Did you have to emigrate for work, and what made you come home ?...

Paddy20

I emigrated to the U.K. in 1961 at aged 15 years, for economic and personal family reason's. It was certainly an enlightening experience.

However, had I had a choice, I would have stayed at home.

Having returned to my hometown in 1987, I still worry about those that have not, and probably never will make it back to thieir homeland, or even their hometowns.

Did you or a member of your family have to experience this trauma, if so how did they or you get along ?....

Personally,, I came home due to failing health, and the fact that I did not wish to be buried in foreign soil. IMHO home is where the heart is.

N.B. I do appreciate that a lot of those of my generation, will be 'silver surfers' and may not be computur literate, but if you could post their individual experience's,[Good or Bad], it could prove to be a very interesting and educational thread ?...Particularly, in view of the prejudice & exploitation of foreign workers that I have witnessed here
in the the North-West !.Since I came home in 1987.

P. :cool:

magnumlady

My parents emigrated in the 1950's and both retired back here in 1990. They are really pleased that they made it back home and had they been able to get jobs in the 50's they would have stayed here.
I also would feel sorry for the people that didn't make it back home. But then I guess some of them are happy where they are.

retalivity

i went away to go to uni but landed here about 7-8 months ago, now i consider LK my home. and its only half an hr from real home. i can see myself living here when im older, but need to tour the world for a few years yet... but i'll definitely be back

eiretamicha

I'm American and moved to Scotland to go to uni. I met my husband while on a three week vacation in Ireland. He and I visited back and forth while I was still in uni. He came to visit me when I moved back to Florida, and finally I went to live with him in Tyrone.

After we got engaged, we realized that we would never be able to afford to start our lives together in Ireland (especially in the north), and so began his visa process and moved to Florida. We got married in November and are currently awaiting his work authorization.

I share this because we would never have moved here had we the funds available to start our lives together in Ireland. My husband is an IT Administrator (and very good at what he does) and was making minimum wage in his semi-small town in Tyrone. Here in Florida, a job requiring the same qualifications would start him out at around $12 per hour minimum. We had no choice but to move.

Once my husband gets his work authorization, we plan on working and saving the funds needed to move back. We don't feel like it was a waste moving to Florida because we've learned a lot and he'll have some nice new work experiences to add to his CV. We're planning on moving back sometime within the next two years and opening a small computer business somewhere in Donegal. I can't wait.:)

smashey

eiretamicha wrote:

We're planning on moving back sometime within the next two years and opening a small computer business somewhere in Donegal. I can't wait.:)

Could you bring us some of the nice Floridda weather?

eiretamicha

smashey wrote:

Could you bring us some of the nice Floridda weather?

Oh believe me...even my husband is getting sick of it. Florida weather is nice when you're on vacation...when you can lay in the sunshine and take a dip in the pool when you're too warm. But when you actually have to live in it? The extreme heat, excessive humidity, and hurricanes don't really make it worth it.;)

ETA: Oh goodness, I just saw that you're in Lifford!! LOL, had to go to the garda station there when I was living over in that direction...the two gardai reminded me of Deputy Dog and his sidekick!! They were as nice as could be, but don't think they had much experience in dealing with tricky requests, lol. Anyway, nice to see someone on here from Lifford, as tiny as the place is, it's got its own kind of beauty.

donegalman1

Na Paddy, Didnt have to emigrate, starting to think about it though.... country has been sold down the river, more Europen than the europeans. Was good while it lasted though, never had a farm but sure it was great to win the Eurovision and once we made it to a world cup.

Not sure I like being a guineypig anymore. Not sure if anyone has a longterm plan for Ireland nevermind Donegal so maybe it'd be smart to get out while there's still a chance of being deemed illegal in america.

Or maybe there's still a chance of joining Fianna Fail.

muffler

eiretamicha wrote:

We're planning on moving back sometime within the next two years and opening a small computer business somewhere in Donegal. I can't wait.:)

Welcome to the North West forum eiretamicha and we look forward to you posting again and hopefully see you here in person in the not too distant future

smashey

Paddy,

I emigrated in 1989. I went to Birmingham and trebled my wages. I stayed there for five years and in 1994, I went to work in Singapore where I stayed for six years. I came back in 2000 as it seemed the right time to do so, and I have no regrets.

muffler

eiretamicha wrote:

Anyway, nice to see someone on here from Lifford, as tiny as the place is, it's got its own kind of beauty.

Ah sure after I moved away from Lifford and settled in the Twin towns area smashey was left as the only inhabitant and out of boredom he joined boards.ie

Paddy20

smashey wrote:

Paddy,

I emigrated in 1989. I went to Birmingham and trebled my wages. I stayed there for five years and in 1994, I went to work in Singapore where I stayed for six years. I came back in 2000 as it seemed the right time to do so, and I have no regrets.

smashey,

I am glad that you are happy that you moved back home to Lifford, my memories of Lifford/Strabane go back a very long way. 45 years ago I lived in lower Main St, Strabane. I have a lot of close family relations in Strabane and Lifford, and wonderful memories.

I remember the cinemas in both towns, and my Uncle's fish & chipper just down the street in Lifford where I was alway's treated too free fish & chips, and another Uncle had a Tea Merchant's business in both towns as well as a grocery shop on the Main Street in Strabane.

My Mother's sister still lives in the house next to where the late, Senator Paddy McGowan had the Inter-County Hotel !.

How time's have changed, but the memorie's are sweet and the Lifford & Strabane people will alway's hold a 'very' special place in my heart.

P. :cool:

muffler

Paddy20 wrote:

my Uncle's fish & chipper just down the street in Lifford where I was alway's treated too free fish & chips, and another Uncle had a Tea Merchant's business in both towns as well as a grocery shop on the Main Street in Strabane.

My Mother's sister still lives in the house next to where the late, Senator Paddy McGowan had the Inter-County Hotel !.

I remember (vaguely) Cannings having a chipper beside the cinema in Lifford.

Devines were the tea merchants

And Mrs Arthur must be your aunt

Who's a clever boy then

Paddy20

muffler wrote:

I remember (vaguely) Cannings having a chipper beside the cinema in Lifford.

Devines were the tea merchants

And Mrs Arthur must be your aunt

Who's a clever boy then

Yep, close although the chipper was also 'Arthur's in my 'Happy Day's' TV programme, teenage years, and the girl's of both towns gave this teenager at the time, an education that I will be forever grateful for .

P. :cool:

eiretamicha

muffler wrote:

Welcome to the North West forum eiretamicha and we look forward to you posting again and hopefully see you here in person in the not too distant future

Thanks for the warm welcome!:)

muffler

Paddy20 wrote:

Yep, close although the chipper was also 'Arthur's in my 'Happy Day's' teenage years, and the girl's of both towns gave this teenager at the time, an education that I will be forever grateful for .

P. :cool:

The girls were chaste and you were chased Paddy

ednwireland

i immigrated in 1997 and never regretted leaving england - hope i never need the health service though

Paddy20

muffler wrote:

The girls were chaste and you were chased Paddy

Very drool, if thats the right word ?...;) .

ednwireland,

Despite what you hear or read, Lettekenny Hospital has been a Lifesaver to me. Thanks in the main to one particular Consultant . I also have no regrets at getting the hell out of England.

My main regret is the fact that I stayed so damn long .

P. :cool:

smashey

Paddy20 wrote:

Very drool, if thats the right word ?...;) .

Paddy,

Drooling over Lifford and Strabane women. Down with this sort of behaviour.

Paddy20

eiretamicha wrote:

Thanks for the warm welcome!:)

Also, welcome aboard the North-West & Donegal Internet express ?... where we have more to offer than you might imagine ?...

P.

DonegalMan

Paddy20 wrote:

I remember the cinemas in both towns

My cousin from Derry told me that courtin' couples from Derry used to come to the cinemas in Strabane and Lifford in the 1950's/60's because they had a number of double seats which the cinemas in Derry didn't have

Also, they used to come to Lifford on a Sunday night 'cos the cinemas in Derry didn't open on a Sunday night at that time.

---

P.S. - I remember well your relations' shops in Strabane and Lifford, there's work going on in the one in Strabane this last while, don't know exactly what they are doing to it.

eiretamicha

Paddy20 wrote:

eiretamicha,

I find your posts very interesting, If your hubby has a talent for IT, then Ireland and the North-West needs those talents, the LYIT in Letterkenny has a wonderful reputation not only for education in all aspects of computing, but also in in placing those with talent with the right employers !.

You are married to an Irish citizen which makes you eligible for all the social welfare benefits available in the Irish Republic, even though he may have been born and worked in Northern Ireland.


If you would prefer to live here, why stay in the State's ?... .

P. :cool:

Hi Paddy,

It's quite difficult to explain online without giving away too many details, but our main problem consisted of, well, being stuck in a rut. As I posted earlier, my husband (then boyfriend) was working as an IT administrator making minimum wage, and supporting me at the time because I was in the country as a visitor and could not work (though I did look for work under the table, but his town is known for its not-so-promising lack of jobs...). We had no car and were stuck in a neverending cycle of having no extra cash whatsoever. Basically, we could afford groceries and that was it. No nights out on the town, no cinema trips, no money for bus fare to go see other towns or cities, just no cash. It was, at times, quite dreadful because we wanted to do so many things that we just couldn't afford to do.

When my visitor visa expired (and that's another problem we'll have to sort out when we decide to go back), we eventually got engaged and were planning a small wedding (small? HA! Since when are Irish Catholic weddings small?! We didn't know how on earth we were going to afford a wedding in Ireland...) for sometime in the spring. I still had hopes that my husband would be able to open his own business and that we would find a house to rent/buy somewhere on the outskirts of town. When my husband (then fiance') told me that he was thinking of buying the house we were living in with his mother (who I dearly love, please don't misunderstand, I just needed us to start our lives alone), I panicked and told him I couldn't take living in this town anymore and that I wanted us to start our lives in Florida. We thought about it long and hard and decided that if we moved to Florida, we could both get good paying jobs and have a nice, smaller wedding that we could afford. So we started the fiance' visa process and, after a five month separation, lots of money, and many tears, we were reunited and married in my hometown.

I have cried and whinged over leaving Ireland almost every day since moving back to Florida. I loved it there, and love and miss his family very much. I know that moving here was the right decision and that it was the only way we could afford to start our lives together, but I also realize that it will take us probably 2 or more years in order to raise the funds to be able to move back. Which friggin' sucks, to put it bluntly. As far as exploiting the system, well, uh...I was raised in a capitalist country, where one must work for one's money. Although I don't consider myself a capitalist, I can't seem to overcome that brainwashing. I'd feel enormous amounts of guilt if I had to live off the dole...even if only temporarily. If we did move back, however, it would be unnecessary anyway, because we'd be opening his shop (hopefully), and I would legally be able to find a job if need be.

After all that, however, I must also mention that once I drilled the idea in my husband's head that we could move to Florida, he became excited and hungry for change. When I moved to Scotland and visited Ireland the first time, I had already satisfied my travel-bug and found the place that I wanted to call my permanent home. He, on the other hand, had never travelled farther than Scotland (when he came to visit me at uni), and wanted to see America and experience life there. Until his travel-bug is satisfied, I suppose I'll never hear him say the words I've been longing for since I got back..."Let's go home."

Paddy20

eiretamicha,

Once again an interesting post worthy of some serious deliberation. Click on this link to this Government website:- http://www.comhairle.ie/
it has links to just about every human life event, and other useful organisations which are there to help you !, but take your time as there are a lot of worthy links [Full of useful information] which can take a lot of time studying.

Let us know if you find any helpful guidance/answers ?...meanwhile I will need to consider your situation.

BTW, Congratulations on your marriage. I only just noticed that you only married just over 6 Months ago. Just one question, which could prove to be very important, What age group are you both in ?...

Keep in touch with Donegal . Good luck.

Paddy. :cool:

eiretamicha

Paddy20 wrote:

eiretamicha,

Once again an interesting post worthy of some serious deliberation. Click on this link to this Government website:- http://www.comhairle.ie/
it has links to just about every human life event, and other useful organisations which are there to help you !, but take your time as there are a lot of worthy links [Full of useful information] which can take a lot of time studying.

Let us know if you find any helpful guidance/answers ?...meanwhile I will need to consider your situation.

BTW, Congratulations on your marriage. I only just noticed that you only married just over 6 Months ago. Just one question, which could prove to be very important, What age group are you both in ?...

Keep in touch with Donegal . Good luck.

Paddy. :cool:

Paddy,

Thank you very much for the link! I'm going to have a thorough read through it.:)

Yes, we are still newlyweds. Also, I am almost 22 and my husband is 26.:p

I'll check back in after I look through that site. Thank you again!:)

Paddy20

Just remember that you now have triple citizenship, As you are married to an Irish/British citizen, this entitle's you to all the benefit's of being an American citizen, as well as dual Irish Republic & British citizenship rights !.

You are no longer a visitor or foreigner in all of Ireland {You are both full citizens}, and your age group make's the whole world your oyster, including all EU countries.

One of my concerns is that you may wish to start a family, planned or otherwise, but is nationality of importance?... personally as a Socialist I sincerely believe that we are all citizen's of the world as a whole.

That I have believed since the early 60's.

Also remember that someone stated: " He/ She who hesitate's is lost", and also consider living in Ireland is a lot different to being a visitor, a harsh reality that must be considered.

However, you can can still make your dream come true, but be careful what you wish for as it often become's a reality.

Paddy. :cool:

anluainn_ru

Aye.. I came back 4 years ago. After intially having a severe "what the hell have I done" panic attack, I enjoy greatly being back even though the services are horrendous and the fact I'm "lucky" to have clean drinking water in Leitrim still shocks me.

Still and all, its home and its a hormone/DNA makeup that I just can't shake.. but I don't like the way we're "progressing" to duplicating the economies of England/US as thats exactly what I was leaving. Commuter lifestyles and lego-land housing.

Paddy20

anluainn_ru wrote:

Aye.. I came back 4 years ago. After intially having a severe "what the hell have I done" panic attack, I enjoy greatly being back even though the services are horrendous and the fact I'm "lucky" to have clean drinking water in Leitrim still shocks me.

Still and all, its home and its a hormone/DNA makeup that I just can't shake.. but I don't like the way we're "progressing" to duplicating the economies of England/US as thats exactly what I was leaving. Commuter lifestyles and lego-land housing.

Having come home in 1987, I have no regrets, although I do share your concern about us duplicating the UK/US lifestyles and economies. Hopefully, it will not happen :eek: .

Also, welcome to the North-West forum .

P. :cool:

eiretamicha

Welcome back, Paddy! It was too quiet here with you gone!

Paddy20

eiretamicha wrote:

Welcome back, Paddy! It was too quiet here with you gone!

Thank you, eiretamicha,

I was only banned for a week, nice to know someone missed me . If I am banned again, you can alway's contact me via e-mail on:- paddymac87@hotmail.com

That address is always on my profile anyway. Personally, being banned for 1 week[from one forum] is no big deal, and I am not annoyed about it as I was always a bit outspoken and a bit of a rebel, and at my advanced age I am unlikely to change my personality.

It took over 4 years for me to earn a ban, so I will now wear it as an award, hence my new signature.However, I still regard muffler the moderator who awarded me the ban, as one of the best mod's on Board's.ie.

I hope your plans are working out, and you found the link I gave you helpful, to you and your's .

Paddy. :cool:

smashey

Yeah, it was a bit quiet here last week. Since Paddy came back, this forum has leapt to life again.

muffler

Paddy20 wrote:

I still regard muffler the moderator who awarded me the ban, as one of the best mod's on Board's.ie.

Thanks Paddy. I must be doing something right. You even changed the sig in honour of me

Paddy20

smashey wrote:

Yeah, it was a bit quiet here last week. Since Paddy came back, this forum has leapt to life again.

Thanks smashey,

I appreciate your comment

jimmycrackcorm

anluainn_ru wrote:

Aye.. I came back 4 years ago. After intially having a severe "what the hell have I done" panic attack, I enjoy greatly being back even though the services are horrendous and the fact I'm "lucky" to have clean drinking water in Leitrim still shocks me.

Still and all, its home and its a hormone/DNA makeup that I just can't shake.. but I don't like the way we're "progressing" to duplicating the economies of England/US as thats exactly what I was leaving. Commuter lifestyles and lego-land housing.

One of my very good friends who is a Leitrim native considers your remarks about clean drinking water in Leitrim as being sculerious - He avidly states that there are many shops in Leitrim that sell ballygowan!:D