‘The city that never sleeps: it is a far cry from Westmeath'
Twenty-three-year-old Nadina Grace grew up in Kilpatrick, Collinstown, and 15 months ago upped sticks and moved to New York to see what the fuss was about.
Having attended St Mary’s NS in Collinstown, before moving on to secondary school in St Finian’s College, Nadina “loved growing up in the countryside”.
“I was heavily involved in camogie in Westmeath and it was nice having friends close by and being able to play sports outside in a spacious garden until all hours,” she said.
Having graduated from college, studying Sports Management in Carlow Institute Technology, Nadina, who had long harboured a desire to see other places, thought this was her time to do it.
“I always wanted to travel and decided once I had qualified that I could go travelling knowing I had an education behind me. I decided to move to New York. I had never been in America before and really wanted to go see what all the hype was about. I chose New York because I moved over by myself, not knowing anyone, and felt that if I moved to New York there was a big Irish community that would help me settle in.
“I originally decided to travel due to the fact I had finished college and had the opportunity to find work in my field of study abroad. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work with the GAA in New York. I got involved in coaching the underage camogie and refereed underage games too. Refereeing allowed me to travel. I flew to Buffalo for the CYC, which is a youths GAA tournament. There were over 500 games played in the weekend which was amazing and it was so nice to see the effort pumped into the GAA abroad. Going to Buffalo allowed me to go see the Niagara falls, which was amazing.
“I also wanted to see what New York was like in reality and if I could adapt to the city style of living. Being based in New York, I could still be involved in the GAA and travel around America while being based here.”
Nadina’s first impression of the Big Apple was that she could not get over how friendly and welcoming people are there.
“People went above and beyond to help me settle in and were a huge factor in me not being homesick. It was definitely a far cry from Westmeath; everything is so big and busy. I finally understood the expression ‘the city that never sleeps’.”
Working as a bartender in Yonkers, and having waitressed for some of her time there, Nadina feels that she has found a home away from home.
“I bartend five nights a week. I work very long hours but it's a great way to socialise and get to meet new people. I have met a lot of friends and local people from working in the industry and also when I waitressed for 10 months previously. I actually now live with the manager of the restaurant I used to work in and am still very good friends with the waitresses and customers from there.
“I live in Woodlawn which is where a lot of Irish are based in New York. It is pretty much little Ireland. There are people from every county based here. It provides a home comfort, which is nice. Most of all I love the fact that there is a lot of Irish merchandise in the Irish delis here so you’re never too short of your favourite Irish products.
“A majority of people where I live either moved from Ireland to live here or their parents are originally Irish, which allows most people to relate to leaving home and starting a new life, or even understanding Irish culture and phrases.
“I miss my family and friends but don’t miss home too much. I have settled in so well here that I feel this is my new home. I would love to raise a family in Ireland but until I decide to do that, I won’t be living in Ireland.
“The main difference between here and home is that there is always something to do here, no matter the weather or time. I lived in the countryside at home and now live in a big city – which is a huge difference.”
Asked if she would give any advice to those thinking of moving abroad, including the advantages and the pitfalls, Nadina says she would highly recommend traveling to everyone.
“It’s great to experience different cultures and to see the world. It’s tough starting off somewhere new, and trying to get to know people, but it’s nice meeting new people and new lifelong friends.
“I have had the opportunity to do so much traveling since living here. I’ve been to Washington DC, Philadelphia, Florida, Niagara Falls, Montauk, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Boston,” she says. And she managed to keep up her beloved camogie and take up Gaelic football.
“I played camogie all my life at home so it was definitely something I wanted to get involved with out here. Unfortunately camogie isn't that big in New York so there is only one team and we are amalgamated with New Jersey. We train all year to compete in the North American Championship. August gone we won the North American championship in San Francisco. Our team is called Liberty Gaels. Our senior won and the Junior reached the final, which was a massive achievement.
“But seeing as the camogie isn't that popular in New York I decided to take up Gaelic football for Cavan. The woman I stayed with and who took me under her wing when I first came out here is the founder of the Cavan football team and although I had never played Gaelic before she encouraged me to take it up over here. I loved playing Gaelic football out here for Cavan and made most my best friends over here playing it. We won the New York championship, which was an amazing achievement.
“All round, I had a very successful year out here last year with regard to GAA.”