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Saturday, June 28, 2008

Kerry Emigrant Immigrates Emigrates

from seanie at skelpers in Blennerville;

When is a Kerryman happy? If you read this story in the Irish Voice you will find it's not very often. It's the story of a Kerry family who left Ireland for the US then returned to Ireland and finally went back to the US.

Going to America: “The minute I got off at Kennedy Airport in 1990 I knew I was home.”

Coming Back: Because we "missing out on so much stuff like weddings and christenings".

Irish Health System: “I walked in one day and they (Kerry general hospital staff) were shaving my father as he was eating his dinner. I asked them did he order shaving foam with his meal.”

US Health System: "They looked after me so well here (New York), they treated me like family and followed up constantly.”

Mixing with the Locals: “They would often say, ‘Well, you’re not in America now."

Their daughter fitting in with the locals: "Skye was more American in Ireland than she was here. She didn’t want to lose her identity. She got more of an American accent, she would sing ‘God Bless America’ all the time and always wore baseball caps.”

Cultural Differences: "People in Ireland found it even stranger that Noreen would spend her Saturday dressed in a tracksuit."

The Result?

They moved back to the Bronx.

The Future?

They will continue to visit Ireland as much as they can.

I am sure there will be a big welcome.

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