When I left Ireland, I hated how everyone seemed to know each other. Now it’s what I love

The Irish Times · Eamonn Fitzgerald · 2026-11-04 06:00 UTC

After two decades in the United States, my definition of home has become quite complicated

After two decades of living in the United States, my definition of what my home actually is has become quite complicated.

In the weeks leading up to a trip to Cork or Limerick, I tell my friends in the US that I am heading home soon. While in Ireland, I will refer to North Carolina as home. It’s taken quite some time for me to be comfortable holding both these thoughts in my head.

I moved to Boston in the spring of 2004. A planned 18-month stay soon became three years, then marriage and children, mortgages and green cards and, finally, citizenship eight years ago.

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