‘Jobless Paddy’ spends life savings on billboard ad
This fascinating article triggers in me thoughts about the challenges facing those with low incomes and low qualifications in rural locations in England.
It explains: “Féilim Mac An Iomaire, who erected an advertising hoarding on the busy Merrion Road in south Dublin in an attempt to find a job, has said he has been overwhelmed by the response.
“The ad contains a picture of the 26-year-old marketing graduate facing a number of famous landmarks from Sydney, London and New York with the message: “Save me from emigration.”
“His ad has struck a chord across Ireland at a time when about 50,000 citizens, many of them young graduates, are expected to leave this year for work abroad. There are still up to 400,000 jobless workers in Ireland due to the property crash and the country’s fiscal crisis.”
This is a great idea but not everyone has the imagination to try it and if they did there is no scope to save them all.
It is worth remembering, lest in the rush to feel sorry for others we forget about those closer to home, that many rural dwellers in England face the prospect of local displacement due to the recession.