"Empty Nests" (2022) - Digital Collage - Anthony D Kelly

"Travel to the island of Achill which hangs in the dark waters of the Atlantic, off the stark and wind beaten coasts of northwest Mayo. Bring yourself along to the foot of Slievemore mountain, you will find a deserted village there.

This abandoned settlement stands as a remnant, a scar, and a memorial site; one of many strewn across this county and country. Each site is a stark reminder of times in Ireland, that due to famine, as well as social and political pressures, survival was intensely difficult for most and truly impossible for some.

Elsewhere in Mayo, evidence of potato ridges rise high up on hillsides in areas which are now devoid of settlement. These areas were once so populous, that settlers resorted to cultivating their crops at awkward altitudes for lack of space.

When you stand in these once lively landscapes now, they feel haunted somehow. Indeed, our ancestors often held “Living Wakes” with their loved ones, before going to the docks; as they knew that they would never return.

In mid-June of this year the central statistics office announced that there are now five million people living in the Republic of Ireland. Yet records show that since the 18th century between nine and ten million people born in Ireland have emigrated away. Many of my own generation chose to move abroad as the impacts of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 sent shockwaves throughout Irish society.

We are a nation of emigrants, and we have left in many waves.

In the contemporary discourse on migration, immigration and displacement there tends to be a heavy focus on countries of arrival. This shifts our perspectives away from the realities of what might be left behind. Yes, those who arrive in a new country are often taking flight from dire situations such as war, famine and oppression. Yet, just like our ancestors who fled, they are also leaving behind loved ones, family, friends, communities, favourite meals, old stories, familiar words, much loved songs, childhood bedrooms, streets, homes, and empty nests."

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