Can the government do more for young people forced to emigrate because of unemployment at home?
Tears are shed at Cork Airport as emigrants bid farewell to their families following a visit home for Christmas. Many young people in the departure lounge are facing into another year of working abroad because they could not find jobs at home.
John Buckley, Auxiliary Bishop of Cork and Ross is at the airport to show the Catholic Church cares about the problems faced by emigrants. He claims that in parts of Ireland two out of every three young people have to emigrate.
Scenes like this which are being witnessed at airports and ferry ports around the country, I think they demonstrate that forced emigration, such as we are experiencing to a very great extent in this country that is a great human tragedy.
The bishop is highly critical of the government’s attitude towards emigrants and believes successive governments have neglected emigrants abroad.
An allocation of money for services in Britain each year is about £500,000; that is totally and completely inadequate.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 3 January 1993. The reporter is Tom MacSweeney.
