Irish emigrants in New York tell of missing home at Christmas

New wave of emigrants prepare for first Christmas away from home

BERNIE MALONE,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Saturday, December 24, 2011, 7:07 AM

Updated Saturday, December 24, 2011, 8:09 AM

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Irish emigrants in New York prepare for their first Christmas away from home.

With immigration levels from Ireland once again mirroring the eighties, some Irish emigrants in New York are preparing for their first Christmas away from home.

After moving to New York in October, Rachel Ormond, a 21-year-old Cavan native, is determined to enjoying the holiday season, despite being away from her family.

“I love Christmas, I’ve never spent it away from home but I’m definitely excited to spend it away. I have all the decorations up around the house and we have our Chris Kindle all set up,” Ormond told the Irish Examiner.

“I’ll miss home, definitely but it’s a positive overall. My parents have sent over my stocking and a few other little things that would remind me of home at Christmas which was really nice.”

“It will feel strange not being with my family,” she added.
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Emigrant Irish flock back home as Christmas day approaches

Finding loved ones before Christmas after decades apart
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Flexible phone plans and Skype means it is easy to stay in touch with home.

“I can call landlines for free at home so it’s easy for me to stay in contact with friends and family. I also use Skype and Facebook,” she told the Irish Examiner.

After graduating with a master’s in marketing from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, Larkin decided to make the move to New York and apply for the one-year graduate visa program on offer.

“I had just finished college and had always thought New York would be a fascinating city to live in. It seemed like the perfect time to move.

“I haven’t been away all that long and flights are expensive during the Christmas period. I also think the fact that I have family here [an aunt and a cousin] makes a big difference. I’ll be spending Christmas day with them. It’s not as big of a deal here. People will have a traditional Christmas day but most will go straight back to work the next day.”

Another recent graduate Aoife Larkin (21) from Dublin decided to stay on in New York after a vacation in LA and Las Vegas.

“I love Christmas, I’ve never spent it away from home but I’m definitely excited to spend it away,” she told the Examiner.

After she found a job as a carer for the elderly, her holiday visa lapsed, which means she is now out of status.

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Joancuddihy | Dec 25, 2011, 01:15 AM EST

As an immigrant from the 80's who never returned to Ireland, I'd like to point out that the Internet wasn't an option back then, so emigration today, doesn't exactly 'mirror' what was happening back then. I was in Australia in those pre internet days when Skyping didn't exist and transcontinental phone calls were both expensive and unreliable in quality. Most of our 'news' was a week or two old by the time we heard it, now it's instantaneous. Don't get me wrong, I love this new era and have totally embraced the internet/facebook/Skype/instant messaging, etc etc but emigration in the 80s was Not the same experience as it is now. Nor was emigrating in the 1980s the same as emigrating in the 60s, 50s, 40s, or indeed 1847...just sayin'..

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joan1954 | Dec 24, 2011, 05:13 PM EST

I guess the difference is that the holiday here in the US is very secular and materialistic while in Ireland tends to be more family orientated. They should have realized that when they came over, our job situation here is that we don't have the standing week off like Ireland does or is it did.

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carrickcourt | Dec 24, 2011, 09:20 AM EST

Just watched touching videos on RTE online of people returning to Ireland for the holidays. I know my Irish third cousins, five sisters, will be enjoying their traditional family gathering for Christmas dinner on Sunday. We miss the phone call we would get from my cousin's late Dad Tom at the end of their Christmas dinner. What a kind and giving person was the late Cousin Tom.

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