The coastal walk between the beaches of Coogee and Bondi is a must-do for visitors to Sydney. The seafront hike, with its spectacular views out to the Tasman Sea, attracts thousands every day.<\/p>\n
Last weekend the crowds were particularly large, lured by sunny spring weather and the quirky attractions of the annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. <\/p>\n
As I trekked north from Coogee, past Bronte and Tamarama and on to Bondi, I was struck by something else. Irish accents were almost as conspicuous as Aussie twangs, a reminder of how Australia<\/a> has become almost a rite of passage for Irish twentysomethings.<\/p>\n While some young Irish are drawn to Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, the eastern suburbs of Sydney have long held a siren call. In the 1990s and early 2000s, \u201cCounty Bondi\u201d was the epicentre of the Irish enclave. Now it\u2019s \u201cCounty Coogee\u201d (pronounced cudgy), the slightly more affordable beach suburb just south of Bronte.<\/p>\n During the pandemic<\/a>, many younger Irish headed home. The vulnerability of being a temporary resident with no access to the public health system (apart from emergencies) or welfare became all too real for many. But post-pandemic, the Irish returned in enormous numbers, eclipsing the scale of earlier influxes.<\/p>\n Since Australia\u2019s borders reopened in February 2021, approximately 90,000 young Irish nationals have been granted a Working Holiday (417) visa. This figure does not include those who arrived on permanent residence, skilled sponsorship, spouse or student visas.<\/p>\n Just 3,697 of these visas were granted to Irish nationals in 2020-21. In 2021-22 the number increased to 10,491 before doubling to 21,525 in 2022-23. It rose again to 21,997 the following year and then, in 2024-25, 24,165 Irish citizens \u2013 equivalent to the total population of Mullingar \u2013 were granted their first Working Holiday visas.<\/p>\n But changes to the visa rules and pressure on the government to cut arrival numbers have created a new sense of uncertainty, which may mean the mass influx is coming to an end.<\/p>\n Irish and other backpackers can apply for a second one-year visa if they complete 88 days of specified regional work. This can include work in agriculture, mining, construction, tourism and hospitality, as well as bushfire and natural disaster recovery. (British citizens are not compelled to undertake regional work to get subsequent visas, a consequence of Australia\u2019s free trade agreement with the UK. Some eligible Irish nationals have taken up British citizenship to avoid the obligation.)<\/p>\n [\u00a0Broke in Australia, I took a street sales job – but sidelined my better instinctsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Those on a second Working Holiday visa who complete six months of regional work during their stay become eligible to apply for a third. Both are particularly popular with Irish applicants.<\/p>\n According to the Department of Home Affairs, Irish applications for second Working Holiday visas increased from 7,482 in 2023\/24 to 9,585 in 2024\/25, a 28 per cent hike. Applications for third visas rose even more sharply, from 1,000 to 3,692, an increase of 269 per cent. Irish passport holders account for 15.2 per cent of total applications, second only to UK citizens.<\/p>\n