The Latvian migration to Ireland is now in the mainstream. In a lengthy article that begins on Page 1 of the Nov. 28 Washington Post, London-based reporter Kevin Sullivan follows a 39-year-old Latvian man as he travels to Ireland in search of work.
The article, East-to-West Migration Remaking Europe (registration required), offers a detailed look into the migration process that has been repeated by thousands of Latvians and other Eastern Europeans in recent years. Estimates of how many Latvians now live and work range from 20,000 to 40,000.
Sullivan’s story online also include a short video of images showing his subject, Jānis Neulans, traveling to Dublin on his first-ever airplane ride, looking for work as is money runs out, and finally finding a job in a door factory in County Wexford.
Sanita Jemberga, a reporter for the Rīga daily Diena, also recently covered the flight to Ireland, focusing on how a good many of the migrants have no intention of returning to their homeland.
Reporter Kevin Sullivan’s story about a Latvian man’s search for work in Ireland appears on the front page of the Nov. 28 Washington Post.
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never imagined that Riga could be described as a city “of (…) the tall onion spires of Russian Orthodox churches (…) ” .
Apparently, the article’s author wanted somehow to underline strong Russian cultural presence in the city, however, anyone coming to Riga can notice overly Hanseatic and North European look of the city’s panorama.
Otherwise, a fun to read article, main character oddly enough reminded me of Jon Voight in the Hollywood’s classic flick Midnight Cowboy
It may seem like a wonderful thing that Latvians are finally able to travel freely in Europe, but this migration if it continues will be a demographic disaster for the nation. The reason so many are leaving Latvia is that most of the business in Latvia is Russian and other foreigner controlled. I am aware that Latvians have been visibly placed as presidents and directors, but the money behind them is not Latvian. Many Latvians are unable to receive a decent livable wage and are forced, economically to seek it elsewhere. The past 15 years have been politically catastrophic for Latvia. Big money has corrupted the entire system. The EU is proving to be a bloated ,godless socialist bureucracy that is imposing its “values” on the member nations. Its almost like the USSR complete with commisars for political correctness.
No one is even discussing much less dealing with the consequences of the 50 year long Soviet occupation. In some areas of Eastern Latvia unemployment is around 40%, Latvians are opressed by Russians and Russian speakers to this day and no one is interested in dealing with that problem. So small wonder people are once again fleeing to be able to live.