Helping Irish emigrants move back home: ‘The day I left Ireland I said I will be back’

Bridget Flannery from Pollathomas in Erris, North Mayo who moved back from England to her native village with the help of Safe Home Ireland, the Irish emigrant support service. Photograph: Michael Mc Laughlin/The Irish TimesA couple of years before rural GP Dr Jerry Cowley founded Safe Home Ireland in 1999, he helped Achill woman Mary Caffrey return home to a little house in St Brendan’s Village, a voluntary housing association he helped establish in the village of Mulranny, Co Mayo.

Speaking on Mid-West Radio on her centenary birthday in November 2021, Mary said: “I live in one of the little houses here [St Brendan’s Village] and I’m so happy, I don’t want to die!” The organisation employs five people, operates throughout the republic, and is financially supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs , as well by a number of other donors and funders.

“For younger people and families seeking to return home, accessing any type of affordable long-term rented accommodation is something that is presenting as a huge barrier. Even where people have funds, the housing is just not available, or where it is available the demand locally means that for people searching from abroad, it is gone before they have a chance to proceed with plans,” she says.

“We returned home every single year through Holyhead with big cases stuffed with gifts. They weren’t luxuries, mainly clothes for my younger siblings. I’d come home twice if Mayo was in the All-Ireland. They never won, though,” recalls Bridget. The connection all started while she was involved with a befriending initiative at the Luton Irish Forum. It was there that she heard about the Safe Ireland Programme, whose outreach staff would come to the centre and give advice to emigrants.

they dont want you coming back, they want you leaving

I help by telling them to stay where they are. Ireland is a basket case

They should destroy their passport after boarding and claim asylum, Bed, board, utilities, house, free travel, medical, social welfare and the overpaid NGO's to fight their case, I'm sure most Irish wouldn't mind their hard earned taxes being put to good use for them 👍👍👍

They should fly back to Dublin via Kiev.

can they not put on an accent and pretend to be ukrainian?

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Offering a helping hand for emigrants who want to come home now more challenging than everCharity Safe Home Ireland has helped 2,237 Irish emigrants to return, but the housing crisis is making the task increasingly difficult The housing crisis is due to SF inviting illegals here and now our own people who were born here can't even get housed. SF should be ashamed of themselves. No Irish need apply for housing, you'll be turned down over illegals.... FACT They should get everyone to destroy their documents and claim that they are Ukrainian.. then, no issue ✌️
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »