3 days ago
CMAT's housing single strikes a chord with young people
In the week when the Government made housing the focus of its revised National Development Plan, CMAT's newest single struck a chord with young people at the sharp end of the housing crisis.
The Co Meath artist's single EURO-COUNTRY dropped on Tuesday - the same day the Taoiseach described housing as the "defining social challenge of our time".
EURO-COUNTRY tells the story of the 2008 financial crash from CMAT's perspective as a child in a small town living through the consequences of the Celtic Tiger's collapse.
The song includes the lyrics: "All the big boys/All the Berties/All the envelopes, yeah they hurt me/I was 12 when the das started killing themselves all around me/And it was normal/Building houses that stay empty even now."
The track has hit home with people who were children when the Celtic Tiger came to an end and are now in their 20s and 30s.
Many people have been posting on TikTok about how this 'anthem' resonates with them.
"The anxieties that she has are anxieties that I often have living in Ireland," said Memphis Zuza, a 21-year-old student at NCAD.
Darragh Greene is a content creator and musician living in Turkey. He said it's a bittersweet time to be a young person in Ireland.
Darragh said he emigrated due to the cost of living here and the opportunities elsewhere.
"I think this single is a good mix of emotions. The frustration, anger and unjust that young Irish people feel towards their government and the economy while also having a real love for the country," he said.
"I don't see a future where I'm based in Ireland."
Andrew Corkery, 26, works in retail. He said that young people feel neglected by the Government.
Living in his family home, he said "he can't even fathom" moving out of his childhood bedroom.
"As young people, we have been sidelined, shafted and completely neglected by the Government.
"We are essentially locked out of having a sustainable future," Andrew said.
Earlier this year, a major survey of 25-year-olds revealed the impact of the economic recession on their lives.
The 'Growing Up in Ireland' survey found that more than six in ten (62%) young people were still living with parents for mostly financial reasons.
Just over one third (34.2%) of respondents said they had difficulties making ends meet.
One in eight of the people contacted to take part in the survey had emigrated.
CMAT's single may be new but the issues it tackles have been in the minds of young Ireland for a while.
