‘The few words of English I had came from Bob Marley’

Carlinhos Cruz didn't speak a word of English when he arrived in Ireland five years ago. He had never lived abroad and had spent his entire life under his parents' roof in São Paulo. Unlike his four older sisters, who had little interest in travel, he yearned to discover Europe and develop his musical skills overseas.

"Looking back now it seems strange that it didn't faze me more, but maybe that's something that comes with age. I didn't care that I wouldn't be able to speak with anyone, I just wanted to explore. The few words of English I did know came from Bob Marley and Nina Simone songs."

On his 26th birthday he arrived in Ireland with a guitar on his back, ready to begin an English-language course in Dublin. Having grown up in one of the world’s most populous cities, his original plan was to move to London. However, when he failed to quality for a UK visa, he decide to follow a friend to Dublin.

“I knew nothing about Ireland before I arrived but I had a friend who was coming to Dublin. I liked the idea of London as a big city. I grew up in the suburbs of São Paulo but I loved the city centre: the environment, the craziness, the crowds, the people, the bars. My friend said ‘Let’s go to Dublin, and London is very close by, so you can visit.’ ”

Cruz immediately befriended a group of Brazilians in Dublin and began playing music in his new home. His first few months in Ireland were marked by "Tesco value pasta, oversized fleece coats from Penneys and a whole re-education in living". He discovered that kidney beans from Tesco were a passable replacement for cooking his beloved Feijao bean stew and he met friends who introduced him to "the laneways and side streets of the city I now call my second home".

He also had to learn to adjust to living away from his parents for the first time. “I remember when I realised I had to buy my washing powder, and salt for cooking. That was a shock for me. Even toilet paper was like, wow! I’d lived with my parents until I was 26 and had never left before.”

His first year was spent rushing from morning shifts as a kitchen porter at a coffee shop to English classes in the afternoon. Meanwhile, he began investigating spots for music gigs.

"The most important venue I played here was at the International Bar on Wicklow Street. I also played as a guest at Sin É on the quays and the Turk's Head."

Weddings and funerals
It was through music that he met his girlfriend, Sorcha Ní Mhí. This relationship introduced him to a new world of Irish culture and music through visits to small rural pubs in Kerry and Derry. "Before I met Sorcha, I'd never been to an Irish marriage or funeral. It's a really good way to see the culture and actually feel like I live here. It means that you're a part of it."

When Cruz first arrived in Ireland, he sang in Portuguese, but as time passed and his language skills developed, he began writing in English. “I think more about my music now than before, because I can sing in English and also have a really Brazilian melody. I don’t have to sing in Portuguese any more to create the Brazilian rhythms. Portuguese will always be my language, but I now feel comfortable enough in English to express myself and be creative.”

"Discovering Irish music and meeting friends who share my love of music from France, Mexico, Spain and South Korea brought new flavours, textures and ideas."

In 2013, his girlfriend moved to Portugal to work as a teacher in an English- language school. He soon followed, and in 2014 the couple moved to Brazil. He began working on his music and also taught English in a friend's school, but Ní Mhí struggled to find a job. She eventually moved back to Ireland when she was offered a teaching job and Cruz followed in 2015.

He now works for an advertising company in Dublin and dedicates the rest of his time to playing music and finalising material for his first album.

“I like my job a lot, but I’m always thinking about my career as a musician and saving money to invest in my new album and to pay for new videos. My entire life so far has been working so I can invest in my dream.”

He says that eventually he would like to move back to São Paulo but says Ní Mhí, whom he recently proposed to, would like to start a family in Ireland before moving abroad. "She's been abroad many times – Australia, Portugal and India – and she loves the experience of being abroad, but she says if she could choose, she would live here for the first few years when we have kids."

Last month he had to make an unexpected trip back home when he heard his eldest sister had suddenly fallen ill. “She got meningitis with a rare bacteria and died after three days. It was terrible. I went back to Brazil and spent two weeks.”

Boarding the flight back to Ireland after the funeral was a real challenge. “It was so hard, but my life is here. If it wasn’t for Sorcha, for sure, I would have gone back to Brazil. But at the same time, when a tragedy like that happens, it makes you reflect on your own life. I’m 31 and it’s my turn. I love my parents and my sisters, but unfortunately I can’t stay there for now. I need to have my own family. That’s why I came back. Things are happening for me here, and overall I’m happy.

“For me now, Ireland is more than just my past and my present, it has become part of my future and I feel so lucky to have something of this wonderful place in my life through Sorcha. I’m really looking forward to hopefully having a family which reflects all the richness of both our cultures.”

• We would like to hear from people who have moved to Ireland in the past five years. To get involved, email newtotheparish@irishtimes.com. @newtotheparish