How do you raise Irish children abroad? “Puka and his children turned into swans” are taken to Belgium – Irish Times

Hello. Welcome to the first Irish Times Abroad newsletter of the new year. After an eventful Christmas, readers and contributors from around the world shared stories about the new year. Eoghan Walsh writes from Belgium asking questions about how Irish children are brought up abroad. Despite being immersed in another culture, Eoghan found a way to bring Irish myths and legends to life for young children. Although his trips to Ireland were sporadic, classic favorites from his childhood, such as the story “About the Pooka, the Brown Bull of Cooley and the Children Turned into Swans,” attracted the interest of children. It was also useful for Organ, who “discovered in the writings of Wendy Erskine, Jan Carson and Rachel Connolly the other Ireland that she had ignored from far away Cork, the Ireland of the North”.

Elaine McGoldrick writes about moving to the UK for the second time, but the reason for her move was not the housing or cost of living crisis, but rather working conditions and “increasingly in your 50s doing 12-hour nursing shifts.” The fact is that it has become difficult.” Elaine first left Ireland when she was 18, but her recent move to Dundee, Scotland, was prompted by “adventure, new experiences, opportunities and career advancement”. She is Elaine currently she works in the child and young person mental health service in the NHS. She said: “On a personal level, working in the UK was about starting something new, starting a new beginning and choosing the direction I wanted to take in the next phase of my life.”

Eddie Ennis arrived in Johannesburg from Dublin in 1984, when “it was a very different place than it is now”. Despite intending to stay there for two years, Eddie worked all over Africa, including Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although there was a large Irish expatriate community in South Africa, Eddy says, “I was often told that if you hated your country that much, you should leave and go back to Ireland.” While there he met his wife Jacqueline, from Carrickfergus, County Antrim. “Realistically, my future is always in Africa, but I do plan on visiting Ireland,” he says.

“Looks like we’re having a hell of a summer here in Australia’s capital,” wrote Laura Kennedy. It’s because of the amount of rain, but this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone in Ireland. But Kennedy said: “I enjoy the rain here. It’s an insult to the rain that hits the earth with such force that all of Australia’s nature is 10 to 1 billion times more intense than what we’re used to. Despite the rain, the country is still hot at 37 degrees Celsius. All this led Kennedy to her conclusion that “Australians are tougher than us” because they can withstand the power of melting heat.

Katie Boyle, who moved to New York, talks about her experience as a stand-up comedian in the Big Apple and how she wouldn’t have amassed the following she does without social media. “There are a lot of gatekeepers to stand-up. It’s mainly a boys’ club, and it’s hard to break into it. But once you get a following, you’re definitely interesting and people want to meet you.” I know there are,” she said. Katie used her presence on TikTok to build a career based in New York, and she credits her experience at art school with giving her the ability to improve her performance.

Derek Scully writes about Berlin’s emerging music scene. Irish artists are making a name for themselves there through festivals such as Zeitgeist Ireland 24. Cormac McAdam is one such musician. “The chances of clubs surviving here are at least higher than elsewhere because there is a perception here that clubs are cultural institutions,” he says. Like Ireland, Berlin is experiencing increasing price pressures, but Mr Cormack says the city is an “incredibly nice place to live”. And Cormac isn’t the only artist taking part in Zeitgeist Ireland 24. “We have to make sure that the German industry and performers know that they are welcome to come and help us,” said Dundalk-born, German-based mezzo-soprano Tara Ellert. ” he said. Creating, or rather remaking, our own classical traditions. ”

This week you can find more articles about and about the Irish Diaspora at irishtimes.com/abroad.

thank you for reading.