I grew up in Ireland, mostly in the Midlands, and then around Galway. I did primary school and secondary school in the same town, the kind of place where you know the routes by heart and you don’t really think about leaving. Later I went to university in Galway city, only about 45 minutes away from home, so even that didn’t feel like a big move. It was still close enough that Ireland still felt like one continuous place. 

Science was always my thing. Even when I was younger, I was interested in it, and in school I did the full set, physics, chemistry, biology. I ended up studying physics at university and that was busy in a good way. It felt like I was on a path, and the plan was pretty simple: stay in Ireland, finish my degree, figure out what comes next. 

My parents are divorced, so growing up I lived between two houses. They split when I was five, and I don’t remember them together. Later on, both my parents had more children. I have a younger brother from my mum’s side and a younger sister from my dad’s side, and I’m the eldest. We keep in touch on WhatsApp and Snapchat and all that. I check in about exams and how things are going. It’s that older sibling thing, you want them to be alright. 

If you asked me a few years ago whether I would move to Wales, I would have laughed. I hadn’t even heard of Swansea. I knew Wales, of course, it’s basically the closest country to Ireland apart from Northern Ireland. And I’d been to North Wales once when I was younger, maybe around 14 or 15. A friend’s mum lived there, in a valley between the mountains. There was no phone coverage, just landlines. I remember it being really nice, really quiet. But that’s not the same as imagining you’ll live here. 

I came to Swansea because of a PhD, and it happened very fast. A lecturer had an opportunity from a colleague and mentioned it. I applied the night before the deadline. I genuinely didn’t think much of it, it was more like, I’ll just chance it. Then I got an interview, and then I got the place.

That moment is still funny to me. It’s like you make a decision almost casually and then your whole life shifts. One minute you’re thinking, I probably won’t even get it, and the next you’re thinking, right… I’m moving country. 

I moved over by ferry, because I had stuff. My dad helped me, because when you’re moving, you don’t just bring a suitcase. The ferry takes about four hours, and honestly it ends up being about the same length of time as flying into somewhere like Bristol and travelling across. The ferry just made more sense. I still remember that first trip over, because you always remember a first. The first time you do something like that, it sticks. The first time you see the beach here. The first time you arrive and realise you’re not on holiday, this is your new routine now. 

I’ve been in Swansea for two years. I was nervous before I moved. Proper nervous. I’d spent my whole life in the same spot, and even university was only an hour away by car. So coming over here, yeah, there were nights lying awake thinking maybe I won’t do it. Maybe it won’t work out. Maybe I won’t even bother. But I did, and it was a weird decision at the time, but it’s turned out to be a pretty good one. 

Life in Wales has been really nice. The Welsh are very similar to the Irish, and that helps. People are warm. They’re welcoming. You can tell the difference when you go into England, even in little everyday things like service jobs. In Wales, people feel friendlier and more open. And it helps that I’m not too far from home. I have friends who moved to Australia and places like that, so compared to them I’m just down the road. If I need to get back, I can. I usually go home about twice a year, including Christmas. 

My girlfriend moved over too, and that made a massive difference. Even when she was in England before, it was only about three hours on the train, so it never felt impossible. Now she’s here, it feels settled. 

In terms of culture, it hasn’t been hard to adjust. I made friends mostly through the office and the department. I didn’t really meet loads of people randomly in the city, but the people I work with became my circle. The main culture shock, honestly, was that things close at 4pm on a Sunday. That doesn’t happen back home. And the Welsh language stood out to me too. It feels more alive here than Irish does back in Ireland, which I noticed quickly. Signs, conversations, the visibility of it. It’s there. 

Swansea also reminds me of Galway. It’s not an overly large city, it’s walkable, it’s on the sea, and the climate is similar. That familiarity makes it easier to relax into the place. Cardiff feels different, bigger, more city-like. I like Cardiff market as well. Indoor markets aren’t really a big thing in Ireland in the same way, so that’s something I’d count as properly Welsh, or at least something I associate with Wales now. 

What I miss most about Ireland is my family, and just being that bit closer. Being able to pop down if I wanted. I miss the Irish accent too. Sometimes I miss feeling like everyone automatically “gets” me, the humour, the references, the way you talk. I’ve had to slow down how I speak here sometimes because people find me hard to understand. It’s not a huge thing, but it reminds you you’re not at home. 

Food is mostly similar, although I’ll say it: Irish beef is nicer. And there are specific Irish things you can’t get here, like Club Orange and O’Donnell’s crisps, so when I go home I fill my bag with crisps and bring them back. That’s just standard. 

When I think about the future, I’m fairly practical. I want a job after my PhD that I enjoy, something interesting that builds on my skills. And I want to live with my girlfriend properly, just have a normal life that feels steady. 

I’ll stay in the UK for the foreseeable future, and if it’s between Wales and England, I’d pick Wales. Part of that is personal, part of it is practical. It’s cheaper here, and with the housing crisis in Ireland, it’s hard to see a future there right now. Everything is expensive. Here it feels more possible to make a living. 

I’ve never really felt out of place in Wales. People have been welcoming. Even neighbours, the small day-to-day chats when you’re both taking the bins out, shop workers who talk to you like you’re a person. Those little things add up. They make you feel like you’re allowed to be here. 

If I had to say what I’d want people to take away from my story, it’s that moving can be worth it, even if you do it on a whim, even if you do it scared. There’s opportunity here. It’s not too expensive. You can rent for a reasonable price. There’s work around, and even if you commute, you can build something. 

And more generally, people coming to Wales is a good thing. It helps build communities that are stronger because they include different cultures and different ways of thinking. That’s what makes society cohesive, not everyone being the same, but people sharing space properly. 

That’s how Swansea has felt to me so far. A chance I took at the last minute, and a place that, slowly, has started to feel like mine.