1. TERAPROOF:User:rorynoonanDate:07/09/2013Time:11:25:55Edition:09/09/2013Monmonecho090913Page:9 Zone:EE
Monday, September 9, 2013 NEWS 9
EE - V1
Huge numbers attend
VisaFirst roadshow
Enterprising Cork woman Mary moved to Oz
and set up free magazine for Irish immigrants
Motorway station planned near Fermoy
A €5 MILLION, 24-hour motorway service
station will be developed near Fermoy next
year.
Construction is expected to get underway
on the development in the summer near
Junction 14 on the M8, north of Fermoy.
The project, by local businessmen Richie
O’Flynn and Jim Hanlon, will incorporate
a shop and restaurant, fuel facilities for
heavy commercial vehicles, as well as light
vehicles, a car wash, picnic and external
seating areas, substantial parking and all
other ancillary services.
There will also be a new entrance and
roundabout on to the R639 regional route to
include amendments to the existing
entrance serving the Teagasc facility at
Moorepark.
Plans for a drive-through fast food
restaurant were refused by the council.
But Mr O’Flynn said the refusal does not
make the overall project any less viable.
The project will be developed on a five-acre
site.
When completed, the 24-hour facility is
expected to create at least 70 full-time and
part-time jobs.
By ANN MURPHY
A CORK woman has set up a magazine for
the Irish community in Australia to help
inform Irish immigrants of news from their
community.
Mary Allen, who is originally from Togher,
has been living in Australia for the more
than two years, with her husband Rory and
their two young children.
Living in Brisbane, Mary constantly heard
Irish-interest groups voice concern about
getting their information out to the Irish
community in Queensland.
When she marched in this year’s St
Patrick’s Day parade, she decided to set up
her own magazine for the Irish community
after discovering that 30,000 people
attended the parade.
Having worked in the Evening Echo for
nine years before emigrating, Mary also
worked in publications in Australia.
“I was working with the not-for-profit
Spinal Injuries Association and I was doing
their magazine.
“Within a year, I had brought it from being
a black and white publication to being a
full colour magazine and I trebled their
advertising revenue.”
She decided to establish the Irish
Queenslander and the first issue hit the
shops in August.
“The magazine is free and is paid for
through advertising.
“I printed 2,000 copies of the first issue and
it has been a huge success so I am printing
5,000 of the next issue which will come out
in October. It will be a bi-monthly
magazine.” She said the magazine will now
be distributed throughout Queensland,
which has a population of four million
people and where a tenth of the population
claim Irish heritage. A number of senior
figures in Queensland’s business
community also have Irish backgrounds,
she said.
Mary Allen, originally from Togher, who has set up the Irish Queenslander magazine in
Australia to help inform Irish immigrants of news from their community.
The front of the first Irish Queenslander magazine.
2014 will see
Irish flock to
Canada for work
LATEST figures from the CSO in July
revealed there are now 36,886 people over
the age of 25 on the live register in Cork.
For many emigration is an option. The
average age of people applying for a
working holiday visa is 25, with 52% or
them men and 48% women.
The average age of people applying for a
employer-sponsored visa is 31 with 82% of
them being men and 18% women.
And the average age of people applying for
a migrant visa was early 30s with 85% men
and 15% women.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand are
now the most popular destinations for Irish
people with a demand for both skilled
professions and the trades. These include
glazers, butchers, bakers, carpenters,
arctic truck drivers, engineers, quantity
surveyors, panel beaters, accountants,
land surveyors, concrete finishers, chefs,
nurses, diesel mechanics, pastry and sous
chefs, cabinet makers and motor
mechanics.
While the criteria to go to Australia has
tightened, working visas for next year to
Canada are to increase.
In 2012 just 4,000 visas were issued in
Canada. That figure is to be increased to
10,000 next year .
By DEIRDRE O’REILLYTHE ongoing hardship the recession is
causing for Cork people was evident at
an information seminar on how to
secure a visa to work abroad.
The VisaFirst.com roadshow was held in the
Silversprings Moran Hotel and gave information
on how to secure part-time and full-time work, as
well as holiday visas for up to 100 countries
throughout the world with the most popular
being Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
One man attending the seminar said he was
planning to emigrate for a second time in his
life.
“I went to London in the 1980s when I didn’t
have any responsibilities and now I’m planning
to leave again, but this time with my wife and
two children,” said the civil engineer who did
not wish to be named.
“I’ve worked in construction all my life but I’m
on a Drawbridge programme at the moment.
There’s nothing out there. My eldest son is doing
his Leaving Cert and we’ll probably go after that.
Luckily my wife is very supportive and that
makes things a bit easier,” he added.
Many of those attending were either unem-
ployed, part-time employed or working in an
area where they weren’t using their qualifica-
tions.
“I’m working in retail at the moment but am a
qualified engineer. There’s just nothing for me so
I’m planning on going to Australia,” said anoth-
er man.
In addition to information on visa applica-
tions, the seminar also outlined jobs available in
other countries. Declan Clune, right, migration
agent with www.visafirst.com, said there was
huge demand for this information.
“We are running these roadshows because of
the demand for information from Irish people
looking to work abroad.
“In the past people went abroad because they
wanted to experience another country. Now
they’re going because they have to,” he added.
The free service helps a range of people, from
those in their 20s who are hoping to work abroad
for a year, to families who are moving country
due to the recession in Ireland.
During the seminar those attending were told
that two years ago Australia was the most popu-
lar destination, now Canada is proving more
popular and the skills shortage there ranges
from accountants to diesel mechanics and
nurses.
“There are a number of reasons for this, the
main one being because it’s closer to home.
There’s also a perception that Australia has
suffered a slowdown but that’s only in the
mining sector,” said Declan.