14/07 The Front Pages

The Front Pages

Both the Irish Times and Irish Independent lead this morning on the subject of emigration, after yesterday’s startling predictions from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

According to the State’s economic think tank, more than 120,000 people will emigrate by the end of next year to escape unemployment, a figure 20,000 higher than the ESRI’s original prediction three months ago.

The Independent leads with the headline “5,000 leave each month in search of a new job”, whilst the Times’ headline is “120,000 expected to emigrate by end of 2011, says report”. The Times’ report has an altogether brighter outlook however, noting that the economy itself is recovering faster than the ESRI originally thought.

Both newspapers also focus on the shooting of serial criminal Stephen “Madser” Byrne yesterday evening, a shooting apparently attributed to an escalating Dublin  inner-city feud. Byrne (33) has become the fifth victim in the feud. The Times believes the feud has resulted in sustained violence for nearly eight years.