Where have all the Galway people gone?

bfa1509 · 25-01-2019 9:21pm #1

One thing that has puzzled me for years now is the severe lack of native Galway people going around these days. Has anyone else noticed this?

I had the great misfortune of having to spend 4 days in UHG this week, where I had a lot of time to ponder this. In the ward next to me were 4 other men; three of whom were from Mayo and the other originally from Dublin. I was then moved into a semi-private room beside a man from Ballinrobe who was then replaced by a man from Achill Island. I overheard the ward manager say that there were 13 people from Mayo General Hospital waiting to be admitted to that very ward!

There are about 50 people in the company I work in. At least 20 are from Mayo, about 10 from Dublin, about 10 from Galway and the rest from around the country.

I remember there being so very few Galway people when I went to college in NUIG too.

So what is going on here? Are we a dying breed us native Galwegians? Do we need to build a wall or something?

25-01-2019 11:18pm

Well Galway is very attractive to the surrounding counties. Limerick is the only contender. Also many people look here instead of Dublin now. Maybe it's just a massive influx of non-Galwegians?

Addle · 25-01-2019 11:19pm

Public hospital.

Mrs OBumble · 25-01-2019 11:25pm

Addle wrote: »

Public hospital.

Or to answer the OPs question.... the Galway Clinic.

Prominent_Dawg · 25-01-2019 11:36pm

Students/Tourists

doolox · 25-01-2019 11:42pm

...in Dublin and making no effort to return to Galway any time soon.

I find it too wet and windy and the employment prospects are too slender without a high level of education which I don't have.

Too many people find Galway and the west in general too attractive so the employment competition is too strong for moderately educated people with slender connections.

My three sisters and I had to leave Galway in the 80's and 90's because there were no jobs there for us at any decent pay rates.

For properly educated people today however, especially in life sciences and technology at an advanced level, things have been utterly transformed which is good for the city and its new residents.

_Whimsical_ · 26-01-2019 3:02pm

On the plus side hospital is a good place to be anonymous and in beside strangers. Nothing worse than being in hospital with Galway people who have a million visitors , half of whom you'll know or know your parents etc, and the place becomes like a nightclub in no time except everyone is seeing you in your PJs and knowing your business.

bfa1509 · 26-01-2019 4:20pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Well Galway is very attractive to the surrounding counties. Limerick is the only contender. Also many people look here instead of Dublin now. Maybe it's just a massive influx of non-Galwegians?

Probably right with this. You would really notice at certain times of the year, like at the end of semesters but before the big tourist influx that the city is pretty much dead.

Another thing I noticed is the amount of non-Galway people who have parents who bought a house in Galway years ago with the intention of sending all their children to college in NUIG/GMIT.

Not to mention the amount of Dublin and Mayo flags you see outside houses when either team reaches the all Ireland.

I've heard others blame Mary Harney and her "Centers of Excellence" funnelling the whole country into 3 or 4 of the biggest urban areas.

youngrun · 26-01-2019 6:41pm

Lots of Galway people in Dublin +elsewhere. Of a circle of 10 good friends in school/college I am the only one still based in Galway full time.. similar enough to siblings and their friends.

McTigs · 28-01-2019 11:13am

according to the last Census, 50% of galway residents were born elsewhere, with 50% of those born outside of Ireland.

It's a very attractive place to live and raise a family if you can find decent employment.

flazio · 28-01-2019 11:19am

In my personal opinion, it's that diversity that is one of the best defining traits of Galway.

Stevolende · 28-01-2019 1:26pm

I think it was something I noticed about 20 years ago, possibly longer. Galway tends to have a lot of people from elsewhere in and relatively few people from the area. Always stuck in my mind that I would rarely meet somebody born and bred in the area. Which may be a negative compared to the positive of the cosmopolitan nature of teh place.
Does taht mean that Galwegians have a tendency to travel or something?

Mrs OBumble · 28-01-2019 1:31pm

Stevolende wrote: »

I think it was something I noticed about 20 years ago, possibly longer. Galway tends to have a lot of people from elsewhere in and relatively few people from the area. Always stuck in my mind that I would rarely meet somebody born and bred in the area. Which may be a negative compared to the positive of the cosmopolitan nature of teh place.
Does taht mean that Galwegians have a tendency to travel or something?

Are you a local or a blow-in though? My experience is that the two groups stick together, so blow-ins ( like me) tend to not meet so many born-and-bred residents, and can so think they're not around.

charcosull · 28-01-2019 1:35pm

As Doolox has said, Its the only place to be if you work in medical devices/lifescience. Speaking as a blow-in that came here for that exact reason.

Metroid diorteM · 28-01-2019 3:27pm

I think it’s always been natural for people to leave and explore other areas but the combination of cheap flights, the euro, improved motorways, etc. may have made it easier than previous generations.

BeardySi · 29-01-2019 2:39pm

They can't afford to live there any more.

raher1 · 29-01-2019 2:43pm

Alot of galwegians moved out to the outside areas in Galway county plus most Galwayiens move to Dublin or London.

scillaria · 29-01-2019 6:20pm

I have a theory regarding college/first job and the weather.A lot of people from mayo, Donegal, clare, limerick go to college in galway so adjusted to the weather think it's a nice place to live so decide to stay or after a few years moved back.
I'm from east galway and a lot of people I know didn't go to galway for college/job so might have adjusted to places not raining as much so couldn't think of living in galway with the weather. I had to get used to the weather when I moved back after a few years away. The people I work with originally from galway all went to college in galway so decided to stay or move back
Just a theory

WillieMason · 29-01-2019 7:12pm

BeardySi wrote: »

They can't afford to live there any more.

hence why they all moved to tuam and athenry areas

beardybrewer · 29-01-2019 7:26pm

BeardySi wrote: »

They can't afford to live there any more.

Possibly the best point made thus far. I've seen this before where locals were outpriced by a better paid blow-ins who liked living by the sea. My buddy had to move away from his hometown even though he made a decent living but he got a bigger house and a cheaper cost of living in general by leaving which for him was worth it.

Any articles mention this?

FatherTed · 30-01-2019 4:17am

I heard they're all down in Tonerys

Addle · 30-01-2019 7:43am

Same in most major centres I think.

Bredabe · 30-01-2019 6:22pm

Too many 'weigiens turned up at my door once they figured out I lived close to the airport and croaker.

Snow Garden · 30-01-2019 11:11pm

There is only one war that matters, the great war, and it is here.

John_Rambo · 01-02-2019 9:04pm

beardybrewer wrote: »

Possibly the best point made thus far. I've seen this before where locals were outpriced by a better paid blow-ins who liked living by the sea. My buddy had to move away from his hometown even though he made a decent living but he got a bigger house and a cheaper cost of living in general by leaving which for him was worth it.

Any articles mention this?

It's the exact same in Dublin, Paris, Rome and basically any successful city. The "blow in" term isn't one used in Dublin though. Most young people simply can't afford to live where they grew up by the sea in Dublin too.

1perriwinkle · 04-02-2019 9:49pm

2 points here - first, the city nowadays has a hugely diverse make up. https://www.cso.ie/en/csolatestnews/pressreleases/2017pressreleases/pressstatementcensus2016resultsprofile7-migrationanddiversity/
“Among the cities, Galway was the most multicultural, with 18.6% of its resident population recorded as non-Irish” (And that doesn’t include non-Galwegian Irish people).
Second, the population has grown massively. In 1981, when I was in primary school, there were 41k in the city, now the number is almost double that at 80k. So back in the day it did feel a bit like everyone knew everyone (tough when you’re acting the maggot in your teenage years and people were constantly telling your parents about your messing ðŸ˜„)
So the natives have been diluted by size and blow ins which is no harm IMO, but there are still lots of us around.
As for your hospital experience, maybe us Galwegians are just a hardier bunch, haveing grown up being constantly damp, so don’t need to visit the hospital too often... ðŸ˜‰

dilallio · 04-02-2019 9:54pm

FatherTed wrote: »

I heard they're all down in Tonerys

They've all moved to Sao Paulo working as Deliveroo cyclists.

Mr.Maroon · 04-02-2019 9:58pm

flazio wrote: »

In my personal opinion, it's that diversity that is one of the best defining traits of Galway.

100% agree with you on this - but we really need to take action against the flow of migrants coming from Mayo.
They're making no attempt to integrate into a normal society.

tinofapples · 04-02-2019 10:12pm

I often say this to people, back in the mid-late 90's I'd walk down shop street on a Saturday morning and guaranteed to meet someone I'd know. Anytime I'm back in the city now I reckon I could walk around for hours and not meet anyone I know.

flazio · 05-02-2019 11:11am

tinofapples wrote: »

I often say this to people, back in the mid-late 90's I'd walk down shop street on a Saturday morning and guaranteed to meet someone I'd know. Anytime I'm back in the city now I reckon I could walk around for hours and not meet anyone I know.

Start getting to know more people so.

xckjoo · 05-02-2019 2:50pm

tinofapples wrote: »

I often say this to people, back in the mid-late 90's I'd walk down shop street on a Saturday morning and guaranteed to meet someone I'd know. Anytime I'm back in the city now I reckon I could walk around for hours and not meet anyone I know.

I'd be more worried if nothing had changed after 20 years......

Where have all the Galway people gone?

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