The revelation that nearly €450,000 of taxpayers’ money has been spent on glossy advertising campaigns to “entice” Irish construction workers home from abroad has rightly raised eyebrows across Ireland and among the Irish abroad.

Large-scale banners in Sydney proclaiming “You built Sydney, now come and build back home” may look impressive, but where is the evidence that these campaigns have actually worked? How many skilled tradespeople have returned to Ireland as a result? How many construction professionals have been hired into the system?

Despite years of experience, databases, and direct diaspora engagement, the Government astonishingly chose not to involve Back 4 Good, the established, trusted platform long recognised as the site of choice for the global Irish community seeking to return home. With 250,000+ followers and an active network across Ireland, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, and Asia, Back 4 Good has delivered results – without public money.

Instead, public funds were handed to media agencies for digital adverts, outdoor posters, and testimonial videos, with little transparency about measurable outcomes. Who attended these campaign launches? How much was spent in each location – Sydney, Toronto, New York, or Auckland? And crucially, how many actual job offers or placements resulted from this €450,000 “investment”?

Back 4 Good has, for over a decade, successfully reconnected Ireland’s skilled diaspora with real opportunities across the construction, healthcare, and technology sectors. Yet the Department bypassed this ready-made channel in favour of expensive “awareness” exercises that appear to have achieved little more than press headlines.

This lack of strategic thinking is unacceptable at a time when the housing crisis remains one of Ireland’s most pressing national challenges. Skilled workers want clear pathways home – not slogans on skyscrapers.

If the Department for Further and Higher Education, or Housing for All, are serious about results, they must start working with those who already deliver. Back 4 Good stands ready to partner with Government to convert interest into action, and slogans into real homes built by returning Irish talent.

Until then, taxpayers deserve answers