Lonely hearts club land will add to our woes

WHEN a ship is sinking, it is accepted wisdom that the women and children should go first. Ireland hit an iceberg a few years ago and, as it went down, so too did the one industry that was keeping it afloat.

With half of those on the live register having previously worked in construction and having now set their sights on Sydney and Melbourne, all that is left behind are the women and children. Well, not quite, but the situation Ireland has found itself in has created a big social problem. Nightclub dance floors are lonely spots these days. The young are leaving the problems behind.

The country was blind-sided by a massive construction boom. People had jobs and life was good. However, now that there are no more houses to be built, thousands of construction workers have found themselves out of work. Many have been left with no option but to emigrate. In a reversal of the 2006 census there are now more females than males in Ireland, with 981 men for every 1,000 women.