The "E" word

The Irish have been doing it for a long time - Potato famine, economic recessions, boredom, warrants... any reason will do.

My great granduncle and a friend of his went out to Canada- to the Wild West, Eh- and bought themselves a 256 acre plot of land. Back in those days you got nothing just the land and it was a race against time to have the cabin ready or die of exposure come Winter. They drove 400 mule from Montana up to the plot. The venture didn't really work out; in the first Winter they had to eat a couple of mules.⁰ He packed it in after that, but his mate struck oil shortly thereafter. Literally.

As a young man, my grandfather lived in Canada, working as a mechanic with the Trans-Pacific Rail and for a uranium mine operation. Later, himself and my grandmother lived in the States. Of their children, 8/10 have lived or are currently living abroad.

Emigration isn't such a big deal now.

I am not going into a infrastructure-less wilderness with my life in the balance. The world is a tiny place now; it takes less time for me to get from Antwerp to Dublin than it does from Clare to Dublin. 

These days the biggest change caused by emigrating is who gets your taxes.

Besides, I've seen the worst that moving around in Europe has to offer thanks to Jason F*cking Bourne.

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⁰I think "woof" is the technical term.