Bookmaker Paddy Power pays out on Féilim’s €2,000 punt with a job

Spending his savings on renting an advertising hoarding has proved a winning gamble for an unemployed Irishman “Jobless Paddy”, the unemployed Irishman who spent his life savings on an advertising hoarding pleading with bosses to save him from emigration , has been rescued by another Paddy. Irish betting giant Paddy Power has given a job to Féilim Mac An Iomaire, who has shot to fame in the past few weeks after using €2,000 (£1,770) to rent a billboard site asking for help. The Galway man displayed the ad on Dublin’s busy Merrion Road stating that he did not want to emigrate to look for work. The response was unprecedented, resulting in 20 interviews and several job offers. The 26-year-old said: “Working with Paddy and his team is something I could only have dreamt of before, but now I’m actually here, it’s real. The last month has been the most chaotic of my life, so now I’m really just looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck into my new job.” Ken Robertson of the bookmaker chain said: “Feilim is a true rock star. I’m so happy he decided to come and work for Paddy Power. I have no doubt his energy, creativity and never-say-die attitude will be a massive plus to the brand.” Mac An Iomaire’s plight struck a chord in a nation that expects to lose 50,000 people to emigration this year, many of them young. His unusual personal sales pitch gained him fame around the world, with foreign news organisations reporting on his billboard site. Meanwhile, unemployment remains at more than 450,000, with thousands choosing to get out of the Republic in search of work, mainly in Britain, North American and Australia. Unemployment and employment statistics Financial crisis Unemployment Ireland European debt crisis Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 17, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.