Welcome home all our returning expats

THE exodus of a generation of young Irish people from this country has been one of the great tragedies of our time.

It has given the lie to glib claims in government circles that this tsunami of emigration was little more than a “lifestyle choice”.

Ever since Famine times, enforced emigration has been an integral part of the fabric of Irish life. Now, for a change, an incoming tide of emigrants, most of them expatriates working in Europe, the Middle East, Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand, is flowing into Ireland’s busy air and sea ports.