The Cork man who built a lifeline for the Irish moving to Australia

STEPHEN Palmer founded Irish Around Oz after relocating Down Under more than a decade ago, at a time when emigration to Australia was booming among young Irish people.

“It felt like everyone back then was moving over to Australia, and I really wanted to go for a few years to try it out.”

Now, more than a decade on, Australia remains a major destination for Irish people.

As of June 2024, more than 103,000 Irish-born people are living in the country, which is more than double the number from the mid 2000's.

Despite the strong Irish presence, Stephen said there was little in the way of organised support when he first arrived.

“When I got there, I noticed there were community groups for other people, like English people, but there was nothing really for the Irish community,” he explained.

Starting small, he created local social media groups to help Irish people connect.

“I started making some community pages and groups for people in Perth and Melbourne and Sydney,” he said.

What began as a way to bring people together soon evolved into something much bigger.

[caption id="attachment_307836" align="alignnone" width="1024"]While Irish emigration to Britain has fallen to its lowest since 1930, more and more are now choosing Australia (Wikimedia Commons)[/caption]

“It really started to grow quite quickly, and after about a year I started earning some income from it. So I managed to quit my job and then focused primarily on ‘Irish Around Oz’.”

Through blog posts and guides, the platform now offers advice on everything from visas and job hunting to sending money home and shipping belongings overseas.

One post in particular struck a chord.

“I did a massive kind of blog article with people from the groups writing ‘what had you wished you had known before you moved to Australia’, and I shared it, and that alone got about 30,000 visits in the first week,” he said.

While Australia is often seen as an exciting place to move to, Stephen is keen to highlight the realities behind the sunshine.

“I think one of the biggest misconceptions for people when they move over to Australia is not realising how much it can cost initially,” he said.

“It can be a while till you find a job, and even in my case it took me six or seven weeks before I finally secured a job.”

He also pointed to the emotional challenges of emigrating so far from home.

"There is that honeymoon period for the first couple of weeks, and once that wears off, all of a sudden you are in another country, thousands of miles away from your hometown.”

[caption id="attachment_307837" align="alignnone" width="1024"]Sydney and Melbourne have the highest number of Irish people, followed by Perth (Wikimedia Commons/Photo by Ivan Lojko)[/caption]

Like many of his generation, Stephen left Ireland during a time of limited job choices.

“A lot of my friends at the time were leaving Ireland. It felt like every couple of weeks I was going to a leaving party.”

Despite the challenges, he found Australians welcoming.

“Australians like to have a good time, and we like to have a good time,” he said. “In general I find them very accepting and friendly towards us.”

Although he no longer lives in Australia, Stephen continues to run Irish Around Oz, helping a new generation of people navigate the move.

“It has crossed my mind to move back over the years, but I think the largest factor for me was family,” he said.

Through his platform, he hopes others will be better prepared for both the opportunities and the realities of life Down Under.

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The Cork man who built a lifeline for the Irish moving to Australia