My brother went to Switzerland in the 80s, now he's in the US. He is in the pharmaceutical business, if he came home now there might be a job but he has a good life there now and I wouldn't say he'll ever come back.
Ray Goggin
Whites Cross

@unislimcork Good friends emigrated to Florida.Had a huge effect on children of both families. Hard to explain to kids why they had to go. @dorasbeag I know a guy who had to leave Ireland and is working in London now, he doesn't have his own family yet but it's still hard

Fiona Kehily
I "emigrated" to London in April 2008. It wasn't a direct response to the recession but I'm very glad that I did in light of the Irish economic collapse. There is so much more opportunity here and life is a lot more stable. Wages are still a lot less here but it is worth it. In saying that I only see the opportunities in London - other parts of the UK are suffering as much as Ireland.

I have recently been granted a great gift in my life; my son, had a son, I have a new grandson. I have two other grandsons, beautiful little men, from my daughter . I love them all, fantastic, I love them all. Ben, Cian, and Sam. My mother is still alive - she is 95, still to the good, still in the full possession of all her facilities.

Every so often in this column, I plan to write about people whose names you hear regularly on the News – and whose picture you may even see from time to time – but about whom you probably know very little. The first subject for this occasional series is a man who is normally based in Dublin, but who comes to Cork once or twice a year, to preside over trials at the Central Criminal Court.

The older people of Cork have been facing some very difficult challenges since winter 2009. Managing to get through terrible weather conditions; flooding, freezing fog and ice have made winter '09 very difficult to bear for the older generation. Unfortunately as well as facing the cold snap, our older loved ones have been threatened by the ever looming unfriendly knock to their doors.

I love Cork, "I love de bones of it".
And I have just been nominated as man of the year along with Donal og (I wish him well), how bloody great is that? I love it, I love the honour. I am Cork man of the month for February, the romantic month. I simply love it, my deep gratitude to those behind my selection, Manus O'Callaghan and Southern Advertising.

Meself and the Queen Bee were chatting one evening recently about celebrities when she made one of those 'lightbulb' remarks... says she to me: “If Marie Curie was around these days she'd barely make the news!” OK – heart on sleeve here – I'm allergic to celebrities. Well, no – scratch that and start again - I'm allergic to the kind of self-important nobodies who inflict themselves on us under the title of 'celebrity'.

As the summer is fast approaching and many families begin to think about their holiday plans for summer 2010, concerns are arising for families who may be considering travelling with a loved one with dementia. With the constant broadcast of great holiday deals and as holiday brochures appear in the letter-box, many families will be considering their travel options with a different scope. Travel is a great concern to families of older people with dementia as there is a constant threat and fear that our older loved ones may wander, get injured or become very unhappy whilst on holiday.

The National Positive Ageing Strategy consultation process starts in Cork on Thursday 4 March. We asked the Cork public
What one thing would make life better for older persons living in Cork?