Frustrated young people in Ireland are looking for opportunity abroad

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In reality, Alistair Hill has the world at his feet as a third-year political science undergraduate majoring in economics at Ireland’s prestigious Trinity College Dublin.

But like many young Irish people, he said the country’s current situation was “incredibly frustrating” and he was looking abroad for opportunities.

“Ideally I would like to live in Ireland, I have a deep connection to it … but I don’t think I can afford to live in Ireland,” he told AFP as the country prepares to vote on the general elections. on November 29.

A lack of job opportunities, unreliable public services and especially the high cost of housing have left Ireland in a “rock bottom situation”, he added.

Hill admits that he is lucky that his parents live in the Irish capital and can support him financially by hosting him in their home close to the university.

“Without this, I really have no idea what I’d do, accommodation-wise, and I know a lot of my friends are struggling,” he explained.

The prospect of still living with his family at 25 weighs heavily and he said he hopes to save enough money from a restaurant job to fund a university exchange in Australia.

Hill is not alone: ​​seven in 10 18-24 year olds are considering leaving Ireland because of a lack of job opportunities, according to a survey by the National Youth Council of Ireland.

Craig Daly, 25, is a first-year political science student who managed to join Trinity College Dublin through a bursary-winners and school-leavers scheme, and is another eye-opener distant horizons.

He lives with his mother, brother and sister in a three-room social housing unit, after which he has worked since the age of 14.

The energetic student, who dreams of a career in politics, has yet to decide whether to leave, saying his future is shrouded in “uncertainty”.

“For me, in the position I’m in right now, I can’t afford to have a child, I can’t afford to have my own house,” said Daly, who works 26 hours a week on top of her studies.

Like many in his situation, a social life is almost impossible.

Clare, who did not want to give her last name, has made sacrifices for years to get to school, constantly living in shared housing, working full-time and taking no time off.

Her finance degree ends next year. He will then go to London where “I know I will find a job”.

In Dublin, jobs tend to be in services, shops and restaurants, she told AFP.

“Sometimes I feel like the only jobs available here are not the ones I studied for,” she added.

Their accounts contrast with the country’s broad statistics, which show that Ireland’s employment rate has been rising steadily for 10 years.

At the same time, government statistics show the country is attracting migrants from around the world, with more than 149,000 people arriving in the 12 months to April — a 17-year high.

But Ireland remains a country of emigration, even if many of those who leave eventually return, said economist Dan O’Brien.

Next week’s election is an opportunity for Craig, Alistair and Clare to express their unhappiness with the situation.

Not all will vote the same, but they share the same goal of breaking the stranglehold of the two centre-right parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, who have been in power since independence a century ago.

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