WEST OF IRELAND:THE BULK of passengers flooding into Ireland West Airport Knock yesterday for the Christmas holidays brought with them hugs, kisses and presents for delighted relatives – as well as tales of barely better economic times in Britain.
Stepping off the 1pm Ryanair flight from Stansted, Carl O’Boyle from Sligo town, who was accompanied by his wife, Carmel, and daughters Catherine and Lucy, said: “I don’t think things are that much better in England than they are here . . . Maybe [things are better] in London, because it’s a big city, but anything outside the M25 is very depressed and just as bad as Ireland.”
Mr O’Boyle, who has been in London for 29 years, said the influx of Irish emigrants to the British capital had not been as significant as in previous decades.
“In the 1980s, when there was a recession, London was full of Irish. There’s no Irish in London this time around, only the old Irish who have been there always.”
The present strength of sterling compared to the euro delighted inbound passengers, including Kevin Barrett (43) from Toorglass, Belmullet, who is working as a site foreman in London.
He said he had no alternative but to emigrate, and his wife and two young children hope to join him next year.
“There’s no work here at all,” he said. “There’s nothing here but depression. You have no choice but to go to pay the bills.”
Nicola Costello from Bohola, Co Mayo, and Aidan Gibbons, a quantity surveyor from Louisburgh, Co Mayo, travelled together from London. Ms Costello, who works as a teaching assistant in a London primary school, said she did not see much hope for employment in Ireland. “I think a lot more will emigrate.”
Knock is set for its busiest Christmas yet with 40,000 passengers passing through the airport over the three-week Christmas and new year period.