IRELAND OR THE USA

[blast05]

There's a world of difference between Dublin and Mayo, where I'm from, but I can't go home to Mayo because there's no work there. Never was, of course.

Would love to know what percentage of Mayo folk living in Dublin that haven't really 'settled' there yet would prefer to be living and working at home....  >90% ??   ....... and yet decades on, nothing changes

Does anyone else on this board live in a place today that they will be in for the next 25 years and they can not say they are home?

90% sure i will either life where i am now (unfortunately not Mayo) or else even further away from the sacred sod of Mayo .......  and every so often it bugs the sh*t out of me  ...... but it seems to be part and parcel of who we are in Mayo and we never complain about it.

[stephenite]

Well if IOR gets to unload on the lot of ye, than so do I.

Lived in Dublin from 1996-'06, and I lived everywhere from Foxrock to Santry and several bits inbetween. Met an Aussie girl the night of the 2004 All Ireland in Nealons on Capel St, we had the year together in Dublin and had decided that she would stay. Visa didn't work out for her in Ireland and we weren't prepared to get married just for the sake of it. I had just been promoted to quite a senior position (for my age) in the company I was in at the time in Dublin, decision needed to be made. Was it career and stay in Dublin forever and ever, or take the risk.

So I said, f**k it. I've been 10 years in this place and things are only starting to turn around, but I'll regret this if I don't at least try it. Moved out here to Sydney on the 30th December 2005, enjoying it so far but the first 12 odd months were a tough slog in terms of visa restricitions and only able to work 3 month contracts, I wasn't out here backpacking like the majority of the Irish you'd meet out here. Settled into a good permanent role a few months back and enjoying the challenge once again.

It can get a bit lonesome when glued to MWR listening to the Stephenites play and her coming in from bed to ask me to stop roaring at the laptop with my headphones on, and you do miss out on some occasions with friends and family. But on the whole it's been a very positive thing for me.
For the moment I can see Oz being home for quite a few years yet - but you never know what life sometimes has in store for you around the corner so I'm always loathe to hang my hat on these sort of decisions. And I think I'd like to get back at some stage......

Whatever decison you make - I hope it works out for you 100% , I think mine has for now

[john mcgill]

the great thing about this thread is that its about choices. That is brilliant.  Many of the people I know in the US or England really had no choice when they left for economic reasons.  We have come a long way in Ireland.  Now if Cork can only win on Sunday!

[Barney]

Now america has drawbacks too like loud mouth knowallls everywhere, poor education for kids,sports that really are not sports

Sounds much like Roscommon

[guy crouchback]

Quote
Now america has drawbacks too like loud mouth knowallls everywhere, poor education for kids,sports that really are not sports

Sounds much like Roscommon

[Hound]

Great thread lads.

I wonder do a lower percentage of Dubs emigrate compared to people from other counties? On the basis that if a Mayoman (for example) has a choice of working and living in Dublin vs New York, maybe 60% or 70% would choose Dublin, but for a Dub it'd be 90%+ choosing Dublin, because it is home.

Personally I can't imagine living anywhere other than Dublin. Of course, I simply don't know what I might be missing out on, but at this stage in my life anyway, I can't imagine anywhere else giving me and my family a better quality of life. I am a bit worried about the seemingly increasing number of yobs and thus violence/crime around, but there's not many places that don't have those problems.

[blast05]

Personally I can't imagine living anywhere other than Dublin

Thats probably partly because you've never had to. The vast majority of young Mayo folk (using us as an example again) grow up realising that in all probability that they are going to have to leave home and their town for at least 5-10 years after school and for the vast majority of that group, they will then be faced with a choice similar to mannix etc of returning home to a poor economic outlook or slog it out where they are.
The nett effect of all this is that there is a brain drain effecting all counties similar to Mayo. The brightest and sharpest are the ones least likely to end up living at home by the time they are say 40 - although with exceptions of course - and thus there aern't sufficient numbers of driven people to attempt to drive change

[Declan]

Great thread indeed and as JMcG says earlier the great thing is that people have a lot more choice nowadays. There were 22 of us who grew up together and in 1985 there were only 2 of us left in Dublin - all the others had scattered to the winds UK,US,Europe,Oz etc. Over the intervening years a few have come home and settled down but the vast majority have stayed away and made good live for themselves.

Having travelled extensively but never actually lived anywhere el0se for longer than 3 months I could never live anywhere else other than Ireland - despite the obvious problems and my constant moaning about the state of civic life etc!!! I mean it must be good if I can settle in Meath

[clarshack]

Dublin certainly is not like Mayo, its as much an english city as anywhere in england.Even the locals say "yeah" after they say something.

i saw that croke park director peter mckenna on tv the other night and i could have sworn he was english before someone pointed out to me that he is from longford. why are more and more people in this country trying to become english?

[Puckoon]

Well if IOR gets to unload on the lot of ye, than so do I.

Lived in Dublin from 1996-'06, and I lived everywhere from Foxrock to Santry and several bits inbetween. Met an Aussie girl the night of the 2004 All Ireland in Nealons on Capel St, we had the year together in Dublin and had decided that she would stay. Visa didn't work out for her in Ireland and we weren't prepared to get married just for the sake of it. I had just been promoted to quite a senior position (for my age) in the company I was in at the time in Dublin, decision needed to be made. Was it career and stay in Dublin forever and ever, or take the risk.

So I said, f**k it. I've been 10 years in this place and things are only starting to turn around, but I'll regret this if I don't at least try it. Moved out here to Sydney on the 30th December 2005, enjoying it so far but the first 12 odd months were a tough slog in terms of visa restricitions and only able to work 3 month contracts, I wasn't out here backpacking like the majority of the Irish you'd meet out here. Settled into a good permanent role a few months back and enjoying the challenge once again.

It can get a bit lonesome when glued to MWR listening to the Stephenites play and her coming in from bed to ask me to stop roaring at the laptop with my headphones on, and you do miss out on some occasions with friends and family. But on the whole it's been a very positive thing for me.
For the moment I can see Oz being home for quite a few years yet - but you never know what life sometimes has in store for you around the corner so I'm always loathe to hang my hat on these sort of decisions. And I think I'd like to get back at some stage......

Whatever decison you make - I hope it works out for you 100% , I think mine has for now

Glad to know Im not alone!!!

[heganboy]

Personally I can't imagine living anywhere other than Dublin

There's  a few Dubs over here I wish had had the same thought a few years back


(admittedly there's a few I'm glad are here)

[Loughers]

If people decide to leave home becasue of the weather, then they have no real roots.  I moved back to Birr after about 15 years on the road around Ireland between college and work.  I'll never make much money, but I'm just pissed off I didn't come back earlier.  Ireland has a lot of problems, and my own town has more than most, but it's worth staying here and trying to improve it, because, after everything that has happened to us in such a short time, I honestly think that we are a good people with great hearts.

[Puckoon]

If people decide to leave home becasue of the weather, then they have no real roots.  I moved back to Birr after about 15 years on the road around Ireland between college and work.  I'll never make much money, but I'm just pissed off I didn't come back earlier.  Ireland has a lot of problems, and my own town has more than most, but it's worth staying here and trying to improve it, because, after everything that has happened to us in such a short time, I honestly think that we are a good people with great hearts.

Thats a load of shite.

Thats not.

[mannix]

Following some serious talks its beginning to look like Ireland may be the choice.Not Mayo because of the work situation but towards the east where the work is for me, meath above all places.Thinking of a house outside the likes of navan with a few acres,expensive but would be the same in the usa and education would be very expensive there as compared to ireland.
Navan is a big enough town, anyone got any input on the TOWN, i will be visiting the place in due course to check it out.Is there a train service from navan to dublin?

[ludermor]

there is no train service from Navan, its a nightmare getting top dublin, around Drogheda might be a better option? Good train service and the facilities are improving all the time.