Recession-weary Irish finding jobs in Calgary

On St. Patricks Day, one Irishman who moved to Calgary is celebrating the fact he has a job, something so many people back home dont have.

With Ireland still deep in recession, many skilled workers are coming to Canada in search of employment.

Mark OHare, a heavy equipment operator who came to Calgary in the fall, said the outlook in Ireland was dismal.

"There's no advertisements of anything ... companies are not even downsizing, they are going bankrupt," he said.

OHare quickly landed two job offers in Calgary and soon bought himself a new truck. "I arrived in September. By October I moved into me own house," he said.

His friends back home took note. "I'm seeing more and more Irish coming every month," he said. "Canada's just absolutely a brilliant country."

Traditionally new Irish Canadians have gravitated to Toronto, said Cathy Murphy, who runs the newly created Irish Immigration Centre in that city.

But she said that is changing.

"There are more jobs in the West. There are more jobs for the kinds of immigrants that are coming from Ireland. I'm seeing a lot of engineers," she said.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada recorded a jump from 3,700 in 2010to 5,295 in 2011in temporary foreign workers coming fromIreland to Canada.

Deirdre Halferty, president of Calgarys Irish Cultural Centre, has noticed the trend too.

"We love the fact that Calgarians might ... complain a little bit about the recession. But our lads are able to tell them that they don't know the meaning of the word," she said.

"Its the land of milk and honey."