Madam, – I say to Ben Mullen (October 16th) to go for it, as he doesn’t have that much to lose and a lot to gain. I was more or less forced out of Ireland in the late sixties due to the lack of opportunity.
However, after a short period I was up on my feet and doing quite well for myself – good job, nice house and family. My two children got first-class degrees in Oxford and Edinburgh and are both earning six figure salaries and my grandchildren are on a similar ladder – please God.
Worst was the leaving of Ireland and my beloved Dublin and the thought of bringing my children up as English. But one settles and we began to realise that the UK is a fair and liberal country that was welcoming; and as long as you were contributing there were good opportunities.
I often believed that those of us who left took the easy route, but at least we made life easier for those who stayed – we were the release of pressure in the economy.
Your first loyalty is to your family and it is incumbent on you to provide the best conditions for them to grow, prosper and be happy. My children have a lot of feeling for Ireland but as they grow older and rear their own families it becomes only a superficial connection and generally related to sport and the odd holiday – thanks to Ryanair my wife and I manage a couple of visits per year to “dirty Dublin”.
My grandchildren have an interest in hearing about Ireland but they really have little or no emotional or physical connection with Ireland which is very sad – but this is the price one pays for the incompetence of one’s government.
In our case and in the case of all my Irish friends here, we are Ireland’s loss and Britain’s gain. For all emigrants it is the same and I wish Ben Mullen and his family good luck and bon voyage – they are likely to be doing the right thing, painful as it may be. – Yours, etc,