The images in this gallery explore the influences and emotions associated with emigration which has been a fact of Irish life for many centuries. The causes for Irish emigrations have been, and still are, numerous, but in the past have mainly been poverty and deprivation. The decision to leave one’s family, friends and country is never an easy one and can be the cause of huge emotional trauma. Fear of the unknown, loneliness, separation anxiety all take their toll, but the hope of a better quality of life in many cases proves compelling enough to allow many to emigrate. Memory of what was once home, though fades and unreliable with the passage of time, remains and at times provides emotional refuge.