Emigration

[DownFanatic]

I know this subject has been talked about previously but now we are at the end of a season which has probably seen the biggest rise in emigration yet.

I have noticed in the past few months that emigration has began to hit Down clubs hard. An Riocht have lost nearly half of their team that won Down Division 1 in 2007. Liatroim over the past few years have lost nearly 30 male players. My own club has lost three to Australia and one to America.

Is every club experiencing this? Are clubs doing anything to try to stem it? Have any county boards interjected with any plans in regards to reducing emigration?

Also the bigger question at hand here: will any club Senior teams not be able to put out a team next year considering that emigration will increase over the Winter months?

[CC1]

Well I know my own club lost at least 20 from an already small panel. As we were Junior club it our squad took a huge hit. Last year we finished mid table in division 2 and were in the reserve division 2 championship final and finished second in the division 2 reserve league. We lost 8 players from last years first team to emigration this year and we were relegated from division 2 and finished mid table in the reserve league.

When we got a few players back from the county panel we managed to win the Junior championship this year, but if the emigration trend continues, you would have to fear the worst.

[mannix]

Yes, it's a sad sight, but hardly sadder than not having a bob for Christmas or a pint on Saturday night or a roof over your kids heads if you are at that stage.
Not too many coming to the USA, they must be going to oz or the uk.

[DownFanatic]

Funnily enough, the ones that have left my club for pastures new didn't necessarilly do so for work reasons. Most of them just wanted to travel.
Id say that a good percentage of those that have left here would be in the 19 - 26 age bracket and just wanted to travel to see places like the US and Australia.

[muppet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc1G7aCpSsI&feature=related

Needs another verse now.

[seafoid]

I was talking to  the auld fella yesterday and he mentioned some pub in Oz that hosted 42 young men from the parish of Williamstown in Co. Galway recently. That is the kind of haemorrhage that kills a rural club. 
The tiger covered up a lot of structural unemployment problems that have to be tackled if Ireland is going anywhere. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOjSOAxN9Wg

O saolaiodh thu is mairg a ra go raibh an long anonn i ndan duit

[INDIANA]

Emirgration is only hitting home now. Dublin clubs are being decimated by it as well. We've lost upwards of 40 players in a 12 month period.

[John79]

I left in 1997 to go to University in Scotland and got into the GAA scene there quite quickly. However, I stayed because of a woman and a job. However, I would really like to come back and (hopefully) have a job lined up at home. I personally am desperate to get back to Ireland, but the job opportunites (North or South) are not there.

My younger sister is a qualified physiotherapist and has been bumped about every health board in the 6 counties in the last 2 years which gives no stability for her. Also her boyfriend is a school teacher from Glasgow and the poor sod can't get a job anywhere in Britain or Ireland. They're talking of going to Australia or New Zealand next year.

This seems to be a worrying trend developing and all of Ireland's best young people are leaving. What will we be left with?

From being in and about Glasgow, I know that there are a lot of Irish people that want to come back and pine for home (and free cooking and washing)

The Dail and northern government need to get something sorted soon or we're going to lose a generation of good people, but also a good generation of footballers/hurlers/camogs!

[Hoof Hearted]

Emirgration is only hitting home now. Dublin clubs are being decimated by it as well. We've lost upwards of 40 players in a 12 month period.

jesus, how are yous still going ? are you the county team ? thats unreal. If we lost 40 players we would close the gate

[John79]

LOL Hoof Hearted! I'm maybe getting too old to play (the wrong side of 30 bigtime) but I have a good friend from Co. Derry that got married to a girl from Tyrone (Carrickmore) - interesting wedding!!!! But they both (good GAA backgrounds) want to come back to Ireland too, but jobs aren't there and they're gutted!!!

These are just anecdotal stories, but I would say are typical of the Irish in britain wanting (desperately to come back home). The government needs to do something to get good people to stay and to get people with skills back

[INDIANA]

Emirgration is only hitting home now. Dublin clubs are being decimated by it as well. We've lost upwards of 40 players in a 12 month period.

jesus, how are yous still going ? are you the county team ? thats unreal. If we lost 40 players we would close the gate

All our teams at adult level are struggling. Senior footballers are still up there to some degree but the rest are freefalling.

[Carmen Stateside]

I'm actually considering coming home! Should I ?

[seafoid]

I'm actually considering coming home! Should I ?

Missing thon row in Dunmoyle was the last straw?

Is thon used all over Ulster ? Or anywhere else?

[andoireabu]

Emirgration is only hitting home now. Dublin clubs are being decimated by it as well. We've lost upwards of 40 players in a 12 month period.

jesus, how are yous still going ? are you the county team ? thats unreal. If we lost 40 players we would close the gate

Sure the way you boys have been playing you may as well shut the gates anyway!!

[lfdown2]

Funnily enough, the ones that have left my club for pastures new didn't necessarilly do so for work reasons. Most of them just wanted to travel.
Id say that a good percentage of those that have left here would be in the 19 - 26 age bracket and just wanted to travel to see places like the US and Australia.

I would say the majority go for this reason but as has been alluded to, the economy is the reason a lot will never be back.