'Ireland’s Lost Wall' website documents Irish brain drain

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'Ireland's Lost Wall' website has been established to remind the people of Ireland of those who have emigrated. It also gives recent Irish emigrants a chance to submit their name, location and comments to be included on the symbolic wall.

The founder of the website, Colin Harte explained what spurred him to establish the initiative.

Speaking to Newswhip.ie he said, "I’ve just come back from living in Canada for the past four years and I have a background in social media design. The idea came out of the fact I would have loved to have something like this when I was away.

“It hasn’t really cost me much money, the only expensive thing really is the light projection.”

Harte plans to project the lists of names onto political parties’ headquarters walls in Ireland. It is his hope that these projections will remind the country's politicians and the people of Ireland of the Irish ex-pats around the world.

So far the site has been received well. Harte has been getting good feedback and comments.

Comments on the wall include:

Andrew McGloughlan, Bristol, Britain: "There was no place to get a job. I am an engineer and I was going to have to work in Super Macs [a fast food chain] after I finished my degree."

Avril Kerley, Manhattan: "I had to get out of the rut and the future of the place was looking dismal."

Brendan O'Connor, Toronto: "None of us had a chance. I think I will be away for a while."

Crainne Tornoir, Amsterdam: "You have no idea how much I wanted to stay at home but thanks to our banks, politicians and business men, I'm here."

Jill Moore, Sydney: "I can't stay there anymore. I think my parents will be coming out here to live soon too."

Sinead McCluskey, Paris: "The same reason as most of the people on this wall will be on. There was no work."

Harte wants the site and the list of names to be a reminder to the people of Ireland about their relationship with emigration.

"I do want to create some kind of legacy piece with it. I’d love to go to a stone mason and give them a grand or something, no one’s died with me recently so I don’t know what the cost of stone masonry would be…

“I actually think, though, that the site itself will be a legacy piece. That’s why I put in that remove section so if people come back they can take themselves off the wall. That’s a big part for me.”

Although the site has been launched during a historic election campaign period in Ireland, Harte was careful to emphasize that the website has nothing to do with any specific political party.

He said, "There’s no political bias for the site and it’s not connected to any party. It’s only aim is to send a message.

“I’m not affiliated with any party and there’s nothing political about this. All I’m trying to do is facilitate the voice of people who were like me when I was away. You just feel so distant. The site is a reminder to people in Ireland that they’re not just voting for themselves, they’re voting for all these people who probably want to come back.”

Visit Irelandslostwall.com.