As we descended into Bogotá over the hills and valleys of Boyacá on my first flight into Colombia many years ago now, I was mesmerised by the lushness and variety of the landscape’s rich greens.
The farm country below looked surprisingly familiar to someone accustomed to the manoeuvring and preparation for landing in Shannon. There were no stonewalls that I could see, but, other than that, I might be landing in a hitherto unknown Irish airport.
Apropos of Ireland, Bogotanos, and Colombians in general, have an acute interest in all things Irish. Before you take that too much to heart, keep in mind that Colombians have a strong interest in the union jack and English pop and rock music, a fascination with posting brand logos such as Mercedes, Nike, Chevrolet, Puma and Google on taxi dashboards, and a still unsatiated love-hate relationship with Spain.
Colombians are curious about many things.
An Irish businessman in Singapore: ‘You’ll get a year in jail if you are in a drunken brawl, so people don’t step out of line’
Many Irish have voted with their feet but can’t vote in the election. The reason is plain
An Offaly woman in London: ‘I was a teenager before I had the guts to identify as Irish’
Australia is so very far from Europe and US, and yet is as deeply rooted in Anglosphere norms, customs and culture
Still, I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me: “You’re Irish! I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland. Is it really so green?”
Such is the power of social media, Hollywood and advertising.
“Just get in your car and drive out of this city a couple of hours,” I tell them. “You’ve living a stone’s throw away from one of the greenest places on Earth!”
[ ‘I met my husband at a bus stop in Colombia’Opens in new window ]
True, there are no ruined castles, no ancient walls, no signs in Irish, no stiff winds in the morning, no Atlantic-driven rains, but there is never-ending green in hill and valley here. If it’s green you’re after, this particular part of Colombia has green in spades.
Ah, but there is no Guinness either. Guinness is as rare as shamrock in Colombia. I have got numerous emails from those who know me as Irish. “Where can I find Guinness in Bogotá?” they plead.
Many of the foreign migrants are Venezuelan. For us Irish abroad, our accent often defines and has, throughout our history, characterised us. And so it is for Venezuelans in Bogotá
Well, I did see recently that some entrepreneurial souls were selling cans of Guinness on Mercado Libre, with delivery countrywide. One can of Guinness will set you back somewhere between €9 and €14, plus shipping, which is pushing it a bit.
As an alternative, the Bogotá Beer Company, or the BBC, as it is known locally, with locations throughout the capital, does have a bottled porter. They describe it as “our black and creamy beer with a lightly toasted flavour. Two weeks of maturation.”
No, I haven’t tasted it, and no, it’s not Guinness. But hey, you’re a long, long flight from Ireland – with connections.
Yes, you might argue, you are even further away in Australia, and Guinness is widely available there, or so I’m told. Of course, Colombia has never been the recipient of as many Irish migrants as Australia has. Far from it, so, come on!
Speaking of things Irish, during lockdown in 2021, the newly established Irish Embassy in Colombia took it upon themselves to brighten up the lives of the few registered Irish who live here. For St Patrick’s Day, in that rare year, they sent a care package to each of us. That lifesaver included a small bottle of Baileys and a deep green-painted flower pot along with a package of potting soil and some shamock (the very same hard to find!) seeds. There was a miniature wooden spade for the planting of said shamrock, a green candle and a bottle of beer called Roja (because we’re all red-headed, of course!), along with a can of beer from the local El Irish Pub.
All in all, a thoughtful gift of inclusion and belonging during hard times, even if a little heavy on the alcohol. Hey, this was, hopefully, our one and only pandemic ever. I wonder if other embassies did something similar.
Shamrock seeds? Ah ha. Who knew?
El Irish, by the way, is not some generic Irish pub. This is an authentic drinking establishment with plenty of Irish legits on its walls and with several locations in Bogotá. They, too, sell a bottled porter – what they call Nitro Coffee Milk Stout, to be exact – “a dark, full-bodied beer with notes of vanilla and coffee, which, due to its nitrogen content, gives it the characteristic creaminess that will make you feel like you’re in Ireland”.
Well, if they say so!
While we’re batting about the figaries of geography and our innate need to feel at home somewhere, the movement from country to city is universal. Colombia mirrors Ireland in that regard. From all over the country and further afield, new arrivals enter the capital here day in, day out. And just as in Ireland, legal and illegal migration impacts daily life.
Here, many of the foreign migrants are Venezuelan. For us Irish abroad, our accent often defines and has, throughout our history, characterised us. And so it is for Venezuelans in Bogotá. They sound different as they work at whatever hardscrabble jobs they can find.
Rappi, the local delivery service that mushroomed during the pandemic, has employed some of the Venezuelans who have sought refuge here – just a small number of the millions who have crossed over by land at the northern Cúcuta crossing.
Venezuelans often show up on my phone as my deliverers. I’ve learned to distinguish them by their names, hitherto unfamiliar to my ear in the highlands of Cundinamarca – Georspynay Lois, Winael Hamlet, Darwin Yohel, Dolreich Rafael, Ezeymar Rosanny, Yhosmer Felioe, Abimael David and Frayerson among them.
Yes, I use the app a lot!
Once O’Riordan or O’Loughlin were names foreign in the United States and the UK. As were McAfee (Mac Dhuibhshíthe) McElroy (Mac Giolla Rua) and McDonald (MacDhòmhnaill).
Anyone for MacDhòmhnaill’s tonight?
We are who we are. They called us what they called us, and our struggles, as we establish/established ourselves, are equal the world over, generations apart.
As the new world invited those of us with unusual names in, and as this country accepted me, I welcome my Venezuelan deliverers to this world where they find themselves – Colombia.
[ An Irishman in Colombia: How my one-year adventure has turned into almost 15Opens in new window ]
Oh, and those shamrock seeds from 2021, just in case they were germinating somewhere in the back of your mind? I planted them in the green pot from the Embassy using the miniature wooden shovel and clay provided. The seeds blossomed and grew, but they were just common clover.
What do you know? My cat didn’t care; the new sprouts were immediately of interest and nutritious!
Of course, the thought was in it, on the Embassy’s side. That mattered the most, I think.
- Christopher Burke is from Galway city. He left Ireland in 1971 and lives in Bogotá, Colombia
- If you live overseas and would like to share your experience with Irish Times Abroad, email abroad@irishtimes.com with a little information about you and what you do
- Sign up to The Irish Times Abroad newsletter for Irish-connected people around the world. Here you’ll find readers’ stories of their lives overseas, plus news, business, sports, opinion, culture and lifestyle journalism relevant to Irish people around the world
