EMIGRATION IS AS much an intrinsic part of Irish culture as going to the Gaeltacht. If you haven’t gone yourself, you definitely know at least one person who has.

Leaving your country is often viewed as a lonely act, but for us Irish, it’s different. Our little island is home to one of the biggest diasporas in the world, so even if you don’t bump into an Irish person on your travels, I guarantee there’s an Irish pub close by.

Lately, I’ve found that the use of apps and social media has definitely become a double-edged sword for someone living abroad. Connection has never felt easier, but, at the same time, the mental plague of ‘Fear of Missing Out’, or Fomo, has never been more rampant.

The current race for the Áras has really brought this to the forefront of my mind. I currently live in the waterfront city of Victoria, the capital of BC, on Canada’s Vancouver Island. Despite being in an entirely different timezone, I’ve kept pace with the election through podcasts, online articles, and social media reels.

However, I’ve invested in this election entirely to my own detriment.

The race is almost over, but I’m here, an Irish woman abroad with an informed opinion of who I believe should be the next Uachtarán na hÉireann, but with no voting power.

I understand the argument that I chose to leave, and that this decision comes with consequences. However, losing voting rights shouldn’t be one of them. Irish people abroad should be able to vote, especially in presidential elections, due to the significance of the role for international relations.

Left voiceless

The debate on whether Irish people abroad should be allowed to vote has heated up in recent years, and a referendum on the topic seems inevitable. However, it’s likely this issue will be kicked down the road, and Irish expats will remain voiceless on who represents us.

The last two referenda left a sour taste in voters’ mouths, with the electorate overwhelmingly voting against proposals to amend the wording in the Constitution in relation to families and carers.

Then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stepped down from his position soon after, and public sentiment at the time of the votes was overall confusion. Subsequently, the current government may want to put substantial space between the last referendum and the next.

I may be home for the next presidential election, as my current visa allows me to work and live in Canada on a temporary basis only until 2027. Many people I know who currently live abroad are on similar working holiday visas, meaning they will eventually return to Ireland but will have had no say in the formation of government or the election of symbolic individuals while they were away.

Like many others, I left Ireland for several valid reasons. One reason was to see a bit more of the world while in a position where I’m not needed to care for anyone. Another was to scope out somewhere else as a potential long-term plan.

I am not alone in the struggles I faced when I lived in Ireland.

I had a good job and no dependents, yet saving enough money to buy a house was a faraway dream unless I wanted to move back home in the meantime. For my career in journalism, this would not be ideal.

I also manage a chronic illness, rheumatoid arthritis, and I cannot praise my doctors in Ireland enough and what they do with the resources available to them. However, waiting lists for procedures and appointments can be debilitating, to say the least.

Applying for permanent residency in Canada is a growing temptation, but, in the same breath, “níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin”.

Downtown Victoria in British Columbia, Canada Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

In Canada, like many parts of the world, anti-immigration hostility is rising.

British Columbia Premier David Eby has repeatedly called for the reforms or cancellation to temporary working visas, claiming they cause wage depression for Canadian workers and lower opportunities. This is a blow to many Irish workers who have moved to BC to work in various sectors.

Meanwhile, the incumbent Irish government has not made it easy to be young in Ireland, but the love that people have for their country is palpable at home and abroad. The right to vote would enable expats the chance to shape an Ireland they may want to return to.

In addition, those who have built lives abroad, like my sister Ruth who has lived in Victoria for a little under a decade and her Irish husband Rob, should also have the right to be a part of their Irish community by having their say on polling day.

A light shines through a window in the Áras as a beacon of community to Irish emigrants, first introduced by former president Mary Robinson. While it’s a beautiful message, the right to vote would be far more meaningful.

Cáit Caden has lived in Canada since February 2025 where she works as a news anchor for C-FAX1070 radio and as a barista.