The Roscommon man who became a sumo wrestler in Japan

Top stories from Irish Times Abroad this week


If you are looking for a hassle-free gift to send to family or friends living in Ireland this Christmas, one of our Charity Prints could be a great option. Irish Times photographers have selected some of their favourite images from the archives and each print is signed and framed. Prints cost €120 delivered anywhere in Ireland. View the gallery at irishtimes.com/charityprints. All proceeds are donated to our charity partners, MS Ireland and Soar.

Have you witnessed the effects of climate change where you live? Does your area experience storms, drought, or floods? Are such weather events becoming more frequent, or extreme? As the COP24 summit continues in Poland, we would like to hear from readers in Ireland and around the world about what you have observed. Click here to share your stories.

Christmas is a particularly poignant time for Irish emigrants, and as usual this year we’ll have plenty of festive content and stories from our readers, whether they are staying abroad or coming home for a visit. If you would like to submit a Christmas piece for our Emigrant Voices section, you can send it to abroad@irishtimes.com (preferably before December 14th, but the earlier the better).

Safe Home Ireland, Crosscare and The Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas met with the Oireachtas this week to present on how a lack of knowledge, delays in administration and current housing problems are plunging some returning emigrants into crisis situations. Read more here.

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If you've returned to live in Ireland with kids, did you apply for an Irish exemption for them, or were you delighted at the opportunity for them to learn the language? Emma Prunty spoke to parents and teachers about the pros and cons.

Roscommon man John Gunning arrived in Osaka in 2003 to teach English. He doubled his weight and went from being a novice sumo to competing for Ireland in the amateur World Sumo Championships. Read his remarkable story here.

And it's a long long way…from Tipperary to Alaska: 50 years after oil was discovered in Alaska, Siobhan Peters tells the story of the Irish men and women who helped build the trans-Alaskan pipeline in the 1970s. Among them was her father, a carpenter from Co Tipperary.

You'll find plenty more stories by and about the Irish diaspora this week on irishtimes.com/abroad.

To receive this digest to your inbox each week, you can join the free Irish Times Abroad Network here.

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