Ireland’s lack of opportunities and housing

Over the past few years, it has become apparent to my friend and I that we will most likely not be able to buy a house in Ireland. In comparison to my parents who built their own house before they were 30 my generation in Ireland will not be afforded the same luxury. The housing crisis is constantly on the mind of young people in Ireland especially those studying and who are living away from home. Most students spend the start of semesters couch surfing before finding a place to stay. House shares are the most common form of housing for students. I personally know many people in this type of situation, some live with three other people; others I know live with twelve other people. These houses that are rented out to students are often not well built and have problems with dampness and black mould; heating is also often a problem with the price of heating becoming more expensive and the poor infrastructure of the buildings often leave students cold during the winter. Landlords know that basic standards like not have mould in a property do not have to be met because people are desperate.

The lack of housing has a much deeper impact on students than people think. Since housing is so expensive many people have decided to commute to college every day where in pervious time, they would have lived closer to the university. I know people who commute from Dublin to Gallway to go to university. This is a two-and-a-half-hour journey to make so often they arrange their schedules so that all their classes are stacked into two or three days, so they must travel less. These students also lose out on typical student life. They do not get to go out as much, be as social as everyone else; while university is for education, it is also a time to make connections and have fun with friends. Losing out on this part of college life is detrimental for students.

There are multiple reasons the housing crisis has gotten as bad as it has but one of the main reasons is the government. The Irish Government is in hot water currently because of a video recently posted by The Department of Housing. The video contained advice for people who have been forced to move back in with their parents due to the current housing crisis in Ireland. This video left a bad taste in people’s mouths because the current housing crisis has been caused by the two main political parties, Finna Fáil and Fine Gael, who have been the main parties in power since the Irish State was founded. This housing crisis began after the 2008 recession and has been predicted to continue for the next fifteen years. This government has been criticised for not doing enough, not providing enough social housing or not taxing landlords for keeping property vacant. This video has made people madder because it is out of touch with the public and seems to be an attempt to dismiss this situation that they have caused. Opposing Member of Parliament, TD Rory Hearne, called it this governments ‘Let them eat cake moment’ which is a sentiment shared among the public, particularly young people and students in Ireland.

This is affecting everyone and is even leaking into Irish popular culture. The Traitors Ireland premiered on the 31^st of August this year. It is a reality competition program where contestants must work together to find out and eliminate the Traitors in the group. The prize for winning this show is €50,000. More than three quarters of the contestants said in the pre-show interviews that if they won, they would put the money towards a deposit on a house. I remember watching competition television shows as a child and people wanting to spend the money on a holiday or perhaps and expensive luxury item, but now money is needed for more basic things like a house.

There is also a serious consequence for the Irish economy due to this crisis. Ireland is experiencing a ‘brain drain’. A Brain Drain is when university graduates leave their home country in mass numbers because of lack of opportunities. However, there is not a large lack of opportunities for people to be moving in the numbers that they are. Teachers and Nurses are the two professions who are struggling the most as their salaries are not adequate to afford a house so there has been an influx of teachers and nurses moving to places like Australia and Canada which pay more for these people to work. This is leaving Ireland with a lack of teachers and nurses especially in urban areas where house and rental prices are highest.