Once March comes along, we’re all very fond of our Irishness. Whether home or abroad, there are constant reminders of Ireland everywhere – whether it’s Seachtain na Gaeilge, the minty McDonald’s milkshake or a big bowl of shamrock being handed over across the pond.
For John Molloy, a perfumer based in Geneva, although he’s been away a long time, he misses the Irish “countryside, horses, the fresh air, culture, the banter and storytelling, the smiles and generosity, and living close to the elements”. He finds life in the Swiss city “gentler and less stressful”, and lives with his family in proximity to Lake Geneva, allowing him to get his fix from nature.
Carlow man John O’Kelly has no issue tackling inhospitable terrain away from Ireland. A former endurance motorbike racer, he’s journeyed to Dublin from Dubai via Iran, from Dubai to Cape Town, from Argentina to Alaska and beyond. He left Ireland in 1982, with plans to follow friends to Sydney but stopped off in the Middle East and that was that. After four decades in the sun, O’Kelly is well acclimatised to desert living. He does say, however, that, “sometimes I miss the soft Irish rainfall after many months of continuous sunshine”.
With the many transatlantic crossovers over the last few weeks – and not all positive – one welcomed comment came from the Irish-born head of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Prof Louise Richardson, who said that the contribution of immigrants to the United States has “been called into question” but they “make the country what it is”.
In a similar vein, London Correspondent Mark Paul writes about the Irish identity of people born in Britain, where six million have at least one Irish grandparent, which can be complex and personal. London cab driver John Swaine, whose parents are both Irish, for example, refutes the idea that he is a “plastic Paddy”.
Meanwhile, columnist Laura Kennedy, who is based in Canberra, Australia, writes that Irish people abroad often have an obligation to act in an “unofficial diplomatic role” to the everyday stereotypes of drinking Guinness and having red hair.
“You field the assumptions of other people, understanding that their lack of familiarity with your place of origin leads them to rely sometimes on tired stereotypes because they aren’t sure what else to say to you,” she says.
Elsewhere, Irish man Daryl O’Leary and his wife Maiara dos Santos Carvalho spoke to Niamh Towey about how despite the fact the housing crisis drove them out of the Irish capital, they “couldn’t be happier” in their move to the German capital.
Scott McCormack left his job at Intel in Naas for a chance at a better work-life balance in Spain. He followed his parents to Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca, where he finds “the cost of living is so much cheaper than at home”.
“When I get up in the morning here and feel the sun on my face, I feel alive. My mental health is so much better here – doing my job with huge satisfaction every day.”
That’s it for this month, thanks for reading. See you in the next.
