of advantages once it gets out of the FF nightmare.

Oz is far away but travel is affordable now in a way that it wouldn't have been when you were his age.

Agreed but still could be a lot less! for example i could make 3 return journeys to USA for the price of one trip to Oz

[ballinaman]

Left Ireland last Feb for New Zealand in search of work. Went to Queenstown where I had friends who were already there but I knew I was going to have to go solo secure a job somewhere. Ended up getting offered a job in Sydney in March so caught a flight over, knew nobody here. Life on my back in a rucksack i headed for a hostel in Bondi for the first few nights...1st person i stopped on the street to ask for directions was a lad from Meath....had to laugh.

Sydney is class and Australia isn't excatly the worst place to be but it's not home and never will be. What pisses me off is when you meet Irish here and all they do is give out about Ireland...as if to justify their presence here to themselves, personally I think they are trying to mask the homesickness. I've been flat to the mat with work all year and the experience will defo pay off. Going to do a masters in Dublin next year, may have to it the road again but will cross that bridge if/when i come to it...

[anglocelt39]

Bloody hell, a cyber Irish wake sparked off by Hardy. Lived away for 12 years back a good while now so any advice I have possibly not hugely relevant. All I will say is that a lad travelling to Oz with qualifications has a great chance with the right attitude, the right attitude being of being happy where they find themselves and if not do something about it. Came across any number of people in my travels who were homesick when they were away and Ozsick when they were at home, no way to live then when options were fewer. But sure face facts Hardy, plenty of us moved then after getting a pain in the hole from the ramblings of our parents.

Low point in the cycle at present, willl change but silly days of 02 to 06 will  not be seen for a long time I reckon

[ONeill]

My younger son leaves for Perth, Australia at the end of this month. I always advised him and his brother to travel when they were young. But that was with the assumption that it would be travel with the certainty of returning. I was grateful that my lads grew up as something of a golden generation that was the first in a few centuries that would not have to emigrate to make a living. How wrong I was.

100% of the class of 2008 in his subject (Architectural Technology) had jobs secured before they graduated. Not one of the class of 2010 had.

My son is going with the intention of retuning. But I know enough of our history to know that nearly every emigrant departs with the same intention and only a small proportion of them manage to realise it. Reading this thread reinforces that knowledge.

I have conflicting feelings about it. I envy him the adventure and the wonder of discovery he will experience as I did when I got more education in my summers in New York than in the rest of the year in UCD. I dread the gnawing homesickness he may experience as I did in soulless St Albans, England when I thought that might be my life forever.

Most of all I'm angry and depressed, both with the fecklessness and corruption that have brought our society back to the dark days of the past and with myself for my failure to prevent this necessity from arising. But any temptation to feel sorry for myself is quickly overcome when I think of the Harte/McAreavey family.

He'll be home if Sludden gets the next Leinster gig.

[CiKe]

Bloody hell, a cyber Irish wake sparked off by Hardy. Lived away for 12 years back a good while now so any advice I have possibly not hugely relevant. All I will say is that a lad travelling to Oz with qualifications has a great chance with the right attitude, the right attitude being of being happy where they find themselves and if not do something about it. Came across any number of people in my travels who were homesick when they were away and Ozsick when they were at home, no way to live then when options were fewer. But sure face facts Hardy, plenty of us moved then after getting a pain in the hole from the ramblings of our parents.

Low point in the cycle at present, willl change but silly days of 02 to 06 will  not be seen for a long time I reckon

As you say those silly days are gone and we should not be sad to see the back of them. Touch wood things will improve to the extent that it is easier for those worst off to get by, and have the opportunities to improve their lot. A lot of foolishness went on however, and I hope that society as a whole has learned from it, for we are all to blame.

I've been in London almost five years now after two years in Spain. I had always thought that would end up back in Ireland, but fully intended to see the world - or at least as much of it as I could - first. However, I started to dislike Dublin more each time I went back and saw it with an outsiders eyes rather than those of my student days, when after moving from Belfast, Dublin really did seem like a big city. Now I would only be home to see the family probably once a year. I doubt that I will ever live there again, and though I deplore the thought of staying in London, it offers more opportunities. That's not to say I don't get nostalgic as I definitely do from time to time, particularly in the summer when the championship is on, or when I read about the team back home. For some reason a little bit of Planxty or Christy Moore makes me feel better.