Irish abroad

‘I was working as a ukulele teacher in China for six years. They take their musical education seriously’

George Elmes, Ireland’s best-known ukulele player, believes the instrument can no longer be dismissed as a fad

‘The mild Irish climate didn’t prepare me for Canada’s summers or indeed its winters’

For Canada’s climate refugees, the coming weeks will be disruptive and traumatic, says an Irishman in Canada

Medical debt kickstarted a new life after a working holiday gone wrong

Wild Geese: Brian Buffini, San Diego

I was inspired by the formidable Irish women who worked in the London bars of my childhood

Martin McNamara says he was fascinated by the tales he wasn’t supposed to hear in an Irish pub in England growing up

‘Chile is an amazing country for astronomy. It’s one of the top places in the world in terms of the clarity of the night sky’

Wild Geese: Evelyn Johnston, Santiago, Chile

‘I no more decided to emigrate than one decides to get hit by a bus, or fall in love’

Dubliner Anthony Blackwell did fall in love but luckily he loves Corsica too. He is now a French citizen, but draws the line at supporting them in rugby

‘Were you in Ireland during the Great Famine?’: Questions Irish people are asked abroad

Readers share their experiences when people hear where they’re from

‘Coffee is something people don’t seem to want to give up, despite the Spanish heat’

Spain is going to be scary if it doesn’t get some rain this winter, says an Irish coffee roaster in Nerja

I Could Read the Sky: A quilt of memories and story fragments

Timothy O’Grady and Steve Pyke’s classic of Irish emigration is republished with extra photographs and an audiobook featuring Martin Hayes’s music

An Irishwoman working for a Japanese company in France: ‘I wouldn’t be anywhere else’

Wild Geese: Dr Clíodhna Lyons has worked for Nissan since 2006 and is now based in Paris

Share your story: What questions do you get asked abroad because you are from Ireland?

When you live abroad you become an unofficial authority on all things Irish

Irish abroad: Five questions I always get asked because I’m from Ireland

Many Irish never want to return home after being treated like mini rock stars abroad, writes Paula Gahan

An Irishwoman in Côte d’Ivoire: ‘I love being able to stop at the coconut vendor on the way home’

Wild Geese Dr Jane Feehan, Côte d’Ivoire

I often wondered if I’d have been happier if I didn’t pursue my dream

Irish comedian Peter Flanagan: The idea of doing the Edinburgh Fringe used to terrify me. This will be my first year

Wild Geese: Leading innovation in Finland’s top food company

Valio chief innovation officer Kevin Deegan says there are many affinities between the Finnish and Irish people and their food sectors

‘The happiness I have discovered in Japan cannot usurp my grá for Ireland’

Learning to make decisions is a big challenge after formal education, but for this west Cork woman, a year in Japan was the right choice

July’s top Abroad stories: ‘There are no fans like the Irish fans, and to feel that sense of community is something else’

We hear about how the Irish are supporting the Girls in Green in Australia; Yvonne Farrell tells stories about her life in Sicily and Grace O’Malley talks about her experience in Sweden

Moving from Ireland to North Carolina: Covid was the greatest catalyst for something new

The humidity and wildlife in the US are an adjustment, and everything is bigger here - the roads, the cars and the food portions

‘Singapore has the busyness of a big city but it is less stressful than others’

Wild Geese: Dr Jennifer Greene, Singapore

Moving to Paris was an eye-opener. But I learned much about myself and the life that I wanted

Claire Gallagher, originally from Cavan, says shyness was not an option after she moved to France and didn’t speak French while starting a small business

Bringing money into Ireland from abroad to buy a home

Q&A: How much you will need to fund your home purchase depends on whether you qualify for first-time buyer status

As an Irish person in the UK, discovering the power of the royal family has been unsettling - but also encouraging

The royal family is like a toxic ex you’re completely over, but still feel compelled to check up on every now and then

‘Every aspect of life in the US has been beyond anything I could have hoped for’

Grace Furlong’s opportunity came in the form of leaving Waterford for an athletic scholarship across the pond

‘The Swiss are a closed book’: Donegal man manages the affairs of the rich in Geneva

Wild Geese: Oliver Donagher, Geneva

‘As lockdown eased in Sydney I went all in on my cake-making business and have never looked back’

Abroad: Emma O’Hanrahan from Skerries is the happiest she has ever been with her new business, and she will soon fly home to make the most important cake of her career

Irishman selling real estate in Florida while living in Spain

Wild Geese: Colin Murphy, Madrid

June’s top Abroad stories: ‘You’ll always find an Irish connection no matter how far from home you are’

An Irish woman shares her experiences in Fiji; a couple set up a hotel for dogs in Switzerland; and we hear about a college student’s move to the Netherlands

A nurse leading change on the hospital frontline

Wild Geese: Colette Datt, honorary MBE, London

The citizens of the taverns in this Basque town have welcomed me into their convivial way of life. I am hooked

After getting an email offering him work in the Basque Country, he left his parents’ house in Kimmage and headed to a small coastal town between Bilbao and Donostia

I didn’t see the point of moving out and trying to make an adult life for myself in Ireland

Here in the Netherlands, jobs are plentiful, public transport is easily accessible and a place to rent is obtainable

The things that used to annoy me about Ireland are now what I miss the most

This Laois woman shares what she loves about living in Canada and how the experience has changed her

‘I see Portugal as home now. Coming from Ireland, I never thought I would say that’

Sharon Farrell has found herself becoming a one-stop shop for British and Irish expats moving to the Portuguese region

HSE chief warns of ‘time lag’ before new hospital consultants are recruited from abroad

International advertising campaign seeks to encourage Irish doctors to return home and overseas doctors to try working for the Health Service Executive

A second life in Vancouver: ‘I made the decision to get away from any potential downward spiral into addiction’

Wild Geese: Steve Mooney, Vancouver

We moved from Ireland to Switzerland and set up a luxury dog hotel. Business is booming

Being self-employed and spending all day at home in a beautiful Swiss mountain forest is a joy

‘I embraced uncertainty in a land whose place names stirred vague memories from religion classes’

Ursula McDermott moved from ‘mild-mannered life in Ireland to a fiery Middle Eastern reality’

I’m renting the home of my emigrant brother. What are the tax implications if he signs it over to me?

Q&A: A family arrangement that suited both of you when you moved in 12 years ago could become tricky when the mortgage is paid off

‘The hotel is one of two buildings of note in Warsaw not destroyed during the war’

Wild Geese: Aidan Dempsey, Warsaw

Irish Embassy in London to relocate after almost 75 years at landmark site

Tánaiste will seek approval for new ‘Ireland House’ to accommodate Embassy and three State agencies under plan to expand Republic’s footprint in UK

‘The thing about going away is that you can’t escape yourself’

Even to the sunniest place, chronic afflictions will follow you. Migraine for instance

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