Rory Lennon, Enniscorthy
‘Mary and I have three dogs, but no human children yet,’ laughs Rory Lennon who has been living in Australia for the past 15 years and married Mary, the love of his life, in 2015.
Rory left at a time when the Irish economy was booming, in 2005. He had entered the family trade of construction and woodwork with the intention of becoming a cabinet maker, but felt he needed some time away before beginning his career full-time.
‘ There was never a plan to emigrate permanently. The idea was to travel for a year with my best friends once we all qualified in our fields. This was 2005 and Ireland was booming, everyone was talking about property and investing. I was 25 and I just wanted to get away,’ he says.
However, upon arriving in Sydney, Rory made what he describes as a ‘selfish decision’. He opted not to continue the journey with his friends, to strike out on his own.
‘ This was a very selfish decision, which I feel guilty about to this day, but it was the right decision for me. I needed to stand on my own two feet without that support network backing me up. Australia offered freedom and possibilities.’
And when the Irish economy crashed in 2008 the die was cast – Rory would stay in Australia and continue to build a life for himself there.
‘I was eventually granted permanent residency in November 2011, exactly six years to the day that we first landed in Sydney. Since then I have worked continuously in my trade,’ he says.
Admitting that life in Oz can be ‘difficult and, at times, very lonely’, Rory has made it back home six times since 2005. And on one of those occasions he brought a special someone with him.
‘When I proposed to my Australian girlfriend Mary, we decided to get married in Ireland. Weddings are an emotional day for everyone, but I cannot express how grateful
I was, not just to be marrying the love of my life, but to do it in the presence of my family and friends. ‘Overwhelming is an understatement.’ Having been away for so long, Rory fears that even if he were to return for good, he wouldn’t be able to re-adapt to life in Ireland.
‘ The prospect of giving up our life in Australia and moving back to Ireland is extremely daunting. I have been gone for so long. Finding a job and a place to live is a real concern, but I also wonder whether my wife and I could adapt to life in Ireland.
‘I have read many articles on ex-pats returning home to Ireland and genuinely struggling to find their feet. Some have turned around and left again.’
But for now he is simply looking forward to his next trip home for his 40th birthday in April.
‘What the future holds I cannot say, but for now I am very much looking forward to stepping back on to Irish soil and spending some long overdue time with my family and friends.’