Departing Emigrants, Cork
An illustration of emigrants departing from Cork for Liverpool in May 1851. The illustration is taken from the Illustrated London News, 10 May, 1851.
© Cork City Libraries.© Cork City Libraries.
Departing Emigrants, Cork
An illustration of emigrants departing from Cork for Liverpool in May 1851. The illustration is taken from the Illustrated London News, 10 May, 1851.
© Cork City Libraries.Emigration is the act of leaving one's native country to settle abroad. From the Great Famine in the 1840s until the 1980s, there was a steady stream of emigration from Ireland to other countries. In particular, people emigrated to the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia.
Often, people choose to leave their native countries for better job opportunities abroad. In the destination country, these people are called 'immigrants'. Many Irish immigrants had to work long hours in low-paid jobs in the countries to which they emigrated. It was often only the children and grandchildren of those who emigrated who began to prosper in the destination country.
Now that the Irish economy is strong, Irish people generally do not have to emigrate to get jobs. Instead, Ireland has many immigrants from other countries. These people often come to Ireland in the hope of a better life, filling jobs that many Irish people do not wish to do and contributing to the economy.