I\u2019m loving island life in Gozo but leaving Ireland was never a choice I purposely made.<\/p>\n
This year, I approach my 37th birthday. It\u2019s not a standout birthday like 30 or 40 or even 35, however it will mark a strange milestone for me. <\/p>\n
I left Ireland when I was 19. And when I turn 37 this year, it\u2019ll mark the start of a switch from living more of my life outside of Ireland, than in it. <\/p>\n
Sometimes I wonder, will this gradually start to make me less Irish? <\/p>\n
Although after 18 years out of Ireland, I still have strangers give me that blank look, that anyone who has a strong Irish accent experiences from time to time. It\u2019s when you chat to someone and they can\u2019t understand a word your saying, so to say the least, my accent has stuck. <\/p>\n
A family tragedy when I was 18 was the catalyst for me to move to England. At first what was a two-week break, quickly became four weeks, became four months, became four years and so on.<\/p>\n
Over 12 years, I grew a business from strength to strength in the UK<\/a>. However England never felt like home. Even though I worked almost exclusively in the property sector, I purposely never bought a home. No pictures on the walls. Only a handful of friendships and\/or meaningful relationships. <\/p>\n And the English themselves, I liked, on an individual basis. But get them together, organised and established as a group, it didn\u2019t work for me. Brexit<\/a> was my first warning shot and by the time Covid<\/a> came, the signs were clear that it was time to leave the UK.<\/p>\n At first there was wanderings and some close calls. I was in Ukraine and almost moved there several months before the war broke out. I spent an 18-month period in Colombia, a country which will always have a place in my heart. <\/p>\n In the end, I settled in Malta. Well more precisely, Gozo, Malta\u2019s sister island, a bit further off the map but lively enough to enjoy and quiet enough to have to yourself at times. I\u2019m here now coming on four years. <\/p>\n The weather is bliss, 300-plus days a year of sunshine. The summers here can be as challenging as a hard winter in Ireland, obviously just in different ways. However, it is the unspoilt and rustic nature of life here that really kept me here. <\/p>\n Giuseppe, an older neighbour of mine brings his herd of goats past my house, twice each day, he also sells the milk and cheeses, which he drops inside my unlocked door once a week (the car keys also live exclusively in the ignition). <\/p>\n Gozo also has a healing mystic energy which is hard to describe. An island half the size of Dublin city which is home to 10 or more well-known retreat centres and a large spiritual community to boot. <\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to see why they call it a bubble and I often reflect how I live in a bubble within that bubble. But again that\u2019s the joy and pleasure of living here. Who wants to tune into Trumpmania and that madness, when you can have an espresso or beer on the plaza for \u20ac2.<\/p>\n And of course not to mention, crystal clear sea waters, which are available to enjoy all year round. It\u2019s no wonder I don\u2019t see myself moving from here anytime soon.<\/p>\n Last but not least, the Maltese themselves, have a very similar sense of humour to the Irish. They are friendly but also a bit guarded. They\u2019ll smile and welcome you but that tends to stops at their front door. <\/p>\n However there is a huge expat community so making friends is easy but losing them to the transient nature of the island, can also be hard. Some say soon there will be more foreigners than Maltese, which might explain their guarded nature. <\/p>\n For now, as I expect my first child with my (German<\/a>) fiancee, I can see this will be our base and home for some time to come. But I still feel there is more time in Ireland somewhere in my future yet. Maybe that\u2019s the far future or my ancient Irish bloodlines flaring up but I can still feel Ireland calling me, ever so faint.<\/p>\n