WITH a stronger economy than many European countries and plentiful opportunities for those with a trade, Australia has proved a popular draw for Irish people attempting to escape the downturn of recent years.
Figures from the last Australian census show a huge rise in Irish immigration in the last decade, with the Irish-born population increasing by a third from 2006 to 2011.
The numbers of Irish opting to becoming permanent Australian residents has also trebled since 2008, with over 6,000 granted residency last year alone.
While Sydney and Melbourne have long been destinations of choice, Perth has also proved popular in a country where over two million people claimed Irish ancestry in the 2011 census.
In that census, almost one in five Irish immigrants – around 15,000 - were based in Western Australia, of which Perth is the capital and main economic hub.
The support networks for the Irish are extensive, with a website dedicated to Irish people wishing to move to the city and almost 40 different Irish groups. The Irish Families in Perth group also has over 10,000 members on Facebook.
The news that two young men from the north had been killed yesterday sparked a huge outpouring of emotion as well as concern amongst people with relatives in Perth.
Sinn Féin Donegal TD Pearse Doherty, tweeted: "Woke up this morning to messages from Perth. Devastated for the families of the two workers killed in Perth. Every parent’s worst nightmare."
Woke up this morning to messages from Perth. Devastated for the families of the two workers killed in Perth. Every parents worst nightmare.
— Pearse Doherty (@PearseDoherty) November 25, 2015Tyrone GAA secretary Dominic McCaughey said some clubs would have two or three players currently in Australia.
"There is no doubt that there would have been a lot of texts and checking of social media yesterday," he said.
Mr McCaughey said clubs across the county had been affected by emigration in the years since the economic crash, with those in east Tyrone worst affected.
"Some clubs would be badly hit, losing five or six players, which would leave a gaping hole on occasions," he said.
"I suppose there is always a danger of (teams being unable to field) but it hasn’t happened yet. We had a few clubs which amalgamated but none which have closed."
However, Mr McCaughey said numbers of GAA players from the country attempting to transfer to clubs in Australia had declined in the past year, in line with general figures showing a fall in Irish emigrants moving Down Under since 2013.
