Situated in the heart of Dublin city, Monumental Ireland was brought to life by John Lalor of the National Monument Service.
Monumental Ireland, a photo exhibition capturing archaeological sites from across the country, showcased the rich history within Ireland. Offering a new take at viewing monuments that have existed for years, the exhibition allowed some to relive memories made at these sites and inspired others to plan trips to them.
From early Christian architecture, castles and medieval sculptures to the impact made by climate change and underwater archaeological heritage, Monumental Ireland featured all facets of Irish architecture and heritage.
John Lalor, organiser of Monumental Ireland and photographer at the National Monument Service believes the exhibition was necessary to make people aware of the wonderful photo archives that are housed within the NMS and to showcase the beauty Ireland is home to.
Hosted in Printworks, Dublin Castle, Monumental Ireland took place from 8-12 February. Watch our video below to explore the photo exhibition from the eyes of TheCity.ie.
Despite a rosy job market in general, work opportunities for young people in Ireland remain uncertain.
Chris O’Reilly, 23, a waiter for a franchise chicken shop that has three outlets in Dublin, is interviewing for jobs in grocery shops and other workplaces. He has just applied for a cleaning job in a hospital. The fried chicken restaurant had a pleasant ambience, and he had a great rapport with most of his colleagues, he said, but he had to leave because he wasn’t getting enough hours to survive.
’’The prices in our chicken shops have gone up by a big difference, [so] nowadays people eat in restaurants less and perhaps, shop in grocery stores for food more,’’ he said. ’’I can’t survive on the hours they give me. I have to get another job.’’
When the business was good, the cooks and the waitressing people, predominantly young, used to get around 40 hours a week. But the footfall has dropped a lot recently since the prices were raised in the restaurant after a considerable cost rise both from supplier price hikes and energy bills. Chris used to work four or five days a week, but nowadays, it can be reduced to one or two.
’’There are quite a few people in my shop that do food delivery in the evenings to get more money to pay the bills,’’ Chris said. “The hours we are getting are simply not enough.’’
A report released by the Central Statistics Office shows monthly unemployment rate of January 2023 at 4.4%. While the overall rate has remained low since May 2022, the unemployment rate among 15 to 24 year olds stands at a much higher 10.4%. This age group is typically more reliant on low-skilled jobs especially in the hospitality sector, which is still struggling from Covid travel restrictions from before.
Source: Central Statistics Bureau
According to a survey by Fáilte Ireland, 74% of operators in the foods and drinks sector expect their business performance to remain the same or fare worse in 2023 than in 2022, with only 26% showing optimism about their turnover going up. After all, 51% of pubs in Ireland have had fewer customers in 2022 than in the pre-Covid era, and only 4 in 23 restaurants are performing better than pre-Covid.
The pubs and restaurants that are doing well are still active players on the hiring end of the job market. But for those that struggle to recover from Covid, reducing opening hours and cutting working hours for existing staff has become the norm. This issue is not exclusive to hospitality. The cost-of-living crisis shrinks the disposable income for many people, which harms the high street business.
Martha, a shop assistant at a fast fashion outlet in a city centre shopping mall, said the shop has been quiet for quite a few months. Martha now works 3 days a week, compared with 4 or 5 days a week in early 2022, when business was better.
’’I am lucky because some of my colleagues chucked their jobs,’’ she said, ’’and no matter how bad the business is, they have to maintain a certain amount of staff in the shop anyway, so I am getting less hours, but then, not significantly less.’’
Swedish Fast fashion giant H&M announced recently that it would slash 1,500 jobs globally. The business climate has cooled off for retailers in many countries, which have cut staff, as shops have been challenged with inflated energy bills.
Harrietta Doherty, a medicine student at UCD, said she was struggling to find a part-time job.
’’I got a job at Domino’s after a 2-day job hunt in September [2022], and I was confident in getting work,’’ she said, ’’but all of a sudden, it gets a lot more difficult. I have applied to loads of shops and restaurants, as have other students in my flat. My job hunting has been on for weeks, and only one of us has got a job at a fast food chain.’’
’’I am still waiting for a reply,’’ she added, ’I need a job to bring some money in to pay the bills.’’
Why would 5,000+ buildings crumble within seconds, as if they had no foundations?
by Rafaella Spanou
Not many days have passed since the devastating earthquake that shook the Turkish-Syrian border to its core. The death toll is rising exponentially with no signs of slowing down. As of the time this article was written, 12, 873 deaths have been registered in Turkey alone, and 3, 162 in Syria*. Rescue efforts are on-going. Turkish authorities have declared that 10 provinces and 13.5 million people have been affected by the earthquake. 13.5 million people no longer have a home to live in, many having watched them crumble to the ground within seconds.
Was the earthquake that strong? No doubt. But it wasn’t solely responsible.
To better understand what happened, we asked Dr Daniel McCrum, Assistant Professor in Structural Engineering at UCD – whose research interests include earthquake engineering – what happens to a building when it’ s hit by an earthquake. According to Dr McCrum, as the ground moves, it shakes the building with huge force. The damage depends on the quake’s strength and duration, the distance from the epicentre and the construction of the building among other factors. Modern structural engineering designs ensure that the building will be able to resist this force of nature with as little damage as possible.
“The sudden failure [seen] is called a pancake collapse where there is inadequate reinforcement in the reinforced concrete”, Dr McCrum explains.
In the past 25 years, since 1999, there have been 8 major earthquakes across Turkey, ranging from 6.1 magnitude to the most recent 7.8. So why is it that a country that is no stranger to earthquakes or their devastating aftermath, not have proper building structures to minimise the impact?
A USGS structural engineer told the Associated Press that the areas hit had mostly older buildings that were not built according to proper standards.
However, there is more to the story. After the 1999 earthquake that levelled Izmit and killed 17,000 people, Turkey implemented building codes to tackle the issue of illegal buildings across the country, to ensure any new building was quake-proof. And yet, in 2011’s earthquake, history repeated itself and more people died. Turkey’s then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said “Municipalities, constructors and supervisors should now see that their negligence amounts to murder”.
Not long after, elected president Erdoğan passed a 2018 zoning amnesty law, that allowed builders to purchase a license to build – with no requirements for them to be quake proof. That decision generated a revenue of $3bn.
But what happens now? So far, Turkey’s disaster management agency has confirmed 5,775 collapsed buildings of the 11, 342 reported. Dr McCrum explains that “If the buildings in Turkey had been appropriately seismically designed or retrofitted then fewer building collapses would have occurred”.
The images of flattened cities and towns bare a striking resemblance to the photos of the 1999 Izmit earthquake, “where a post-earthquake field mission showed that inadequately designed and constructed buildings were the main reason for collapses”, according to Dr McCrum. The existence of structural design codes is of no use if they are not properly followed and implemented, he further explains.
For a building to survive a quake of that magnitude, the structure must be able to absorb the energy while remaining structurally intact. This is achieved by adding reinforcing steel in key locations of the building’s structure and using concrete of sufficient strength. The pictures and the extent of the damage appear to indicate that very few buildings met these criteria.
One of the great material losses of the earthquake, is the Roman-Era castle in Gaziantep and the 17th century Şirvani Mosque – both tourist attractions of historical importance. Dr McCrum says that these buildings should have be seismically retrofitted to withstand the earthquake’s force.
Turkey and Syria sit between the Anatolian and Arabian tectonic plates, “a seismically active area known as the East Anatolian fault zone”, as scientists describe it. This will probably not be the last earthquake Turkey will experience, making the need for more proper infrastructure crucial, in order to avoid mass-casualties.
Ireland is a nation that continues to have an evergreen love affair with sports. Although not always rosy, recent decades have witnessed a lot of success across several fronts. Having demographically surpassed the five million mark for the first time since the mid-19th century famine, we’re still minnows when compared to other nations. However, in a sporting context we punch well above our weight.
From Katie Taylor to Conor McGregor, Rachel Blackmore to Roy Keane – superstars endlessly drip fed onto the world’s main sporting stages. As for our team’s supporters, we’ve developed quite a strong reputation. Take the Irish soccer fans who were awarded the Medal of the City of Paris for exemplary sportsmanship in EURO 2016. Or when McGregor’s fans flooded the Las Vegas Boulevard ahead of his UFC 194 title fight. However, one sport has catapulted Ireland to lofty levels of glory in recent years: rugby.
Yet, in terms of popularity, it ranks behind sports like Gaelic football, hurling, and soccer. But has Irish rugby’s sporting fortune garnered more attention for itself? I live in Phibsborough, Dublin. Far from a rugby stronghold when compared with that of Gaelic games or soccer with Na Fianna and Bohemians FC on its doorstep. But I decided to conduct a 35-participant strong straw poll amongst people in their 20s and 30s. With the aim of seeing if Ireland’s recent rugby successes have impacted or influenced people’s views on the game.
STRAW POLL:
Q: Rank your interest in club and international rugby on a scale of 1 (no interest) to 5 (strong interest).
A: Over 50% of participants ranked themselves at four – Reasonable interest.
Q: What’s your earliest memory of Irish rugby?
A: Some participants mentioned the first Ireland game they attended. For others, individual moments like Shane Horgan’s 2007 try against England in Croke Park’s Canal End which hosted home games in the Six Nations that year. However, over 40% alluded to Ronan O’Gara’s drop goal in the Ireland v Wales Six Nations game in 2009. This sequence clinched a first Irish Grand Slam title in 61 years.
Q: Does Irish Rugby’s recent successes encourage your level of interest and support?
A: Close to 70% of responses indicated a clear yes. Reasons behind this include increased publicity regarding the team, and the enjoyment garnered from watching a winning Irish side.
It comes without surprise that the national games which make up the GAA rule the sporting roost in Ireland. It’s a symbol of pride and passion in most towns, villages, and cities across the country. Football is the world’s most popular sport. Given our proximity to England at its Premier League, as well as Irish ties to Celtic in Scotland, it naturally comes second. While the Republic of Ireland national team has encountered less success in recent decades, its glory years immortalised the sport here forever.
The period between 1986 and 2002, often referred to as “the golden generation”, sparked excitement in Ireland. With three World Cup tournament qualifications, and one European Championships, the Irish public greatly celebrated these achievements. An estimated 500,000 people took to Dublin’s streets to congratulate Jack’s Army on their return home – that famous Irish team who reached the quarter finals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Pandemonium at its finest, us Irish have always been rightfully guilty of succumbing to the magnetic force of success. While there always were staunch football fans in Ireland, it’s safe to assume those Irish teams forged a lot of new ones too.
What is commonly referred to as ‘fair-weather support’ in sports worldwide, some people will naturally gravitate towards glory. This is not to say they should’ve been fans ahead of the upwards curve. But perhaps they may not have supported a team if not for said success. Irish international rugby has seen a rise in glory akin to the Irish football sides of old.
One could say modern Irish rugby came of age in 2009. Having never won a Six Nations since the addition of Italy in 2000, the Grand Slam winning side of 2009 changed that. They’ve added three more titles since, one as recently as 2018. Multiple player inclusions in the British & Irish Lions tours, test series victories away to South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand have all been achieved since that iconic 2009 title-clinching O’Gara drop goal. Lest we forget it took 111 years to get our first win over the All Blacks. Both Jonathan Sexton and Josh van der Flier have picked up World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year accolades in 2018 and 2022 respectively. But does this resonate with fans in the same way Irish Football’s golden generation of the 80s and 90s did?
An interesting observation from poll responses presents questions over club rugby’s marketability. Those poll participants who ranked themselves at four – reasonable interest, stated their attention peaked for international occasions like World Cups and Six Nations. Club rugby seemingly left in the cold. Yet, our four provincial teams, Leinster, Munster, Ulster, and Connacht equally boast strong to moderate levels of success. While at the same time make up national team numbers who wear the green jersey.
Maybe this neglect of our provincial sides will change soon. Formula 1’s support has soared recently thanks to behind-the-scenes access and documentaries. Perhaps Netflix’s newly announced series on Irish Rugby, scheduled for release in 2024, will cast rugby’s popularity net even wider than before. Although not entirely conclusive from the relatively small sample, it’s fair to say sporting success draws eyes and ears. Correlation between title-winning moments and appetite for success is apparent amongst the younger generation. The 2023 Six Nations is underway as this article goes out. The Irish team are favourites to win the title. Andy Farrell’s charges sit pretty, ranked as World Rugby’s Number 1 side.
There’s the small matter of a Rugby World Cup in 8 months’ time too. Maybe, just maybe, this Irish Rugby team will pull crowds akin to the Italia 90 masses onto the streets in a not-too-distant future. Some old heads, but many new.
More than 5,000 people gathered at the Dublin Spire on 24 February to march in recognition of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s all-out war in Ukraine. Similar gatherings were held in many other counties in Ireland, including Mayo, Kildare, Meath and Cavan. Leaders of major parties, some Irish political activists, volunteer representatives and Ukrainian representatives made speeches before the march.
Photo: TheCity.ie
On the 24th of February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and has since killed, injured and displaced millions of Ukrainians. Ireland has welcomed Ukrainian refugees, granting those who fled Ukraine international protection, aiding them with accommodation and financial assistance to help them integrate into society.
People were waving banners, some covered in flags of Ukraine, chanting in Ukrainian as well as “Thank you, Ireland” in English.
Fianna Fáil leader and Tánaiste Micheál Martin mentioned his visit last year to Ukraine for a meeting with Ukrainian president Zelenskyy and told the gathering people: ’’Ireland is a neutral country, but we are not politically or morally neutral in the face of violations of international law or war crimes. Quite the opposite…we are not neutral when Russia disregards all these principles — no, we stand with Ukraine.’’
That message might seem to be in stark contrast with the political line most people are accustomed to hearing—that Ireland is neutral. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country has opened its doors to tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees with welcoming arms. It has helped to accommodate them despite a severe housing shortage that has been going on for quite a few years. There has been a lot of talk on domestic media about Ireland losing its neutrality, both because of its engagement with the refugees and people’s vocal support for Ukraine in this country.
Martin also spoke that, as Tánaiste, he would “continue to argue strongly” for Ukraine to be granted EU membership.
Photo: TheCity.ie
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou Mcdonald, Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, and other
Fianna Fáil representatives also spoke at the assembly. All of them highlighted their support for Ukraine and condemned Russia’s invasion of a sovereign country.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik spoke as “a daughter of Czech immigrants from the Czech Republic fleeing from Russian U.S.S.R totalitarianism,” declaring that she stood in solidarity with Ukraine.
Photo: TheCity.ie
Aideen Gough, one founding member of Helping Irish Hosts—an organization which helps Ukrainian refugees to find host families in Ireland, also made an emotional speech about her experience hosting a Ukrainian family.
There were some Ukrainian speakers, including a soldier injured in the war, Max, who spoke of his experience on the front line.
Photo: TheCity.ie
Olya Sydorenko, 26, came to Ireland in July 2022 with her new-born daughter. She found lodging with the help of Helping Irish Hosts in Dublin. She knows many Ukrainians that had to flee the war to Poland and other countries. Most of her family are still in Ukraine.
“It is a devastating situation,” she said, “I keep an eye on the news every day, and I talk to my family a lot as Russia targets civilians. This has been a very hard year, and I have no idea when I can meet my parents again or if they will ever get to see my daughter.’’
Ukraine has received a lot of international support, especially within the Western alliance.
One Irish political activist, who, along with a largely elderly group of people, protests every day since the invasion began, called on all to join them in the action to make an impact.
A mythical woman that had many faces through time gets revived in the new public holiday.
Ireland has recently celebrated its first-ever bank holiday in honour of a woman, often referred to as the first female Irish bishop. It was a long week of festivals dedicated to culture, music, poetry, and everything that could encompass the figure of Brigid. TheCity has put together the most famous controversies around St Brigid’s Day and shed a little light on them.
“St Brigid’s Day (February 1) is one of the ‘quarter days’ marking a transition from one season to the next,” explains Irish Folklore Educator Dr Tiziana Soverino. “However, our problem is that all available sources are secondary.
“The sources we have are basically Irish writings from the Middle Ages, folklore collected in the 19th and 20th centuries, classical writers and archaeological sources (such as Navan Fort, County Armagh).
“Unfortunately, there are no sources written by the pagan Celts themselves about their festivals, deities (including Brigid), or religion. Thus, the origin of the festival is unclear; however, it is very likely to be pagan.”
Brigid the Goddess
Brigid, the “High One,” was a Celtic goddess. According to Cormac’s Glossary, she was one of three women associated with smiths, poets and healers.
“Brigid is very similar to Classic Minerva (the Roman goddess), which is associated with art, craft, motherhood and childbirth,” says Dr Soverino. “She is also linked to Sulis Minerva (England), associated with thermal springs. In Irish literature, Brigid appears as a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann (‘tribes of the goddess Danu’) and the daughter of the Dagda (‘the good god’).”
Saint Brigid
According to legend, St. Brigid was born in AD 450 in Faughart, near County Louth. She was the daughter of a pagan chieftain, Dubhthach, and his slave, Broicsech. Dubhthach’s wife forced him to sell Brigid’s mother to a druid when she became pregnant. Broicsech gave birth at dawn while bringing milk into the druid’s house. However, following her mother’s fate, the girl was born into slavery.
Once, a druid tried to feed Brigid; however, he couldn’t due to his impurity. So, Brigid was fed on the milk of a white, red-eared cow. When the druid realised Brigid was unique, he became concerned for her welfare, and he eventually freed the girl and her mother.
We know much about Saint Brigid from the 7th-century monk from Kildare, Cogitosus. Brigid spent her youth as a farm worker, churning butter and shepherding the flocks. Later on, Brigid was said to have performed miracles, including healing and feeding the poor.
The most famous places associated with her figure are Clondalkin in Co. Dublin; Kildare, Co. Kildare; Liscannor in Co. Clare; and Faughart, Co. Louth.
Dr Soverino explains that Saint Brigid has probably taken over many characteristics of the previous pagan goddess. Therefore, when we talk about St. Brigid’s Day, it is necessary to mention the figure of the Celtic goddess. However, she says, some scholars are convinced that we should mention only St. Brigid because the goddess was created by medieval writers.
Whatever her origin, Saint Brigid is a significant example of a legendary, strong and independent woman. Even if the Christian church co-opted her pagan image to establish a link with the native faith, it shows a long-standing tradition of respect and celebration of influential female figures.
Bank holiday
This year the new bank holiday took place on the first Monday in February.
“It is essential that this holiday became public,” says Dr Soverino. “Firstly, it is politically correct because no bank holiday in Ireland has been dedicated to a woman until now. Secondly, it is very symbolic.
“The idea of establishing the new national holiday first came about during the lockdown to recogniseand celebrate health workers. I thus believe that the connecting link is healing since both the pagan goddess Brigid and the Christian saint were associated with healing, as also are health workers.”
If Brigid existed today…
“I think she would be a social justice champion who would not be afraid to stand up for herself and others. Perhaps she could be a president or a taoiseach, someone very powerful nowadays.”
Derry City and Shelbourne played out this season’s FAI Cup Final with the favorites Derry winning 3-0. A largely uneventful contest was held in front of a fantastic crowd of 32,412 at the Aviva Stadium. Here are some photos describing the day.
A Kenyan man gets hired for a security job at the World Cup but instead has to give directions to tourists and fans. He goes viral on TikTok just for saying ‘Metro.’ ‘This Way.’
By Nimra Ahmed
Abubakr Abbass, a 23-year-old from Mombasa Kenya, whose job is to direct World Cup fans in Doha, Qatar to a metro station, in the historic market of Souq Waqif has gone viral on social media.
He feels God had a greater purpose for him. He was excited about the World Cup and had always wanted to travel to a foreign country. So, Abbass applied for the advertised security job. He nearly missed the interview in Nairobi, Kenya because he was informed of the job a day before the deadline.
As luck would have it, the job was his. However, when he reached Qatar, he was informed he would give fans directions to the metro station. Even though it wasn’t the job he had applied for, Abbass still decided to take it.
Abbass, in a reflector coat, sits in a tennis umpire chair and has a large purple foam finger. His job is to direct hundreds of people to the nearby metro station with the help of his megaphone.
Abubakr Abbass,“Metro Guy”- courtesy of mozzartsport
He became an overnight social media sensation because he found an ingenious and interesting way to direct fans to the nearby metro station. His job was mundane, but he put a twist on it, and he caught the world’s attention.
A clip of him is even found on the FIFA World Cup’s Twitter page. Every time he says ‘Metro’, fans from different countries either repeat after him or chant, ‘This way!’.
The way he says, ‘Metro’. ‘This way’. ‘Metro’. ‘This way,’ has now become a catchphrase. Fans are recording videos and posting them on social media platforms.
‘Metro Guy’, as he is now referred to, has captivated audiences with his enthusiastic calls. TikTok videos were posted showing him in action. #metroguy and #metroman, as he is dubbed, has been viewed 12.4 million times on TikTok. He brings a smile to everyone’s face and cheers everyone in person and online.
“Qatar has managed to make us laugh!”
Cindy Taylor, 19, a student from Dublin.
The TikTok account ‘metro_man001’ that he started on Monday 21st November 2022 (on the second day of work) already has 46,100 followers in just three days and has made Kenya, a country in East Africa, popular. Tourists and football fans are even trying to mimic his catchphrase into his own megaphone.
He made his TikTok account after gaining popularity. #Metro Guy is busy doing his job while a Brazilian fan copies his actions and records a video.
His employers felt the need to award him for his efforts, as he was in the limelight of the world stage and had drawn attention to the area. He was presented with gifts – a pair of sneakers and World Cup merchandise. He is touched by this gesture and notes that he was never given a gift in his life.
“Yeah, I have seen his TikToks. He is hilarious and he does a good job of lightening the mood. I want to go to Qatar just to feel the ambiance of the place and be a part of #metroman’s day! We all need some good old-fashioned laughs,” commented Steve Byrne, 22, a student from Dublin.
“Qatar has managed to make us laugh! In all the somber and serious allegations against Qatar about the bad treatment of workers, here is a simple man breathing fun into his job. In today’s fast-paced life, we just don’t have the time to appreciate the small things,” said Cindy Taylor, 19, a student from Dublin.
“There is a lot of controversy surrounding the World Cup. I can’t wrap my head around it. But there is, hope ‘Metro Guy’ lives.”, said Oliver Wilson, 28, a tourist in Dublin.
The official mascot is La’eeb which means ‘super-skilled player’. It is a ghutra – the Arabic term for a headdress for men – popular in Arab countries. But Abbass is the uncrowned mascot of the Qatar World Cup!
This can be motivating for young people to take their jobs seriously no matter how small and try to enjoy the task at hand and be innovative at the same time. Some amusement at the end of the day for tired tourists!
On the 9TH of November, Twitter launched its brand-new premium subscription service ‘Twitter Blue’. Since its launch it has caused major controversy on twitter and big problems for large corporations.
The new subscription service allows users to pay $8 (7.50 eur) per month in exchange for a verification blue tick beside their Twitter handle. The subscription is part of Elon Musk’s new vision for Twitter, after buying the platform for $44 billion (42 billion in eur) last year.
However, the subscription’s arrival has not only caused a stir on twitter but seems to have resulted in large corporation’s net worth plummeting. According to Twitter user @rafael shimunov, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co’s net worth significantly dropped after a fake account with a similar handle to the company tweeted “We are excited to announce insulin is free now.”
Via Twitter
Due to the fake account’s subscription to twitter blue, the verified blue check allowed many to believe it was the official real Eli and Lilly twitter account. The company has since apologised on their actual twitter account, “to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly account.”
Via Twitter
The misleading posts have subsequently caused the pharmaceutical company to lose billions of dollars, as their net shares continue to plummet. Several other accounts posing to be large corporations have been created since ‘Twitter Blue’ and many brands have filed complaints against Twitter, and Elon Musk personally.
Via Twitter
A Twitter spokesperson nor Elon Musk have come forward with a statement on the matter, however the subscription service has since been paused.
Ireland has had its largest population increase since 2008 according to a report published by The Central Statistics Office (CSO).
By Sadhbh McDonnell
The CSO reported an 88,000 increase in the population between April 2021 to April 2022.
Cathal O’Doherty, Statistician in Population Estimates and projections, stated on cso.ie that, “Ireland’s population was estimated to be 5.10 million, increasing by 88,800 persons in the year to April 2022. This was the largest 12-month population increase since 2008 when the population increased by 109,200.”
In the last 12 months, 60,700 babies were born whilst 33,000 people have died, creating a natural increase of 27,700 to the population of Ireland.
The CSO also stated that “there were 768,900 persons living in Ireland aged 65 and over in April 2022, those aged 65 and over had increased in population share between 2016 and 2022 increasing from 13.3% to 15.1% of the total volume increase of 139,100 persons.”
Immigration was the highest it’s been since 2007, with 120,700 immigrants arriving in Ireland in the last 12 months. 24,300 were other EU nationals, 4,500 were UK nationals and the other 63,000 came from other nations including 28,000 Ukrainians. This comes as no surprise since Putin declared war on Ukraine on February 24th 2022.
The CSO report also shows that more Irish people (approx. 27,600) returned to Ireland then left. Since the last annual report, 28,900 Irish natives returned to Ireland, however, this is less than the previous year, in which 30,200 Irish people returned.
Emigration has increased in 2022, with 59,600 people leaving Ireland, compared to 54,000 in 2021. These statistics align with a recent survey carried out by Red C in association with The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI). The survey found more than 7 in 10 young people across Ireland are considering moving abroad to find a better quality of life.
NYCI’s Paul Gordon, Director of Policy and Advocacy commented on the data collected from the survey, “There is a real fear from young people about what the future holds for them. Many say they’re struggling to make ends meet and quality-of-life considerations are driving them to consider a future outside of Ireland. Government must act to ensure young people aren’t overlooked in this crisis.”
Via Twitter
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