Mayo's 'forgotten generation' has spoken out - and should not be ignored
A letter which appeared in this newspaper on August 27 last, under the heading 'Why so many young people are leaving Mayo county town', came as a reality check to many who love living in Castlebar and consistently see its good rather than less-than-good side.
Most of those, including this writer, are of an age and generation who enjoy a decent and settled way of life here, having a good job, owning our own homes and cars, and being generally satisfied with what the town has to offer in terms of its social, sporting, cultural and educational pursuits.
So, to be fair, we were somewhat taken aback by letter-writer Robert's assertion that he and his friends could not wait to save enough money to move to Australia because ‘there were no decent jobs available to them in Castlebar and they were left struggling with their mental health as they found the town depressing’.
His letter made several other points in respect of the town's dereliction and its failure to embrace investment in urban renewal projects.
It would be wrong, however, to dismiss the letter as a rant because it identifies a critical issue in Irish life that is frequently ignored: A failure to provide sufficiently rewarding jobs for our young people to keep them at home and halt the tide of emigration.
It is true that many will go, no matter what, to simply experience life in another country, but that's clearly not the motivation of Robert and his friends who feel let down by their own town and see no other option but to leave.
Every year hundreds of Mayo students graduate with degrees from universities and other third-level institutions with the hope of securing jobs as close to their home towns as possible.
Many, sadly, are left disillusioned that their years of hard studying and investment by their parents do not deliver on their expectations and they end up in jobs that don't pay very well, with most of their salaries going on rent without any chance of raising enough money for a mortgage.
These are the forgotten generation of young Irish people who believe they have been let down despite following what is regarded as one of the best third-level educational models in the world but one that does not, in most cases, prepare its students adequately for the workplace if, in fact, there is an actual workplace for them to go to at all.
Sadly, this is the place many of our younger people have found themselves and it's hardly a surprise they are downbeat and want to explore new avenues abroad.
It's a huge social and educational issue and one, despite Ireland's history of emigration, to which our legislators need to give greater focus and attention as it borders on a national crisis in its own right.
At the very least, our forgotten generation, arguably the most educationally-qualified in the history of the State, deserves that.