Upon leaving County Wexford a year ago, Amy Byrne, aged 29, had little anticipation she would be laboring in a pumpkin patch in Gatton, a rustic community secreted away within Queensland’s vast interior. Nonetheless, partaking in such regional work is an experience shared by numerous young Irish individuals seeking to prolong their Australian stay.
“The labor was exceedingly taxing,” Byrne states. “Our initial job was to harvest pumpkins on a farm… It was brutally strenuous. We reached a stage where we stood in the field on the verge of tears, affirming we couldn’t continue…our backs throbbed from the toil, it was beyond dreadful — we were exposed to the intense sun’s rays.”
Regardless of the harsh living and working environments — and despite eventually securing employment somewhere else — Byrne insists that the mandatory three-month regional work to extend her working holiday visa for an additional year was a worthwhile endeavor, and a memorable part of her Australian journey, primarily attributed to the individuals she befriended.While presently residing in Melbourne, she attributes the city’s lively social scene as a critical factor in its appeal.
The Central Statistics Office released data earlier this week illustrating a “significant emigration” of individuals relocating to Australia from Ireland over the past year. Approximately 10,600 people migrated to Australia from Ireland in the twelve months preceding April 2024, which is a 126 percent increase compared to the previous year when 4,700 made the move. These statistics represent the largest emigration movement to Australia since 2013, according to the CSO, including those utilizing the working holiday visa.
However, Byrne contemplates returning to Ireland once she accomplishes two years overseas, largely influenced by the challenge of securing employment in her desired profession in Melbourne.
“If I could secure a sponsorship in a job I genuinely enjoy and feel I’m progressing in my career, I would perhaps have remained an extra one or two years. I believe I’m at a point where I desire my career to advance and home seems the best place for that,” she expounds.
Byrne admits living in Australia is costly, and declares she doesn’t feel “financially advantaged or disadvantaged.”
Helena O’Sullivan (25), a pharmacist hailing from Co Kerry, asserts that the cost of living in Melbourne is incredibly high. She admits to having been shellshocked by the expense of everyday life in the city. For the initial two months post-migration, she was forced to dip into her savings while desperately seeking employment. According to O’Sullivan, the perceived advantages of living abroad may be somewhat overrated.
Before her departure from Ireland, she had been comfortably ensconced in a stable lifestyle, with a lucrative employment as a community pharmacist in Cork and relatively affordable rent. She rented a house in Wilton whilst in Ireland, sharing it with friends. Her decision to leave was fuelled by the desire to explore new social prospects and expand her worldview.
Despite being aware that her pharmacy degree wouldn’t be accepted in Australia, she had been optimistic about job prospects in an allied field. However, she found it considerably more challenging than anticipated. She explains, “Regrettably, I secured a solitary interview, which led to my current job and thankfully, it also facilitates my regional work as well”.
O’Sullivan admits that she’s presently living from paycheck to paycheck, as her earnings are lower than they were in Ireland. Coupled with the higher living costs in Melbourne, it is a tough situation to navigate.
O’Sullivan was faced with a problematic endeavour in seeking accommodation. Nevertheless, she states that assistance from the Irish community and the largesse of her fellow journeyers made a substantial difference. She appreciates the sense of fellowship and support she received from the thriving Irish population in Australia.
She envisions returning to Ireland eventually, although she does not foresee it happening in the imminent future. O’Sullivan acknowledges that the social dynamics in Australia are significantly more vibrant, with a robust emphasis on healthy living and fitness. Participating in a local running club has fostered her sense of community and inclusion.
O’Sullivan concludes stating, “Melbourne teems with parks, running trails and offers a diverse array of social events and clubs. The popularity of the Gaelic Athletic Association and its no-pressure, social-only memberships serve as a wonderful social platform.”
Roisin O’Donovan, a 31-year-old speech therapist from Cork, relocated to Melbourne, Australia in March 2020, right as the global pandemic hit. As the borders closed, she had no choice but to stay and quickly adapted to her new life. After a difficult initial couple of years, travel restrictions were lifted and she started to understand her career options and how she could easily adapt her lifestyle and career goals.
As a community therapist in Melbourne, Roisin appreciated the contrast between her work in Melbourne and what she anticipated it might have been in Ireland. From her point of view, the job market in Australia offers an abundance of opportunities, as well as a variety of work styles. With time, she completed a locum in the Northern Territory, an experience she defines as one of her most rewarding, both personally and professionally.
Despite leading an enjoyably busy life in Melbourne complete with trendy cafes and a diversity of food, she confesses Kenmare will always be home. Roisin explains she cannot picture herself living on the opposite side of the world from her family, noting the great distance, but she also describes herself as a homebody and trusts in her eventual return home.
The Melbourne lifestyle greatly appeals to O’Donovan, particularly with regards to her current living arrangements. Despite rent being her biggest expenditure, it provides her with an opportunity to live in the heart of everything, enabling her to choose locations that resonate with her the most. She doesn’t feel burdened by a mortgage in Melbourne and believes she would have led a much more rigid life in Ireland; however, she feels empowered in Australia, despite the less than perfect renting situation. It gives her a sense of control over her life and her work, something she finds extremely positive and promising.