‘There are lots of similarities between Irish and English people. It makes it easy to settle in’

“A lot of people tell me they don’t see people moving from England to Ireland and that it’s usually the other direction,” says Rosie McDonagh, who is a co-founder of the charity Hygiene Hub, which provides essential hygiene products such as shampoo, soap, tampons and more to people in need.

McDonagh moved to Dublin from St Albans, a small cathedral city in Hertfordshire, near London, in 2019.

“It was one of those places where everyone gets up in the morning and goes to London, and comes back in the evening,” she says.

McDonagh completed all her primary and secondary education there before heading to university in Exeter to study history.

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“It’s sort of a cliche story, but I met my boyfriend there during freshers’ week. We were on the same course,” she laughs. McDonagh’s boyfriend is Irish, and had “always wanted to go back after university”.

“So that’s how I ended up in Ireland after I graduated. But I moved here not knowing anybody else, and at the time he was going to do a masters in Cork, whereas I moved to Dublin to get a job,” she recalls.

McDonagh started off in Dublin working in a charity as a fundraiser but was made redundant shortly afterwards when the charity’s Irish office closed down. While conducting a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend, and trying to find new ways to make friends, “volunteering seemed like a good option”.

“I was looking for ways to meet new people and my mum was involved with the Hygiene Bank in the UK. I was in touch with them to see if they could help us set up something similar in Dublin,” she says.

Along with two other Dublin volunteers, Ciara Dalton and Sorcha Killian, McDonagh launched the Hygiene Hub, which has now distributed more than 42,000kg of donations around Ireland in three years.

According to research conducted by Aldi on behalf of the Hygiene Hub charity, one in 20 people in Ireland are living in consistent poverty. Just over 40 per cent of participants had cut back on their use of hygiene and household cleaning products due to their financial situation, with 48 per cent prioritising other spending ahead of purchasing hygiene items.

Hygiene poverty results in people going without hygiene products to prioritise rent, bills or food, which can affect their physical and mental health, McDonagh explains.

“One of the things we noticed when we were setting the hub up was that not many people understand the concept of hygiene poverty. Food poverty is more of an understandable term but hygiene poverty isn’t and has a lot of stigma around it,” she says.

“It’s hard enough to admit that you’re struggling anyway, but then to say you have to cut back on hygiene products or that you can’t wash the kids’ uniforms as much is really hard.”

It’s something the group hopes to raise awareness of during Hygiene Week, which will run from September 2nd-9th.

Their work began just before Covid, and while that period of time was “rough for everyone”, McDonagh felt as though she was doing something “really practical and essential” to help during a pandemic.

McDonagh and the two other volunteers set about providing conditioner, soap, wipes, pads, tampons, nappies and more to local homeless charities or family resource centres in Dublin.

“A lot of us had part-time or full-time jobs and we were all just united by this idea that everyone should have access to hygiene products when they need them or want them,” she says.

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The group soon grew and is now a registered charity with about 50 volunteers across seven counties in Ireland.

Moving to Dublin was “never something I thought would be the case”, McDonagh says, and neither was setting up a charity.

“My dad grew up in Belfast and we went there quite a bit but I never thought I’d live there or in Dublin. It wasn’t on my agenda at all. But it’s been an amazing journey and I’ve met the nicest people along the way,” she says.

Working with the Hygiene Hub has “definitely helped with meeting people and integrating, and feeling like I’m giving back”.

McDonagh also notices that most people who come to her to get involved are also new to Ireland and looking to make new friends through volunteering. “Sometimes you just need a bit of confidence to go up and meet people. I think volunteering forces you to do that and to put yourself out there. By doing that you meet a lot of people in similar mindsets,” she says.

“The vast majority are people who’ve just moved to Ireland. It seems to be a first port of call for people who need to make friends.”

Generally, Ireland is an “easy” place to make friends, McDonagh says. “Everyone really wants the best for you. I’ve definitely found that everyone really backs you and if you’re in a sticky situation or something, Irish people are happy to weigh in and help.

“I think sometimes people in England will say: ‘Oh, sorry you’re in that situation, I hope it resolves soon.’ Whereas Irish people say they’re sorry to hear it and then ask how they can help. That makes such a difference.”

There are also “lots of similarities” between Irish and English people, which “makes it easy to settle in”, she says. “Growing up with my dad’s Irish humour, I picked that up quite easily. That has felt very natural, which has been nice.”

McDonagh feels that people in Ireland “are more willing to show emotions on their sleeves and more open”.

Outside of her role in the Hygiene Hub, working in the charity sector has made McDonagh “very aware of how strong community values are in Ireland, and how generous people are, especially during crisis times”.

Being in the mountains, in nature, and away from all the busyness and taking a second to breathe was amazing

“Just seeing the response Irish people had in supporting the Red Cross when the invasion of Ukraine happened, it was clear there was a huge mobilisation. Irish people put their money where their mouth is. When they say they think something is awful, they don’t sit by and allow it to happen, they try to do whatever they can,” she says.

Growing up in a quiet part of southeast England, McDonagh always felt there was a “mind your own business and get on with your own life type of vibe”. Her university was also campus-based and “really tight-knit”.

While Dublin “still feels small enough”, it’s bigger than any other place McDonagh has ever lived.

McDonagh hopes to travel more in Ireland, having recently visited Connemara, which she found “absolutely beautiful”.

“Being in the mountains, in nature, and away from all the busyness and taking a second to breathe was amazing,” she says.

“I went back and forth to Cork quite a bit when my boyfriend lived there. I was there the day that everything shut down with Covid, which was very strange. I was supposed to go there for Paddy’s Day in 2020 and I remember thinking they won’t shut things down in Cork, I’m sure it’ll be grand. And of course everything was completely cancelled,” she laughs.

But McDonagh did get to see “a bit of Cork” before the lockdowns, and travelled with her previous job as a fundraiser to every big university “to engage with students on fundraising challenges”.

Now living in Dundrum, with friends she has met since moving to Dublin, McDonagh feels “very lucky”.

“Before that, I lived in Rathmines in a dodgy basement flat,” she says.

While she is “very happy” in Ireland, the cost of renting and buying makes it difficult to plan for the future.

“I’ve got quite a good deal on the house I’m renting now, but that’s all down to luck, and that shouldn’t be the case,” McDonagh says. “A lot of people in Dublin are renting in very strange and difficult circumstances, which is very unfair,” she says.

But moving here alone and having to put “a real effort in” to make Dublin her home, McDonagh now feels “it’s all paid off and I feel really settled here, so I don’t want to give that up”.

“People are very welcoming and very friendly here, and they make you want to stay.”

We would like to hear from people who have moved to Ireland in the past 10 years. To get involved, email newtotheparish@irishtimes.com or tweet @newtotheparish