Sir, - Almost 20,000 people emigrated from Ireland in the year to April 2001, yet Mr Gerry O'Hanlon of the Central Statistics Office says this is no longer an emigrant country (The Irish Times, August 30th). In one fell swoop the experience of 19,900 people, the majority aged 15 to 24, is ignored.
At Emigrant Advice we know that emigration is still a feature of life for many people. Thankfully the numbers have decreased since the mass emigration of the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, the issues affecting emigrants and the agencies working with them are more complex than ever.
Irish support agencies in Britain and the US are finding that while the number of new arrivals contacting them has reduced, those who do contact them are more socially excluded and vulnerable than in the past. Many are early school-leavers with poor literacy. Some have addiction problems, while others have mental illness. Others emigrate because of the lack of affordable housing.
These are the people whom the Celtic Tiger has rejected.
In the current era of prosperity there is a myth that emigration is a thing of the past. It is essential to remember that involuntary emigration is still a reality for many people today. It is also essential that those who emigrate receive pre-departure information and advice to enable them to make an informed choice and prevent them ending up homeless or in difficulty abroad. - Yours, etc.,
Anne O'Donovan, Co-Ordinator, Emigrant Advice, 1a Cathedral Street, Dublin 1.