http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0509/391211-emigration-report/
Over one quarter of Irish households have seen a close family member emigrate in the last two years.
Half of those aged between 18 and 24 have considered emigrating.
Four out of ten adults aged between 25 and 34 have also considered leaving the country.
...
In the last four years, over 300,000 people have emigrated from Ireland, four out of ten of them were aged between 15 and 24.
The survey doesn't mention how many of these were permanent emigrations or if they were just 1 year Oz breaks which seems to be the 'cool' thing to do these days.
I moved to Boston on a 1 year J1 graduate visa and was offered a H1 visa but turned it down. 1 year was enough as I never intended on staying but if I was offered a well paying job in the future I would definitely consider it.
I think this survey might explain why the rate of unemployment is decreasing...