Must the Irish always emigrate to succeed?

Bono and Bob Geldof

Emigration from Ireland is far from a new phenomenon. It has been common for as long as anyone can remember. The number of emigrants has ebbed and flowed but emigration is now very much part of our social and political systems.

From the Flight of the Earls in 1607 to the Flight of the Wild Geese in 1691 through to the Potato Famine and the Young Irelanders rebellion of 1848 the brightest and best Irish people have always felt the need to emigrate.

The success of Irish emigrants abroad is the stuff of legend. Notable examples would include Thomas Francis Meaghar, the Kennedy Family, Admiral William Brown and Oscar Wilde.

Unfortunately the success of Irish people at home is not quite so legendary. In more recent times, people such as Bono and Bob Geldof have hit the headlines for all the right reasons. In both cases they had to go abroad before they were fully recognised in Ireland. Indeed another notable emigrant James Joyce is famous for saying “Ireland is the old sow that eats her farrow”.

At the moment, large numbers of Irish people are once again heading for the boats and the planes. Foreign recruitment fairs are totally oversubscribed and yet there is a commonly held view in Ireland that other countries cannot provide a better life for Irish people. Any rational examination of the economic and social indicators will give a lie to that. For example the unemployment rate in Ireland is 14.8% while the UK rate is 8.4%.

From those I know who have gone or are planning to go abroad, many people want to leave Ireland simply because they are disgusted with the political leadership of the country and they want to get the hell out. Irish entrepreneurs are leaving Ireland in their droves. It is currently very hard to set up a successful business in Ireland. Without foreign entrepreneurs and inward investment Ireland would now probably be considered a third world country. There is an urban myth of an Irish businessman who got nowhere with any of the Irish agencies until he registered his company in Boston and pretended to be an American. If it were true he probably would have just moved to Boston.

If our brightest and best always leave when the going gets tough, then mediocrity will always prevail. Our political system tends to favour political dynasties who are good at attending funerals rather than people who have any real leadership skills. Those with talent who emigrate tend to make it easy for those who wish to perpetuate the system of “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know…” that has bedevilled Irish public life for generations.

Surely we must start to value our brightest and best and to hell with the begrudgers. Will we ever learn to value Irish people in Ireland or must Myopia always prevail?