Richard Curran: Irish builders abroad will need more than a Kitchener-style appeal from Simon Harris to come home

Simon Harris is looking at ways to get builders back. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Richard Curran

Simon Harris is being cast as a modern-day Lord Kitchener telling Irish construction workers abroad that “your country needs you”. His decision to ­allocate around €750,000 to ­explore what would attract Irish builders back home isn’t exactly throwing the kitchen sink at it.

They need to be financially ­incentivised to come back and work here. It’s as simple as that. Any study or outreach programme will inevitably come to this conclusion.

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