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It’s a festive season like no other for the Irish diaspora who have grappled with whether or not they would make the trip home to see loved ones this Christmas amid Covid-19 restrictions.
We spoke with some who decided to return to Ireland in the coming weeks and with those who have chosen not to return.
For Christmas, Medb Riordan will give his mother “the biggest hug I think I have ever given anyone.” But first, they will both have to wait.
Mrs Riordan, Managing Director of Academy Films in London, will be driving and taking the ferry home for Christmas.
Before leaving London, a PCR test for Covid-19 will be done.
Its first port of call will be Dunmore East, where it will be quarantined for five days, after which it will take another Covid test.
And, “fingers crossed”, he can finally head to the destination he wanted to return to: his home, his mother, his brothers and his three nieces.
In 12 years in London, Ms. Riordan has never missed a Christmas at home; he intended not to break the cycle this year, even if it meant a 14-day quarantine.
“You have to plan ahead, so I decided to leave London quite early,” he said.
Ms Riordan is one of hundreds of Irish people expected to return home from London and the UK in the coming weeks.
She said it was a bit frustrating to hear some of the recent speeches on whether immigrants like her should stay this year.
“It is different for people who have no family here, or who have recently moved to college or a job,” he said, noting that the Irish community is not a monolith and includes many who have no family.
Like millions of other people, it has been a Zoom year for Ms. Riordan – her brother’s 40th and her aunt’s 70th.
“You can’t do Christmas at Zoom,” he says.
Mahon Murphy, Japan
This year was destined to be the year the Waterford Murphys met the Kyoto Adachis in Japan.
* Our wedding was going to be the first time that the two branches of our family would get together, with my parents, brothers, nieces and nephews reserved to fly and join us, ”said Mahon Murphy, professor of history at Kyoto University, originally from Mahon Bridge in Co Waterford.
“My wife, Akane, and I had planned our wedding ceremony to take place in April during the peak of the cherry blossom season, when Kyoto becomes an even more photogenic city than usual,” said Murphy.
“Of course that was spoiled, but we were lucky enough to have a smaller ceremony in October, albeit without the Irish branch of the family.”
“The Comeragh Mountains and Ireland feel very far away this year, but I am fortunate to have friends and family here in Japan to spend time with and hopefully be home in December next year with some new members of the family. ”He added.
Rebecca Stone, London
In a few more weeks, Rebecca Stone will once again gaze at the sea at Tramore, Co Waterford, as the world calms down around Christmas Day.
But first he has to help fill orders for up to 20,000 books a day at the Waterstones branch he works for in central London.
“It’s good that they call me to go back to work because at least I’m busy,” Ms Stone said, especially since her partner and many of her friends in London are returning to their respective home countries this week to self-quarantine before Christmas.
When he moved to London 18 months ago, he remembers that everyone told him ‘you will come home for Christmas’.
And while there was a slight sense of obligation coming home for Christmas last year, Ms Stone said this year “because of Covid I really want to see everyone because I couldn’t.”
Ms Stone plans to fly to Dublin just before Christmas and do Covid tests before and after her trip to Ireland. “I just want to cover all my bases,” he said.
This year, Ms. Stone, like so many others overseas, has been calling her parents much more “what they love.”
“I watch movies about Ireland and I start to cry,” he said.
“I would look The wind that shakes the barley and be about to cry. “
This year, Mrs. Stone is especially looking forward to Christmas dinner.
“My babysitter prepares Christmas dinner, which is always the highlight. I don’t even care about gifts, it’s just dinner. “
Deirdre Byrne, Spain
Probably one of the most special moments of a Christmas homecoming is when parents bring their newborn home, and those small but momentous firsts happen: the first sighting, the first hug, the first hug.
For this year, although some of the first moments will be on hold. “Obviously, I would love to come home this year, especially since it’s our daughter’s first Christmas,” said Deirdre Byrne, artist and art teacher from Gorey, Co Wexford, who now lives in Seville, southern Spain.
Byrne and she, her partner Miko’s daughter, Claire, their first child, were born on April 20, just at the peak of the first wave of infections in Spain.
Ms Byrne’s family was supposed to fly to Spain last May, “but obviously all those flights were canceled.”
Instead of a physical family reunion, there have been daily video chats connecting Seville and Gorey.
Navigating a pandemic and parenthood has left Byrne with little time for art.
“I’ve tried to find a little time for my own work, but my hands are full,” he says.
However, she carries a sketchbook with pictures of her daughter made when feeding her.
As in Ireland, Spain eased restrictions over the summer, but faced a second wave of Covid-19 as the year progressed.
“I still don’t feel really comfortable traveling right now and I also wouldn’t want to risk exposing someone at home. For now, we are going to focus on making the most of our time here, ”he said.
“This will be my first Christmas in Spain so there will be a mixture of traditions in our house.
“I feel much more hopeful given the news about the various vaccines.
“It may not be the Christmas we would have liked, but I’m looking forward to a great reunion with everyone next year.”
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