The Irish Times Abroad newsletter is back with an update on the best stories from our contributors this month. We’ll be sending this digest every month, offering a one-stop shop for all the news from the Abroad network. This month, Charlotte Archer has written about Ireland’s young people building a life in Spain. Despite the perks of the lifestyle such as siestas and shorter school days, Charlotte says there were some challenges in the move, so “attempting to obtain a Spanish ID and open[ing] a bank account” was difficult.
Natalie Forrester gives an account of why she made the decision to move her life to Hungary and why this was the right decision for her and her family. She describes one of the hardest things she has done as taking her child away from his grandparents, however, she says the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
Mark O’Toole looks back on March 2020 in New York City and how he turned a challenge into an opportunity by creating a documentary of the shutdown across the city. “There is a surreal beauty to New York, without the key ingredients of people, noise, bustle and action.” Mark describes how he wanted to create a narrative by telling the human story behind the lockdown instead of vacant shots of the city. “The city was embalmed in a state of suspended animation,” he said as he took the opportunity to document a city that human eyes are so used to seeing filled with people. Mark’s documentary, Outside In, screens at The Harbour Bar in Bray tonight, at 7.30pm. Entrance is free.
Since the pandemic, the phrase “digital nomad” has come into everyday use. Lauren Foley describes a typical week living on the Greek island of Syros while working for a company based in London. It’s a different life from the one she left behind in Ireland.
‘Learning Gaeilge is a true challenge’
Washing up in Iberia: ‘We realised we weren’t ever going to sail the world, so we moved ashore and sold the boat’
Laura Kennedy: Australians respond differently to nature compared to Irish people
An Irish woman in Malta: ‘I miss my family and the greenery of home but not the driving rain’
Grace O’Malley writes about Irish pub culture and why she missed it when moving abroad. To bring the feeling of home closer Grace set up her own pub – it’s the little things that bring that feeling of familiarity closer.
Peter Flanagan reflects on the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and what her successors could have in store for the royal family in years to come. Acknowledging that Elizabeth “played her ceremonial role masterfully” he credits her 70 years as monarch while leaving a question of what changes lie ahead with King Charles III.
Dr Catherine Healy considers the remarkable life of Maureen O’Sullivan during the second World War. “O’Sullivan’s job as a wireless operator was to send and receive messages from [Britain’s Special Operations Executive] headquarters in London” and Dr Healy looks at the extraordinary risks she faced while working overseas.
The story of Charles Gavan Duffy comes alive in this account by Epic museum director Dr J Patrick Greene. Gavan Duffy’s life in Victorian politics “had a secure base of support among the Irish” making him a known figurehead of his time. He had an imprint on both Irish and Australian politics, his policies spanning the globe of political decision-making.
In a column that’ll resonate with many who’ve moved abroad, Justine McCarthy recalls a conversation she had recently. “A man in his late 20s at the lunch table calculated that, by the end of this year, only two of his circle of a dozen friends will still be living in Ireland. I asked him if his disillusion was because he could not afford to buy or rent a place to live in Ireland. His answer pierced my heart: ‘That’s one thing,’ he said, ‘but the state of public infrastructure and services as well and the whole attitude here. I don’t like Ireland any more. I’m sick of all the bragging about how it’s the best country in the world – the friendliest, the best fun, the most generous – and I’m sick of all the racist comments I hear. All they ever talk about are the people coming into the country. They don’t care about all the people leaving it.’ Justine writes that, Ireland’s reputation for “céad míle fáilte” in international eyes may have evolved to become a “do as I say, not as I do” ethos.
You’ll find plenty more stories by and about the Irish diaspora this week on irishtimes.com/abroad.
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