As new report found the cost of childcare in Ireland is a major factor in discouraging women from participating in the workforce, Irish Times Abroad asked readers living overseas about the cost and range of childcare options where they live, and what state or workplace supports are available. From an average 50 per cent state supplement on all childcare in Australia, to €1 afterschool care in Belgium, there's a lot Ireland could learn from how things are done elsewhere, according to our readers.
"The Irish in America are a diverse group. They came across the Atlantic from all backgrounds, for love, employment, opportunity, education, escape, adventure. Statistics can give us the numbers and dates, and sometimes the social and economic factors that drive emigration trends, but only the individual can tell their own story. Only they can tell us how it feels to leave home," writes Carmel McMahon, reporting on a remarkable oral history project at Queens College in New York, which has gathered the stories of Irish people across America, aged from 20 to 90. You can read and listen to the stories in this very nice multimedia article.
In News today, the British government has confirmed that Irish citizens in Britain will continue to enjoy all their current rights under the Common Travel Area (CTA) after Brexit - Denis Staunton has the full story.
Koh Phangan may be best known for its raucous "full moon parties", but the northern part of the Thai island is a mecca for yogis, vegans and others looking to get away from it all. Human rights worker and DJ Shane Cogan, who goes there "to dance and relax", meets some fo the other Irish who currently call the island home.
Also in Abroad this week, we remember Fr Mychal Judge, the Irish-American chaplain to the New York Fire Department who died in the 9/11 attacks; Shilpa Ginatra meets London-based Cork painter Conor Harrington, who now commands five-figure sums for his work; and Jonathan Drennan writes about overcoming the initial loneliness he felt during his first few years in Sydney.
You'll find plenty more stories by and about the Irish diaspora this week on irishtimes.com/abroad.
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