Young people in Holyhead look to a growing economy in Ireland for employment opportunities.
For decades the Welsh town of Holyhead was a thriving hub of activity. The busy Holyhead port handled live cattle exports from Ireland. Thousands of Irish people crossed the Irish Sea and came through Holyhead in search of better opportunities and work in England.
In the past twenty five years the fortunes of Holyhead have declined with the town now considered an unemployment blackspot.
In contrast to a booming economy in Ireland many young people in Holyhead have never experienced secure full time employment.
Kelly Jones who is on a computer training course explains how difficult it is to find work.
There’s not many jobs, and so many people applying for them.
Fellow trainee Tammy Williams is also here to upskill and broaden her horizons. She describes her previous employment as,
Dead-end work.
At the JE O’Toole Centre for the Unemployed, Albert Owen outlines how serious the current situation is,
You’re looking at the second decade of high unemployment.
A recent trip to Dún Laoghaire convinced a group from the centre that they could match workers in Wales with the job opportunities in Ireland. Geoff Evans believes that Welsh jobseekers could provide a solution for Irish employers.
Helping the needs of Ireland while supporting the unemployed of our own town.
A journey across the Irish Sea soon could be on the cards for many, as hundreds responded to an advertising campaign promoting job vacancies in Ireland, says Maldwyn Jones at the Holyhead Employment Centre.
It remains to be seen if the logistics of a regular commute via ferry can be worked out, but one thing is certain,
These workers will travel.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 10 November 1999. The reporter is Annette O’Donnell.
