Split

I co-wrote a brief article on emigration for The Irish Times with fellow Dubliner and new emigrant to San Francisco, Sarah Griffin (photo via The Irish Times and taken by Ian Tuttle).

Excerpt:

Sarah voiced a reluctance to join the Irish community here, largely because she doesn’t want it to mirror everything she is missing about Ireland and to suck her right in. I understand her reluctance. While I believe the Irish community can be of vital support to new emigrants, there’s a danger of getting trapped inside the smallness of the familiar, allowing that sense of living in a strange place to remain forever. Emigrants have to let go of any sense of preciousness around having a single identity.