Ukranian Sergiy Balan, a Cavan Local for 21 years plays music to express gratitude to Ireland. Sergiy Balan arrived in Ireland in 2001 to learn English. He started as a mushroom picker at a factory he now manages.  He is…

Abhishek Vasu shares his journey from the busy city of Mumbai to the peaceful county of lakes. Growing up in an educated Brahmin caste but in a relaxed liberal upbringing, Abhishek Vasu yearned for a more independent life and enhance his…

Taiwanese Biomedicine Scholar finds her way to Cavan. Angel Cheng depicts her upbringing in Taipei and explains that the Taiwanese are not Chinese, Gaelic football is played in Taiwan, there’s a fast food in Taiwan called Ireland’s Potato, the student and work visa agreement between Taiwan and…

Former Jockey Palestinian Fayiz Alzani from Jordan finds contentment in interpreting for the Syrian community in Roscommon. From not speaking a single English word to becoming a Masteral graduate of English and History, Fayiz Alsani narrated his journey from being a…

Young Slovakian singer Stanka Pompova blossoms in Longford and eyes Garda profession. Slovakian Stanka Shelly Pompova depicts how Longford saved her from a persistent atopic eczema and cancer scare, and how her English and singing talent blossomed. A finalist of The Voice…

Zimbabwean Nurse lovers Pamire from Roscommon survived polygamy, slavery and domestic violence through strong education and faith. Zimbabwean nurse Lovers Pamire depicts how he struggled growing up with a polygamous father and 15 siblings, two of which died to HIV-AIDS, being under the…

Pakistani Artist Sadia Athar plants her roots in Longford. Sadia Athar shares her Kashmiri heritage and explains what Pakistani food, arranged marriages and extended families are like and what it is about Roscommon and Longford that brought out her artistic flair. Listen…

Portuguese Goncalo Pinto Finds Happiness in Longford. Gonçalo Pinto’s shares his journey from rural Urgeiriça in Viseu, Portugal to Dublin in 2008 with only €400 in his pocket, online friends, and his passion for computers. After working in several fields and failed relationships, he…

BritIsh Sally-Ann Duffy’s Depicts her Inspiring Journey from London to Essex, Northern Ireland and Bailieborough. Born in London and raised by her father in Essex, Sally-Anne Duffy describes getting married at 17 to a British soldier during the troubles, starting a new life in Bailieborough in 2006 with…

Guyanese New Yorker Shannette Budhai’s schooling brings her to Roscommon. Guyana-born New Yorker Shannette Budhai depicts her tiny multi-ethnic birth nation as the sole English-speaking country in South America, her vivid memory of seeing so many lights when she landed…