New found land that’s Irish and has lots of jobs
IRISH professionals are being targeted by recruiters from a part of Canada which claims to be ‘more Irish than Ireland itself ’.
A special delegation from the province where St Patrick’s Day is a public holiday held two recruitment days in Dublin this weekend and will hold another in Waterford tomorrow, with more than 150 jobs on offer.
And according to one emigrant, Irish people are flocking in their droves to Newfoundland and Labrador, whose landscape bears an uncanny resemblance to rural Ireland and now boasts a GAA club and Irish community.
The Canadian province, which has a connection to Ireland dating back to the 1500s, is looking to recruit Irish professionals to help expand its thriving economy.
Lying almost 3,000km to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador is the only place outside Europe with its own distinctive name in Irish – Talamh an Éisc – and its own Irish dialect. Almost a quarter of its 500,000 population claims Irish roots.
The jobs the Canadians are seeking to fill range across different industries and services including positions in health care, engineering, construction and managerial.
In health, there are opportunities for physicians, nurses, doctors and carers as well as those with dental backgrounds.
Both technical and mechanical engineers are also in demand, while the food services industry is l ooking f or managers. Brielle Hewitt of the recruitment delegation explained: ‘They’ve got particular sectors they’re looking to recruit for.
‘They do have skill shortages in Newfoundland and Labrador, they had an increase in general over the last few years, particularly in construction and in natural resource development.
‘So because of that there is a shortage in the services sector.’
Ms Hewitt added: ‘ They’re always looking for people to come over.’
Ross Houlihan is one Irish emigrant who made a new life in St John’s having emigrated more than eight years ago.
The 29-year-old Waterford graduate has built a new life in Newfoundland, but it is not too differ- ent to his f ormer life i n Co. Waterford.
He goes to the pub, enjoys Irish music, watches Irish television and says the Irish ‘work to live’ ethic is dominant there.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy is where Ireland’s was at 15 years ago, said Mr Houlihan, adding that ‘industry is thriving – there is lots of opportunity’.
‘Anything of value that can be found in the land can be found in Newfoundland and Labrador – oil industry, iron ore, mineral mining to name a few and the industries are all thriving. There’s plenty of opportunity for Irish people looking for a home away from home.’
The region’s links to the SouthEast date back to 1536 but most Irish emigration to the province
‘St Patrick’s Day is a public holiday’
took place in the early 18th Century. English boats would stop in Waterford to buy provisions for export and soon Irish fishermen joined them on the voyage.
By 1840, most people living in the capital of St John’s were Irish.
The latest CSO emigration figures show that 89,900 people left this country in the 12 months to April, a 2.2 per cent increase on the previous year.
The number of people coming into the country also increased, from 52,700 to 55,900.
The majority of emigrants (24.6 per cent) went to Britain while 17.3 per cent moved to Australia and 6 per cent to Canada.