I was in my mid teens when things began to go wrong in Ireland. The banks begun to collapse and with it the consumer confidence which had driven Ireland to become one of the most affluent and desirable nations on the planet.

Much has changed since then. Many areas outside Dublin have become economic wastelands, with high unemployment and next to no opportunities for the next generation. Its easy to forget the hardships of home when I’m working in Dublin. I saunter past the luxury cars, grab a coffee and amble through the up and coming ‘Silicon Docks’ on my way to work. I love my job and Dublin can be a heck of a place to live which makes it all the more easy to forget whats going on elsewhere.

Most Fridays I drive home to Waterford with my girlfriend. Often we’ll go for lunch or a stroll through town on Saturday when we’re home. The difference in atmosphere makes it seem far more than two hours away from Dublin. The town often feels empty and even when people are present a certain gloom fills the air. Its a shame really because for me its a special place. Its the place I know back to front, where some of my closest friends still live, where my family lives. I often think it would be much easier for me to live somewhere else if things were going well back home. If it were thriving I’d feel less guilty about leaving it behind.

As saddening as it is for me to think about the problems back home the reality is that I don’t have to live it, but others do. Opportunities are few and far between, if you want to reach your potential in many cases people will have to leave, but leaving is not always an option. I was fortunate enough that my parents could afford to send me to college and focus on my studies which allowed me to meet you people experience new things and broaden my horizons. Without that experience I’m not sure I’d be able to up and move by myself like some people are required to do, its daunting I’m sure.