There are many reasons why Natalia Lange and Michael Presnal moved from Michigan to Ireland in August, but most of them centre around US president Donald Trump.
One of the most chilling reasons was their observation that people who were previously opposed to gun ownership began buying weapons.
“It’s like, the only way that they’ll feel safe is if they also invest in gun ownership,” Lange says.
The couple, who lived in Grand Rapids, were concerned about issues such as election rigging, the threat of troops on the streets and the increasing difficulty in getting healthcare. “There’s a lot of changes within the United States that are being pushed and they were starting to make us feel very unsafe,” she says.
READ MORE
Lange was employed by a refugee resettlement agency, so Trump’s inauguration in January upended their lives almost immediately. The agency’s main resettlement programme depended on federal funding, and within a week of him taking office, it was cut.
“It was very gut-wrenching,” she recalls. “We had people scheduled to arrive that week and all of their flights were then cancelled. These people who have been waiting for decades to come and be resettled were no longer able to. That was obviously awful to have to sit and to tell people that their families were not going to be coming any more.”
The couple had often talked about moving abroad someday, so when her job prospects evaporated, they decided to accelerate that plan. Presnal is an artist – he works under the name J Maloof – so he was happy to relocate. “I can do art anywhere, right?” he says.
‘In the States, it’s like being an artist is almost something to be ashamed of. It’s so looked down on’
— Michael Presnal
Lange always harboured a dream of living in Ireland after a memorable school trip when she was a teenager. “I felt very connected and could visualise myself living here,” she recalls. Presnal had never been to Ireland, so they took an exploratory trip in May. “I immediately fell in love with Cork, and truly, if I could have stayed in Ireland between May and August, I would have, in a heartbeat,” he says.
Arts programmes are under attack in the US, but he noticed the emphasis on funding the arts and artists in Ireland. “It feels like it is more like an important part of a rich culture. At least that’s been my impression so far,” he says. “In the States, it’s like being an artist is almost something to be ashamed of. It’s so looked down on. And unless you are making a ton of money doing it, people are looking at you like, ‘Oh, you’re an artist, like, what do you actually do?’”
The couple returned home with a plan to move to Cork, and everything fell into place when Lange got a job with NASC, the migrant and refugee rights centre in Cork. After much searching for a rental property, they landed on their feet when they found a traditional whitewashed cottage with a half door in Crosshaven.
“We got very lucky. You know, I still pinch myself every day,” she says. “I walk up the street from the bus stop coming home from work, and our neighbours are sitting outside, and they invite us to join them for wine club, or tea, and we just sit and we talk and share stories,” she says.
“We’ve been so embraced by the community, both by my co-workers and our neighbours and our Airbnb hosts when we were staying in temporary housing. You know, everyone’s just been so kind.”
Presnal says neighbours are more guarded with each other in the US. “A lot of people are suspicious of their neighbours back home. You know, there’s more guns than there are residents. It’s just a different feel here. It’s very community-oriented.”
Of course they are not the only Americans to have left their country since Trump returned to the White House. Rosie O’Donnell, the talkshow host and comedian, became the flag-bearer for this movement when she emigrated to Ireland earlier this year.
“I do know that it’s a trend,” Lange says. “We ourselves haven’t met any other Americans right near us, but I know that there’s been a lot. When we were still in the States, I was at the library, and I did overhear a man speaking with the librarian about how he and his wife were going to move to Ireland as well. I’ve heard of a handful of people who have previously really loved where they’re living in the US, and their jobs and the life they have there, and they wouldn’t necessarily have had a move planned – but they’re now switching that focus to try and leave.”
Presnal is now looking for a studio space, but in the meantime he can do watercolour and ink work at their home. “Seems like a lot of studios have waiting lists, so right now, I’m just searching and kind of hoping,” he says. But he won’t be idle for long. After they arrived in Crosshaven, word spread quickly that he was an artist, and he was asked to paint a mural on a wall near their home.
While they have been welcomed in Crosshaven, it was still a wrench to leave family and friends behind in the US. But in Lange’s case, her parents already lived a 26-hour drive away, while her brother was a 13-hour drive. “So we were all so spread out anyway. We’re probably still going to see each other just as often, but we’ll just have to hop on a plane instead.”
‘I really appreciate the culture that is tea in Ireland, because I am a very big tea drinker, and most of our community in the US was coffee-drinking’
— Natalia Lange
They also worry about the safety of the friends they left behind. “Some of our friends are immigrants or have health issues, and so there was also that sense of not only am I leaving them and their support and friendship, but I am leaving them in a situation where I’m potentially afraid for them,” she says.
Presnal found it hard to leave his supportive creative community behind, but he’s gradually finding his artistic tribe here. “I’ve met a few artists that have been really friendly, and a lot of people are just reaching out, telling me about resources for artists. I’m going to gallery shows and openings, so I’m working on it.”
No doubt they will also find some fellow Trekkies, which brings us to one of the things they miss about the US. They are very big Star Trek fans and haven’t been able so far to access the series here.
To compensate for that, they’ve found some things in Ireland that they didn’t have in Michigan, such as the wide availability of fresh seafood, and a greater choice of vegan and vegetarian options. Lange has also discovered a weakness for paprika and prawn cocktail-flavoured crisps. “And I really appreciate the culture that is tea in Ireland, because I am a very big tea drinker, and most of our community in the US was coffee-drinking. Now I’ll walk by the neighbours’ house and they’re like, we’ll put the kettle on for you. It’s just much more part of the culture.”
While they may be in despair at the instability in the US, they believe the pendulum will eventually swing back to reflect a kinder America. “I don’t know how long it will take this time,” she says. “Politically, it’s always ebbed and flowed. It’s been conservative and then progressive and then conservative. But this change has been a lot bigger, faster, scarier, more aggressive in terms of policy changes.”
Presnal says a lot of people are talking about armed conflict, “but I almost expect it to be more like Hungary, where people just slowly lose a say in government and grow used to it. And people are just buckling down and accepting it because the United States government and military presence is all-powerful. It almost feels like, what can you even do?”
But for now, the upheaval in the US seems very far away when the couple look out their front door to views of the Owenabue River, Cork harbour and Spike Ireland. Their first winter in Crosshaven is approaching, but they don’t expect it to be as challenging as the extreme cold temperatures and heavy snowfall of Michigan.
And Lange says the picturesque location will compensate for any bleak weather. “Now, ask us again in five years’ time. I’m not sure what we will say then, but for now, it is a pleasant change.”
