EXPATS FIND EL OF GRASS IS GREENER ON OTHER SIDE
Irish families ditched home for a better life on the continent
MEET the Irish families who’ve taken a leap of faith, upped sticks and made a new life for themselves in Spain.
John and Joan Gallagher swapped their rural home in Boyle, Co Roscommon, for the Catalan village of Falset – where they now own a hotel and their own vineyard.
While Roisin Moloney and her German husband Rene left behind the coastal town of Skerries in North Dublin to start again in bustling Barcelona.
They feature in a new RTE series, Best Place To Be, as presenter Baz Ashmawy meets Irish people who have left these shores in pursuit of jobs, family, adventure and love.
Spain has a population of 47million – with Irish expats accounting for more than 37,000 of its permanent residents.
Joan and John Gallagher left Boyle in Co Roscommon with their four boys 20 years ago and are now living in the village of Falset where they run an aparthotel.
Joan revealed: “We weren’t sure whether it would be France or Spain, in the end we settled on Spain. We have made lots of friends.
“I had never really got a chance to travel much in my life, unlike him [ John], he went to university, I joined Bank of Ireland straight after I left school
“The boys were eight, nine, 12 and 15 and they couldn’t speak Spanish. They hated us.
“I said you just have to figure it out, and they did, and after two years they were hooked and there was no going back.”
Two of their sons were keen rugby players and ended up winning medals with Spain’s under-18s national squad.
Joan, who runs free weekly English classes in the village, explained: “I sent them to the local school, I didn’t want them to be outsiders.”
One son Niall now lives in Ibiza while another son, Tom, helps out with the family business.
Niall, who hasn’t been back to Ireland
A glass of beer or glass of nice wine is €1.50.. a casa is €60k or €70k
for 14 years, admitted going from “small town Boyle” to Spain was “insane” but said it had opened the door to a whole new world.
He said: “Every month I sent my parents a message saying thanks for bringing us. What they’ve given us through languages, through culture, it’s just a cool culture.”
Another big bonus for the Gallaghers is the cost of living which allows their money to go much further than it would in Ireland.
Joan revealed: “A glass of beer is €1.50,
In order to really learn the language it makes sense to give it five years
a glass of wine is €1.50, nice wine. To buy a casa, one that needs doing up, you’re looking at €60k or €70k.
“We’ve a huge love for Ireland but we’ve chosen this life and that is it.”
She added: “I didn’t want them to grow up in a very conservative... to be honest I’d seen how my sister had struggled about her sexuality.
“She’s married to a woman but in the early days it was very difficult for her, and she went to live in London like so many people did.
“And I just didn’t want anything like that for the boys, I wanted them to grow up with a sense of, more sense of freedom. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I had stayed [in Ireland], not so much for me but for the boys.
“I’m so happy that they have the life that they have here. Yes there are pros and cons but I have to say the pros way outweigh the cons.”
Roisin Moloney, 40, took the plunge with her German husband Rene Niessen a year ago relocating from her native Skerries to Barcelona.
The events designer and stylist has set up her own company in the cultural hub of Barcelona, while IT worker Rene works remotely.
The couple, like so many others, struggled to get a foot on the property ladder here despite holding down two well-paid jobs.
They were pleasantly surprised with rents averaging between €900 and €1,350 a month in Barcelona to be able to afford a nice apartment in an upmarket district.
The pair travelled around Portugal before settling in Barcelona, where one of Roisin’s brothers is also based.
Rene said: “Portugal was very nice but at the end of the trip we landed in Barcelona and we felt like it really clicked.”
Roisin added: “It’s still a novelty to be able to just go to France which is two hours away, or drive to Italy if you wanted. Moving here to Barcelona – almost an events capital of the world – for me trying to go freelance in what I do made sense.
“In order to really learn the language it makes sense to at least give it five years, so we’ve signed a five-year lease.
“It’s like being out of your comfort zone times 20 – no jobs, no friends, no business network, a little bit of family, not understanding the language.”
She conceded: “It’s been a lot harder than I thought it would be because he’s working full time and I’m trying to figure out what I’m doing.
“And then if you don’t have your friends who you can just go for coffee with or for dinner... Dublin is so close to meet people, whereas here it’s like an hour to get to somebody.
“t’s just different but I guess no matter where you move to you just have to adjust.”