Sure was, but 1980's Ireland had pretty much no economy at all. Emigration was an expectation, not a privilege. The country needed all it could get. And it eve

Sure was, but 1980's Ireland had pretty much no economy at all. Emigration was an expectation, not a privilege. The country needed all it could get. And it eventually did very well, then screwed it up in the Global Financial Crisis, but now seems to be doing quite well (until Brexit starts to have an effect).