NEXT FRIDAY, 29 NOVEMBER, is polling day in the General Election, 2024. By now, the parties vying to run the country in the next Dáil have released their manifestos and gone head-to-head with their political opponents to set out their stalls.

Polling will take place in schools across the country in 43 constituencies and turnout often depends on the weather, the day of the week and the level of frustration of the electorate at the time. With this week’s cold snap and stormy conditions impacting candidates’ ability to canvass on the doorsteps, they’ll be hoping for plain sailing next week ahead of the big day.

Housing, health, the cost of living and immigration are showing up as the top line issues in this election cycle, with polls so far showing that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil look set to retain their lead, with Independents showing healthy support then ahead of Sinn Féin. As any election followers in this country can testify, though, it’s often the transfers that can ultimately dictate the shape of the next Dáil. So every vote counts. 

One of the big issues springing from the housing crisis is that of the emigration, of young people mostly, to different parts of the world like Australia, the US, the Middle East and Canada. With near full employment in this country, many of them cite the cost of living and difficulty securing housing as the main reasons for their decision to leave. 

So, with a week to go until polling day, we’d like to hear from those of you living abroad and ask if there’s anything that the next government could do that would encourage you to come home to Ireland.

• Is there anything you’ve heard from any political party so far that would make you think about returning home?

• Is there anything a political party could do that would make you consider coming back to Ireland?

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Please share your views with us by emailing a paragraph or two (around 200-250 words max) to answers@thejournal.ie or by clicking the button below. 

Please include your name, county, the country you’re now living in and your thoughts.  You can also of course share that information but tell us too if you would like to remain anonymous in the article afterwards.