On the face of it, Alistair Hill has the world at his feet, as a third-year political science university student specialising in economics at Ireland’s prestigious Trinity College Dublin.
But like many young Irish men and women he said he finds the country’s current situation “incredibly frustrating” and is looking for opportunities overseas.
“Ideally I’d love to live in Ireland, I have a great deep connection to it… but I don’t think I can afford living in Ireland,” he told AFP, as the country prepares to vote in a general election on November 29.
A lack of job opportunities, unreliable public services and particularly the high cost of housing has left Ireland in a “dead-end situation”, he added.
Hill recognises he is fortunate that his parents live in the Irish capital and can support him financially, putting him up in their house close to the university.
“Without that I genuinely have no idea what I would do, accommodation-wise, and I know that a lot of my friends struggle,” he explained.
– ‘Necessity’ –
The prospect of finding himself still living with his family at 25 weighs heavily, and he said he hopes to save enough money from a restaurant job to finance a university exchange in Australia.
Hill is not alone: seven out of 10 people aged between 18 and 24 are considering leaving Ireland due to a lack of professional opportunities, according to a survey by the National Youth Council of Ireland.
Craig Daly, 25, is a first-year political science student who was able to join Trinity College Dublin through a programme for scholarship winners and school dropouts, and is another of those casting his eye to distant horizons.
He lives with his mother, brother and sister in a three-room social housing unit, having worked odd jobs since the age of 14.
The energetic student, who dreams of a career in politics, has not yet decided whether to leave, saying his future was shrouded in “uncertainty”.
– London calling –
“For me, right now the position I’m in, I can’t afford to have a kid, I can’t afford to have my own house,” said Daly, who works 26 hours a week on top of his studies.
Like many in his situation, a social life is near impossible.
Clare, who did not want to give her last name, has been making sacrifices for years to make ends meet, constantly living in shared accommodation, working full-time and taking no holidays.
Her degree in finance finishes next year. Then she will leave for London where “I know I’ll find a job”.
In Dublin, jobs tend to be in services, shops and restaurants, she told AFP.
“I feel at times that the only jobs available here are not the ones we’ve studied for,” she added.
Their accounts contrast with the country’s broad statistics, which show the employment rate in Ireland rising constantly for 10 years.
At the same time, government statistics show the country attracts migrants from all over the world, with more than 149,000 people arriving in the 12 months to April — a 17-year record.
But Ireland remains a country of emigration, even if many of those who leave eventually return, said economist Dan O’Brien.
Next week’s election is an opportunity for Craig, Alistair and Clare to voice their unhappiness at the situation.
Not all will vote the same way but they share the same aim of breaking the stranglehold of the two centre-right parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, who have been in power since independence a century ago.
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