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DESPITE THE ENDLESS weeks of speculation about a polling date that came before, the General Election 2024 campaign has been quite brisk. Parties and politicians have had only a few weeks to campaign across the country, gathering support from the party faithful and hoping to catch the attention of those most elusive swing voters in the process.
Housing, healthcare and the cost of living are presenting as top election issues, as well as immigration. One cohort of voters the candidates will be unable to influence or gain votes from in this election will be the thousands of Irish adults now living abroad. In the 12 months ending in April this year, over 69,000 people emigrated from Ireland for a variety of reasons. This is the highest emigration number since 2015, according to the Central Statistics Office.
Many who leave this country do so for economic reasons, with the housing crisis and the prohibitive cost of living coming up as the main driver for their wish to find a better life. In the decades before, unemployment would have been a huge driver for emigration, but with record high employment in Ireland, many young adults in particular will say they can find the job but they cannot afford to pay the rent or buy a home in order to take up that job.
So, with polling day almost upon us, we asked our readers living abroad just what a new government in Ireland would have to do to entice them home. Was there anything in the manifestos or campaigns so far in this election that stood out for them, and if a new government is formed in the coming weeks, what would it have to do to make them reconsider their move abroad?
We’ve heard from Irish people living in Vietnam, Canada, Australia and the Middle East, and unsurprisingly, housing and the cost of living continue to be the main issues driving their decision to stay away from home.
A family living in the US with two children – ‘Energy costs’
“We moved to the US as a family two years ago. For us to come back to Ireland we would need to see taxes lowered, rents lowered and a reduction in the cost of houses. Energy costs are hugely different here, too.
“It costs us $20 a week to fill our car with fuel here. In Ireland, it was about €80-100 a week! The price of electricity using household appliances is approximately $70 a month here, while in Ireland, we were paying ridiculous amounts for electricity.”
Clare man living in Spain – ‘The cost of living’
“I have lived in two European countries in 2024; Norway and Spain. I’d be home in a heartbeat if living was affordable in Irish cities.
“Having rented in both Cork and Dublin, the cost was prohibitive for an early career civil servant such as myself. Rent in Cork City was €850; rent in Mallow, a commuter town of Cork, was €800. Both rooms were pleasant but hardly worth such sums. The rent in Dublin was €700 (relatively low as I was staying with family).
A weekly shop in Ireland was north of €40 for the essentials. Transport cost me €40/month, for transport services that were impaired by choking city traffic.
“In Spain, I pay €315/month (including bills) for my accommodation which is city centre with plenty of amenities nearby or a bullet-train ride away. A weekly shop is €15-20 including some treats. My monthly transport bill is €10 for a city travel pass. There is never delays due to traffic.
“While living at home in Clare was an option, there were limited Civil Service roles that were suitable for me. To return to Ireland, it needs to be viable to have an affordable social life while balancing a exploring professional careers. The reality of Ireland’s population of non-homeowning 20-30-year-olds needs to be addressed so that it is both possible and attractive for people of my age to return to Ireland.”
A family living in Australia with autistic son – ‘We had no services’
“The main reason we left Ireland as a family of four was the lack of health care for our Autistic non-verbal child. It’s frustrating to see the amount of money being spent on social welfare with so many people conning the system, while we as taxpayers get no support for our child.
“Next to no public appointments were available to us, meeting the paediatrician once in 3/4 years, private therapy in high demand so waitlists are 2+ years. We tried our best to make it work. We have moved to Australia where we have started therapy within the first week of being here!
“We won’t come back until there are improvements but I can’t see this happening any time soon.”
A teacher living in Melbourne – ‘Stop neglecting young people’
“Affordable housing for couples across the country. Myself and my partner will return home soon, both teachers. We know almost all jobs are in Dublin, but housing is the issue. We’d like to see affordable housing options (rent) that allow us to save to buy a house in the future. Otherwise, we’re forced to move back to our parents’ house.
“I’d also like to see an acknowledgement from the current leadership that there is a serious neglect of young people and our issues. An understanding of our upset at how things are now would reduce the disillusionment I feel towards them, and I’m tired of this government’s stance on education in particular, sweeping teachers’ issues under the rug.
“People Before Profit for me has a very promising manifesto, but it feels too ambitious. I’m not hopeful that any party can make the changes needed.”
A family living in Spain – ‘Housing, housing, housing’
“As someone who left my birth country 15 years ago and recently became a proud Irish citizen, I long to return to the country I now call home. My wife and son, both born in Ireland, share this dream. However, Ireland’s housing crisis has turned our aspiration into a near-impossible feat.
We made two attempts to buy countryside homes, both fell through. Dublin’s market is entirely out of reach.
“Now, we’re planning to purchase a derelict cow shed. It’s astounding that people must turn to such extremes to secure housing in one of the world’s wealthiest nations. The derelict home grant offers some hope, but it’s a gamble — requiring tens of thousands up front for repairs, with no guarantee of refund. Meanwhile, the middle class, too “wealthy” for assistance and too poor for inflated property prices, remains trapped—and in our case, abroad.
“To bring people like us home, Ireland must urgently make housing accessible. This means affordable rents, streamlined building regulations and drastic reforms. Incentivise downsizing, like in Singapore, to free up larger homes. Expropriate long-empty properties, refurbish them and rent them affordably. The housing crisis is an emergency. Dark times are here — action must follow, not more empty promises.”
A Dublin woman living in Jordan – ‘Fix services’
“I’m married with kids and have been away from Ireland in several countries for about 15 years. I would love to come home but struggle to see how we can overcome some of the obstacles to settling in Ireland.
Like everyone, I want to see a real change in housing as it’s almost impossible to consider coming back in the current crisis.
“I would also like to see a more coherent and proactive approach to immigration. The way it has been handled over the past decades, since the institution of direct provision, promotes distrust, a lack of cohesion and results in the negative backlash witnessed in the past year. Ireland has much to offer and much to gain from immigration but governments have failed to engage with communities correctly.
“I would love to see the infrastructure to meet the needs of the increasing population. There is much talk of the 100s of 1000s of houses that will be built but what about schools, childcare, hospitals, GPs, transport links, and internet, to ensure towns and cities across Ireland are as liveable as we would like them to be?”
A teacher living in Vietnam – ‘I was burnt out as a school principal’
“As a teacher, the education system in Ireland is a shambles. I think the failings of education are often overlooked because health and housing are such an obvious challenge for everyone. However, the lagging education system is going to cause problems further down the line.
I was a school principal before moving abroad and was in a constant cycle of stress trying to make the budget stretch to cover the cost of running the school.
“The school was ill-equipped to manage challenging behaviour with no support from external agencies. There were a lot of injuries, both staff and students, which drove the school’s insurance premium up. It ended up being higher than the entire capitation grant the school received. The curriculum is outdated and not fit for purpose and fails to cater to students with additional needs.
“Many teachers now go abroad and I wish I’d done it 15 years sooner. I was completely consumed by stress. Although my salary was what most would consider decent, as a young principal I was struggling to afford the cost of living in Dublin for my family.
“The contracts abroad are very attractive and Irish teachers are in high demand: excellent salaries, rent allowances, gym membership, health insurance for my whole family, childcare/schooling for up to 2 children as well as annual return flights to Ireland (again, for the whole family). My work-life balance is far better. It was a no-brainer for our family and I struggle to see how it can be matched in Ireland.”
Dublin teacher living in Scotland – ‘Pay, housing and childcare’
“I’m in my early 30s with a young family. The most important things for me to consider for ever moving home are public sector pay, housing and childcare. I am a teacher here and am on more money than I would be in Ireland at this stage of my career. Scotland has the best pay for teachers in the UK. I have been lucky to be able to afford a house in Glasgow way more easily than I would have in Dublin.
“I wouldn’t come home unless a house in a well-serviced suburb of Dublin becomes affordable on a teacher’s salary like it is here. I think Sinn Féin and Eoin Ó Broin offer the best chance of this happening. I think their promises such as changing the planning system and properly challenging dereliction are good policies.”
Irish woman living in France – ‘Make Ireland affordable’
“In France, I have access to an excellent health system and public transport services. I have a choice to buy and live sustainably. I have a rich social life that excludes alcohol and includes sports and craft activities – all offered by various clubs and associates in all small towns in my region.
“The next government needs to make Ireland a place affordable and livable to return to. I understand the issues at home are wicked policy problems. But frankly, the longer I stay away the less interested I am to return.”
A Dublin woman, now living in Canada – ‘Political accountability’
“What would need to change? I’d need to see a government that starts putting people first and takes responsibility for their actions.
“Shortly after moving to Canada in 2011, there was a big scandal because an MP submitted receipts for a limo and an infamous $16 glass of orange juice. She ended up apologising and resigning. I compared this to previous Irish political scandals where no one apologised, or nevermind resigned. There’s still a serious lack of accountability in Ireland – look at the cost of the National Children’s Hospital where two of the ministers responsible actually became Taoiseach.
“I believe that the largely uncritical media in Ireland allows this culture to continue. The work of alternative media in recent years has made me hopeful for accountability, but they are openly vilified by politicians for creating accountability.
“There have been many promises from different Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments over my lifetime – promises to fix the healthcare system, and the housing crisis, to take care of the more vulnerable in society, and to seriously address climate change. Yet despite great prosperity, there has been little progress. I don’t need more promises – I want to see action.
“US multinationals are put ahead of everything else – see the Apple Tax or the incredibly weak government response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine and Lebanon. Even with the prosperity these multinationals have brought, key societal issues are not being addressed.
Galway man in South Africa – ‘Stand for something’
“Right now, I can’t think of a single thing that the Irish government could do to lure me back home. Public services are a shambles. Right-wing extremists are gaining ground every day. The housing sector is so expensive that it is amazing that anyone can afford a place to live. It is a sad consequence that homelessness keeps increasing.
“If the government insists on trying to please everyone – in an effort to win votes – it just ends up pleasing nobody. Take a risk! Take a stance! Stand for something! That’s a government that would make me think about returning home.”
Irish family living in France – ‘We couldn’t live in Dublin anymore’
“We had chosen to live in Dublin City centre in a restored Georgian house close to schools, work etc and we tried to reduce our use of our car and live a fairly local lifestyle. However, very little about how Dublin City is run seemed advantageous to those who actually lived there (as opposed to those who work there or visit it).
“The streets were always dirty due to the ineffective waste management. Many events were catered towards tourists (American football, anyone?) and the city seemed to be increasingly the playground of commercial property developers who thought little of any civic obligations for those living in central Dublin. We really felt like we were just pawns for tourism and that very little consideration went into families and communities in Dublin City.
“So, while we were in the privileged position of owning a home in central Dublin and having good jobs, for us, there just wasn’t enough return on our quality of life for the amount of tax and cost of living associated with living in Dublin. You pay very high prices for everything without the associated benefits. Life is short and we wanted our family and our kids to have access to the best quality of life and lifestyle and we felt that Dublin in particular just wasn’t delivering. So we have moved to France (which has its own issues!) but we have access to brilliant resources for kids, heavily subsidised activities for children, very well-run local departments with locally administered budgets and resources. Our quality of life is significantly better here.”
Thanks to all our readers at The Journal for getting in touch.
So they tell us the issue is fixed and we are on a boil water notice. So, for how long have we been drinking contaminated water?
@Peter Cavey: I’ve been wondering that too… we’ve had a few stomach issues which we had put down to a bug.. maybe the bug was in the water for the past week!
@Peter Cavey: criptospiridium infection diagnosed in last couple of weeks in a child in Lucan apparently. As far as I know they have to be notified to HSE and if there’s a pattern this escalates the issue.
@Peter Cavey: Funny you should say that, I was very ill for almost a week & had my suspicions it was due to our tap water as it was the only thing I could isolate as being the source. Would be interested to see if there were many more?
@Peter Cavey: Sorry customer that’s only for paying customers to know.
So IW’s excuse for 600,000 people being put on a boil notice is “a small mechanical failure in part of the plant”.
Either lies or incompetence.
@Shakka1244: I can never understand why such events are not alarmed.
@Shakka1244:
I fail to see how a mechanical failure would not be a plausable excuse for a malfunction of a water treatment plant…
@Tim Pot: You fail to see how anything could possibly be wrong when Irish Water are involved regardless of the problem.
Are you employed by this by the back door billing company?
If you are not then you are some dope constantly informing us of their greatness.
@G Row:
Not defending anyone here, just pointing out that a mechanical failure in a plant would be a plausable reason for a failure. Mr. shakka above seems to think otherwise.
@Tim Pot: Go on say something bad about them, bet you can’t bring yourself to do it?
Would you be fired?
@David Corrigan: it must have been flagged in some way, that’s how they know about it.
@G Row: Give it a rest. He basically said the it’s plausible that a mechanical malfunction can occur in a mechanical system. And he is correct. Your bias against Irish Water is so great that it is affecting your ability to think logically.
@Conoroconnor: More than likely it was spotted by someone wandering around the place. Every single piece of plant should be alarmed. With wifi, GSM or LoRaWAN being cheap and available, there should be no excuse for not having an alarm for each point of the system.
@Tommy Roche: I never said it wasn’t plausable. I said he fails to see how anything could possibly be wrong when Irish Water are involved regardless of the problem.
Do you love them too if so I am sorry for offending your sensitivities.
@G Row: Pardon the pun now, if you are of a certain vintage, but what’s love got to do with it. Is it not a bit childish to ask someone to say something “bad”? There is no reason to believe that it wasn’t a mechanical failure. In the real world out in rural Ireland, mechanical failures happen on group water schemes and on private wells too.
@Paddy J: The real world out in rural Ireland, good one.
@G Row: when you behave like an irrational child, people will treat you like an irrational child.
@Tim Pot:
1)Was this failure identified in EPAs Audit Report on Leixlip Water Treatment Plant based on an Audit in March this year and published in April this year?
2)Audit Report noted Auditor’s Comments including their hope that:
‘ IW MUST ensure that lessons learned from this incident are acted on to prevent a recurrence and to ensure the ongoing safety and security of the water supplied by Leixlip Water Treatment Plant and to protect public health for the SIGNIFICANT population served by the plant.’
3)Audit Report noted 5 Findings and gave 8 Recommendations to which IW was to issue EPA with a Report within a month as to how IW would proceed to adhere to Recommendations in Audit Report.
So how did IW respond to these Audit Findings and Recommendations?
@Nuala Mc Namara: re 1) meant to say wasn’t not was!
@Nuala Mc Namara:
I have no idea on 1-4. I’m assuming this is contained on the epa website?
Obviously it would be for Fingal county council (the operators of the plant) to implement any reccomendations.
@Tim Pot: You know!
IW is in charge of water services as you also know and the Findings,Comments& Recommendations were for the attention of IW .IW was to issue EPA with a Report in May as to how they will comply with the Recommendations in the Audit Report!
@emul8ter25: Terrible isn’t it. Tut tut…
@Tim Pot: How can a major infrastructural system that treats water for 600,000 people be at the mercy of a “a small mechanical failure in part of the plant”?
If the entire treatment plant is so at risk to small mechanical failures then something is seriously amiss no?
@Shakka1244:
correct, thats why the hse was notified, the boil notice given and an audit by the epa on the plant taking place tomorrow.
They’re spin doctor called these homes and businesses costumers on the radio ? must of been a freidian slip and meant to consumers I don’t know any costumer’s of the PR quango
@Gerard Heery: I doubt they have any costumers, most likely they have customers
@talkingsense: Late for class?
@Gerard Heery:
First the audi’s now they are using costumers! corrupt!
@talkingsense: thanks for that lads bearla wasn’t me best subject
@Gerard Heery: Is dóiche nach bhfuil do chuid Gaeilge níos fearr. Béarla is ainm don teanga a bímid á chaint de ghnó. (Níl mo chuid Gaeilge foirfe ach an oiread.)
If Irish Water was privatised (as many believe was originally intended) we probably would never have heard about the malfunction. The same instincts for corporate self-defence that we have seen so often elsewhere would likely have applied.
Customers?
@JusticeForJoe: citizens!
Can someone please let the people in affected areas be given a phone number that can be reached. THE iRISH wATER wEBSITE has been down since 6.30 last night,FFS. People are going to become very ill, especially the elderly living alone.
@Gerry Howard: This company really appears to be struggling.
They are spending just as much through exchequer funding as they had planned to under domestic charges, so charging is not the solution.
Surely a plant feeding 600,000 people should have a back up to all equipment?!
Serious questions to be answered by senior management in Irish Water.
@Gerry Howard: I rang the water yesterday evening and was told that IW staff also rely on the website so they couldn’t tell me my area was affected or not. Great service altogether.
I wonder would the 500 million spent on water meters or the 1 billion spent on setting up an entity named Irish Water have made a difference if it was spent on infrastructure and upgrading the water network.
This really is a damning indictment on Government for shocking decisions made and waste of public money!!
@Jason:
173million to setup IW, not 1 billion. I think you are mostly correct on the cost of the meters, but I would add they are and have been used to fix leaks ect..
Why were we informed about this so late? We have already drank their contaminated water
Would be no more had the one cheek of FFG Mehole not lied and pleased other cheek leader Lieo…
@Willy Mc Bride: Willy hopefully the electorate will remember Mehole Martins pack of lies about getting rid of Irish Water when the next election happens. https://www.facebook.com/Right2WaterIreland/videos/2132873473608388/?v=2132873473608388
Tim will be along momentarily to answer all queries in relation to Irish Water.
@G Row:
and if he is not available try the twitter feed:
@Tim Pot: He’s always available.
One week ago I received a Text from Irish Water. It said that as I had paid my Bill before, i would receive a notice should E Coli or some other such mishap happen. I would be notified of any need to boil water.
I thought this very odd as, as far as I am concerned, Irish Water don’t exist. I was frightened in to paying my Bills as they said those on welfare payments [am on contributory state pension ] would lose out etc., plus those renting so I stupidly let them frighten me.
@Rosie: irish water obviously do exist, the charges were abolished, not Irish Water.
@Conoroconnor: Thanks Conor, obviously but I did not like ‘because I was a customer of Irish Water, I would get a text’ does that mean those who did not [rightly] pay for water, don’t get a warning via text ? or leaflet etc.,
@Rosie: Considering that Exchequer funding pays for water services,that letter you got is particularly worrying!
Water users used to have an Ombudsman re consumer affairs over water services before but that was abolished!
@Rosie:
‘customer of irish water’ just means ‘you recieve water from Irish-Water’
Its not excluding anyone who did not pay ect.
Here in Co Louth we are on a boil water notice since July with little or no communication from irish water.
@Niall Moonan: not Dublin = not important sorry
To have to boil water is pretty serious. How come a small malfunction would cause this. I personally don’t believe them. It is very suspicious and I think the problem is much worse. Why?
Because from the start, Irish Water was a tax machine and not fit for purpose, with cock ups in apartment water meters and in my area ancient water pipes and we were told that lead would not get in to the water .
@Rosie: It can actually be a small malfunction, most plants use chlorine to disinfect the treated water. A pump failure or something as small as a blocked injection nozzle will mean the water is no longer being disinfected and therefore no longer safe to drink. A pump failure should be picked up fairly quickly but a blocked nozzle can be hard to pick up and would depend on the chlorine monitoring system being used if any. Both these problems can be rectified quickly,probably in less than an hour. The problem is though that any untreated water has to work its way through the system and this can take time.
@michael gallagher: thanks for that information. However, surely somebody oversees that as it is so very important, as in boil water notices for days and ensuing giardia and other infections in the elderly and those with compromised immune system like myself and many others.
I think the proverbial slap on the wrist is in order here.
Can’t believe they wait till the problem is fixed before telling us…..I’m only hoping it’s not a plant that uses Raw sewage.
Smelly Water…….
When did the problem first come to light?
The fact it was already fixed when they issued the boil notice suggests there was some time between discovery, and issuing the notice.
Why? How long? One person I spoke to said it was detected at 11am yesterday. If true, that’s a 7 hour lag before it was announced to the public.
And how long prior to that was the defect active for?
Why are the media not asking these questions? I engaged with a County Councillor on Twitter last evening, and he seemed remarkably incurious about these questions. They seem to be THE questions Irish Water should be answering.
Guy on the Vox Pop on Newstalk this morning: ‘ I was at work last night and had to go out and buy bottled water to make a cup of tea’ Eh, no, not if you boil the water to make your tea you didn’t. In the same segment, another woman moaning, as she spent money on water for her dogs: sorry missus but dogs eat shite off the road and drink water out of drains! Doubt untreated tap water will do them any harm.
There are places missing on that map…Portmarnock for example, why isn’t that labelled?
@JC: maybe they’re not affected?
Irish water the Boris Johnson of Irish companies.
Useless and incompetent
Celtic Pure recalling their water again also. Only country in the world where it pisses rain all year round and the public’s only two sources of sanitised water, the council and shops, are trying to poison them.
@GrumpyAulFella: I really don’t think they’re “trying “ to poison anybody
@Liam Carlin: it was tongue in cheek chap. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink – in Fingal anyway.
Sure it’s grand Irish Water, don’t worry about it, sure what would you expect for free?!
@Alan Bury: have you considered the possibility that the fact that people are demanding water for free may be contributing to these sort of problems? Just a thought
@Liam Carlin: We have already paid for our water through taxation. The reason Irish water was set up was to eventually privatise it. The billions of taxpayers money given to this monster seems to have poured into the ground literally.
they apologised that’s allright then
@Jason:
173million to setup IW, not 1 billion. I think you are mostly correct on the cost of the meters, but I would add they are and have been used to fix leaks ect.
At least ye have water in Dublin. In Athlone the water is turned off every night at 10 pm and back on again at 6am. Irish water day it is to conserve water and allow the reservoir to refill. Gas thing is they want to take water from the Shannon to supply Dublin yet they can’t get the water to the reservoir 2 miles away.
There not only seems to be a cloudy water as reported in the article, but also a lot of cloud regarding factual information.
Previous articles indicated that around last March the drinking water for said area was contaminated and there should have been a water boil notice issued but there was not, thus putting the health of 600,000 citizens at risk
After the previous water boil notice one of the three amigos in Government, Minister Cuckoo Murphy while been interviewed on radio and referring to the contamination which occurred around March indicated that there was a small mechanical failure which set off an alarm signal in a panel which had first to be viewed by an employee before a general alarm was given and a shut down, and because of human delay, there was a delay in the employee seeing this alarm it resulted in the March incident.
Well bearing in mind that the plant in question serves around 600,000 citizens, and in this day and age of technology if the situation was as Minister Cuckoo Murphy indicated, firstly it would be reasonable to expect taking into consideration the importance of this small mechanical failure, that there would be something like a dual or standby system, so that when the ”small” mechanical failure occurred / went down the other would kick in. Also in relation to relying on an individual person to observe the alarm and this delay been the reason for the March incident, surely in this day and age of technology, where alarms and systems, including mechanical, can be easily interlocked, and a failure in one part of system used as an inhibit in another part, coupled with alarms which can be automatically dialed out, for example to the EPA then there most certainly should not have been a March incident which unnecessarily put public health a risk. Also who is the manager of the plant surely a cause and effect assessment of the whole working system would have exposed the possibility of what happened last March occurring and therefore with this in mind modifications could be carried out, not just to minimize risk but to make it completely fail safe.
I certainly hope it was not the case of Irish water not having the funds to make safety upgrades/modifications, bearing in mind the millions of wasted euros spent on useless individual domestic water meters. What exactly is going on in the Leixlip Plant, will we be told the whole truth? don’t think so.
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