With the help of Irish emigrant to Australia, Rían McCreight, we investigate why so many Irish people are moving down under.
It seems like everyone is moving to Australia. In fact, in a recent poll carried out by Meanwhile in Ireland, 86% of responders told us either they or someone they know had made the move at one point or another.
This is backed up by Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO), which claims that some 4,700 people left Ireland for Australia between April 2022 and April 2023.
With this in mind, we set about determining why so many Irish people are moving to Australia.
Why are so many Irish people moving to Australia? – Meanwhile in Ireland’s poll results
As mentioned, 86% of responders to our poll reported that they or someone they know had emigrated to Australia. Of those 86%, 90% were happy with the decision to head down under.
Most (45%) claimed that the lifestyle was the determining factor in their decision, while 55% claimed that same lifestyle was what made them happiest about Australian life.
We spoke to Rían McCreight, a Belfast man who made the move to Australia in 2022, to corroborate our findings.
Lifestyle – the determining factor
As mentioned, 45% of those who made the move said they did so for the lifestyle, and Rían is no different. Working from his bedroom for two years during the coronavirus pandemic “took its toll” and made his room “feel a bit like a prison”.
“I’ve always wanted to move abroad or study abroad and it just felt like a good time to go after that,” he explained.
Australia and its backpacking culture appealed most: “The lifestyle here is almost made for it and the visa application is so easy”.
He also liked the sense of freedom – “things are a lot more chilled than back home” – and the geographical variety – “you have massive cities, you have beach towns, you have the bush, there’s a range you can choose for whatever suits you”.
The friendly culture and communal nature of the country’s backpacker hostels have also had an invaluable effect on Rían’s mental health.
“I suffer from social anxiety and made the move completely by myself, knowing nobody out here,” he told us. “But it did me the world of good. I was forced to engage, which helped the anxiety, and I’ve since made friends for life!”.
The negatives – it can’t all be rosy
90% of those who answered our poll reported that they were happy with the move to Australia, and again, Rían’s experience corroborates this. However, as with everything, life in Australia has its drawbacks.
“It’s tough moving over here, and what you see on social media is not how it is at all; that’s literally a snippet of life here,” Rían said. “The rental crisis here is like Dublin, if not worse. Everything’s expensive, and it’s very difficult to find a job that’s not in hospitality, especially a career!”.
Our data backs this up, with a meagre 15% of responders citing career opportunities as the element that makes them happiest in Australia. That and homesickness (reported by 73% of responders) are the key reasons 63% said they have considered returning to Ireland.
Rían agrees: “If Australia was a bit closer to home, I’d live here forever. It’s tough being almost as far away as you can possibly get from home. It takes its toll sometimes, especially around Christmastime!”
And while there are cool bars in his favourite city of Melbourne, “it’s nothing like a pint in Kelly’s Cellars!”.
However, Rían has absolutely no regrets about his decision to make the move: “Moving here has been one of the best decisions of my life, because once you get through the stress of finding a place and a decent job, it is a really great country.
“I’d say if you have an inkling [to move], then take the leap. Worst case, you don’t like it, it’s just a flight home. It’s tough moving out, but I’ve made friends for life and don’t regret a moment of it!”.
