If you worked in the UK for three years, you have the chance of a lifetime to buy a UK pension worth up to £250,000
This is a huge opportunity for people who have worked in the UK. Stock photo: Getty
The late Shane MacGowan perfectly documented what awaited the Irish migrants who packed boats destined for Britain in the 1980s, swapping dole queues for a life of exile on building sites and in factories and seeking comfort in the pubs of Kilburn, Cricklewood, Salford and Camden Town.
Subsequent waves of emigration followed in the 1990s and after the 2008 financial crisis as nurses, dentists, teachers, and finance professionals crossed the Irish Sea for work, paying national insurance (NI) contributions – the equivalent of our PRSI – along the way. Most of those who returned to Ireland when fresh opportunities arose at home forgot the entitlements they had left behind.