From looking at usernames and Tipster etc I am aware that a lot of posters here are from overseas. The use of the word 'exile' is a bit of a giveaway and I have images of the local Sergeant putting some of ye on a boat down the North Wall and telling ye not to come back any time soon! Some are obviously economic migrants - some by choice for better careers and more money and some simply gone to make a buck - and God knows these ranks may swell in the coming months unfortunately. Some may have followed a woman abroad (a woman a broad - repetition!) - sure the women always get their way! Some may be running away from something - a years unpaid subs, missing that last minute peno in the Div 7 final or a hefty tab down at the Clubhouse - or a mad camogie player who wants to start a juvenile section with ya! Ye may be reticent to tell your story!! Some are first generation Irish abroad (Sami Premier?) who admirably keep their heritage and GAA interest alive through top quality interaction on classy forums (I hate to use fora) like HS! So anyone like to share - sounds like an AA meeting! Why are you abroad? Whats it like where you are? How long are you gone? When will the extradition warrant lapse? Is it warm? How much is a pint? Is there work there? GAA club? Will ye ever come back? Do your kids follow the GAA? Have you had to grow a beard and dye your hair? I ask these questions for three reasons - One, cos I'm a nosey git, two, cos I like a good story and thirdly, this place is getting on me t*ts - with the rain and the cold and the recession and the gloom and the price of drink and fags - and I'm looking for tips on good places abroad! ps Calling Mr Dubai especially - do you want to bring me over to that tournament for you - I can keep score real well!

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 05/01/2009 17:20:06    173356

Moved to Australia a couple of years back for the sun and surf, too be honest the only reason i left was that i couldnt take the cold and rain anymore. Travelled in SE Asia for a few months and then lived in sydney. Brilliant spot lived near the beach in coogee, loads of sport - surfing, gaelic, afl even managed a few games for the local cricket side. Was just coming to the end of my time there and was ready to come home but got offered a job in New York. Best move of my life, NY is savage and can still get home fairly often.

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4649 - 05/01/2009 20:56:45    173499

Jayo - im using 2 of your reasons. I followed the woman but did something stupid and that was the straw that broke the cammels back. (was living in Longford before that)
Living in and close to london for gone 2 and a half years now. Playing Junior Football in London and enjoying the game and the craic. Junior has its competative side but is along way off senior.
I work in Utilities so the resession doesnt hit that sector to much. weather is warm over here usually but this frost lately only reminds me of home. still winter temp is nothing compaired to the north Atlantic breeze in the summer off Down Partick Head :)
WARNING - I said to my self that I would only stay 2 years max and im still here...
and with the current economic climate it doesnt look like we will be home any time soon. :(

FromTheNa (Mayo) - Posts: 583 - 06/01/2009 07:53:43    173674

Not many takers here!!! Seems like a lot of our exiles are indeed keeping their heads low! Say no more, say no more...

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 06/01/2009 17:59:42    174240

OK, which one of you stole Trevelyan's corn?

RMDrive (Donegal) - Posts: 2202 - 06/01/2009 22:25:57    174469

Live in the UK because our southern comrades sold us out

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 07/01/2009 09:07:27    174596

samin10
County: Armagh
Posts: 1985

Live in the UK because our southern comrades sold us out
___________________________________

Meow!

3inarow08 (Kerry) - Posts: 2455 - 07/01/2009 09:43:54    174619

Jayo, I am the son of Mayo mother and Kerry father who emigrated to London about 30 years ago. Spent every summer and holiday on the farms in both beautiful counties and had the time of my life. Played underage football in London for years and was very successul with my club as a kid but unfortunately I discovered beer and soon stopped football, soccer and rugby and basically did nothing active for several years. I always had an interest in football during my time in the doldrums but never followed it too closely. We're from NW London, probably the main Irish area in London so we were always surrounded by it and I have friends who stuck it out and still play at senior club level in London. Some of your fellow HS posters probably wouldn't approve but me and the lads always went over for the AI final since 2002, mainly for the craic and a weekend away but in recent years I've got more into it, particularly as the soccer circus has bloated into a monster beyond all recognition. Me and the missus (from Cork) moved to Dubai 15 months ago, mainly to get away from London and see something new whilst earning a few quid and enjoying the sun as Dubai's a great base for a bit of travelling. It's in that time that I've taken more interest than ever in football and have done loads of online reading and tried to keep up to date with the goings on in the world of GAA although there's only one or two places in Dubai to catch the games and as we work Sunday (sometimes Saturday) to Thursday, getting to these places to catch the match can be difficult because of work commitments and where you are in Dubai. It was whilst reading the Kerry GAA website that I stumbled across the forum on there and subsequently HS. Have never posted on either until now as this is the only topic I feel comfortable enough commenting on although I'd like to think my knowledge isn't too bad. This month I take my first steps back into playing as I'm playing with a few lads for one of the teams in the social division of the 7s tournament out here. Have been considering going for a run out with the Dubai Celts here for a while now but have been putting it off but reckon I might take the bull by the horns after the 7s as I've still a few years before hitting 30 and am in half decent shape as I've been playing 5 a side since I got here. It's mainly through HS and the Kerry forum and a bit of RTE and the Independent online that I keep up with what's going on over and must say that HS has produced some funny threads that have kept me entertained and distracted when I should have been working.

MiddleEastExile (UK) - Posts: 26 - 07/01/2009 10:37:32    174676

Jayo,

I am the son of Mayo mother and Kerry father who emigrated to London about 30 years ago. Spent every summer and holiday on the farms in both beautiful counties and had the time of my life. Played underage football in London for years and was very successul with my club as a kid but unfortunately I discovered beer and soon stopped football, soccer and rugby and basically did nothing active for several years. I always had an interest in football during my time in the doldrums but never followed it too closely. We're from NW London, probably the main Irish area in London so we were always surrounded by it and I have friends who stuck it out and still play at senior club level in London.

Some of your fellow HS posters probably wouldn't approve but me and the lads always went over for the AI final since 2002, mainly for the craic and a weekend away but in recent years I've got more into it, particularly as the soccer circus has bloated into a monster beyond all recognition.

Me and the missus (from Cork) moved to Dubai 15 months ago, mainly to get away from London and see something new whilst earning a few quid and enjoying the sun as Dubai's a great base for a bit of travelling. It's in that time that I've taken more interest than ever in football and have done loads of online reading and tried to keep up to date with the goings on in the world of GAA although there's only one or two places in Dubai to catch the games and as we work Sunday (sometimes Saturday) to Thursday, getting to these places to catch the match can be difficult because of work commitments and where you are in Dubai. It was whilst reading the Kerry GAA website that I stumbled across the forum on there and subsequently HS. Have never posted on either until now as this is the only topic I feel comfortable enough commenting on although I'd like to think my knowledge isn't too bad.

MiddleEastExile (UK) - Posts: 26 - 07/01/2009 10:40:42    174681

This month I take my first steps back into playing as I'm playing with a few lads for one of the teams in the social division of the 7s tournament out here. Have been considering going for a run out with the Dubai Celts here for a while now but have been putting it off but reckon I might take the bull by the horns after the 7s as I've still a few years before hitting 30 and am in half decent shape as I've been playing 5 a side since I got here.

It's mainly through HS and the Kerry forum and a bit of RTE and the Independent online that I keep up with what's going on over and must say that HS has produced some funny threads that have kept me entertained and distracted when I should have been working.

To the important stuff; a pint ranges from AED 15 - 20 (in happy hours), AED 25 - 35 in most placxes and then AED 35 - 40 in top hotels. At the current exchange rate of say ?5:AED1 you're generally looking at between ?4 - ?8. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol is available eveywhere and the nightlife is second to none. Oh, and the eye candy has to be seen to believed but don't tell the missus I said that! Generally food is good value and you can eat out well but accommodation is very expensive although this is set to drop this year as more and more flats come online. Dubai as well isn't exempt from the credit crunch as we all thought it would be and there have been thousands of redundancies over the past 3 months with more set to follow. I have 2 friends also in the construction sector who have been laid off recently. The laws here are strict but you know where you stand. Basically, you never ever step out of line and if you do, you know the consequences are going to be harsh but that's why you can leave the car running when you go to the shop and there is basically zero crime. The people who moan in the press about the "backward middle east" are the same ones who moan about crime, immigration and tax and Ireland and the UK. Tell the 1-2m+ people who have emigrated to Dubai about the negatives and see what they say.

Well Jayo, hope that gives you a bit of reading for a while and maybe you'll hear from me again sometime.

PS - no plans to come home anytime soon although the missus is set on moving back to Cork at some stage.

MiddleEastExile (UK) - Posts: 26 - 07/01/2009 10:41:18    174682

Welcome Middle East Exile! Great to see another [half :) ] Kerry poster on here. The Kerry GAA forum is very good for keeping up to date with things in fairness.

PS - Don't be afraid to post on here, even if you think you're wrong - it doesn't stop some of them on here (me included).

3inarow08 (Kerry) - Posts: 2455 - 07/01/2009 10:56:49    174704

Excellent post MiddleEastExile - and welcome to HS! Its exactly that kind of interesting story I was hoping for when I started the thread. A great insight into the variety of posters that come on here! Thanks again!

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 07/01/2009 10:57:08    174705

Mayo mother and Kerry father

an unholy union and the missus is from cork if you have kids she may give birth to the antichrist or if the mayo genes aren't passed on good footballers and hurlers?? ;)

Good to see second generation abroad keeping an interest in the GAA.

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 07/01/2009 11:16:15    174724

my mother and father are from offaly, i was born in offaly but now i live in the peoples republic of westmeath..its been tought living under offaly rule but as most victims of terror i finally got the courage to tell my parents that i was a westmeath man. since then i feel liberated and enjoy westmeath life. food and drink are expensive here in south westmeath but its better than wat there paying in mullingar. i often go back to offaly to vist my relations but im not too fond of it.. basically wat im saying is , thank god my parents didnt move to MEATH.

AskUreSister (Westmeath) - Posts: 160 - 07/01/2009 12:16:34    174791

You'd never guess it was my first post eh? I submitted half of it because of the 4000 word limit and went straight to the board to see it and when it never appeared Ii thought Ii'd done something wrong so did it again and it was only then that I read the message saying it needed to be checked first, so that explains why there's 3 posts with the same parts appearing in each. I'm sure I'll get more practise.

HAG_AND_CHEESE - Mayo and Kerry unions run in the family. My mum's sister is married to a man from Dingle and I have several friends in London with the same mix of parentage. I reckon Mayo have come closet of anyone in recent years to getting a well deserved but ultimately out of reach AI. Shame really as they're always there or thereabouts but I must say I enjoy the stick my dad and uncle give to my mum and aunt most years but pray that one day they'll have their turn. Don't think it'll be 2009 though

MiddleEastExile (UK) - Posts: 26 - 07/01/2009 12:25:50    174811

You'd never guess it was my first post eh? I submitted half of it because of the 4000 word limit and went straight to the board to see it and when it never appeared Ii thought Ii'd done something wrong so did it again and it was only then that I read the message saying it needed to be checked first, so that explains why there's 3 posts with the same parts appearing in each. I'm sure I'll get more practise.

HAG_AND_CHEESE - Mayo and Kerry unions run in the family. My mum's sister is married to a man from Dingle and I have several friends in London with the same mix of parentage. I reckon Mayo have come closet of anyone in recent years to getting a well deserved but ultimately out of reach AI. Shame really as they're always there or thereabouts but I must say I enjoy the stick my dad and uncle give to my mum and aunt most years but pray that one day they'll have their turn. Don't think it'll be 2009 though

MiddleEastExile (UK) - Posts: 26 - 07/01/2009 12:27:31    174815

Dear Jayo,

I'm living in New York these past three year now but it's not all bad - I'll be back in the fall. Daddy said he'd send the fare for the passage and it should arrive in three weeks. I've a few dollars put away myself, for the rainy day, but Daddy says to mind that, he said jobs are scare around Kerry these times.
But sure I can't complain here, I'm holding down two jobs at the minute. I'm working as a seamstress in a big factory, we supply all the government uniforms for the war. It's not the worst but I've found my sight is deteriorating from the bad light, you know yourself. Then for three evenings a week I clean a Gentleman's house, it's out in the opposite side of the city, takes the best part of an hour to go over after work, but he pays well, and he has a girl there full time to cook and look after his wife. She's laid up in the bed most of the time, I've been told that she dotes. You'd know it in her though, she has a stare in her eyes, poor woman. But the girl that looks after her, she's Mulcahy from Kinnegad, well she gives me bread that won't be eaten and left overs from roasts of meat and the few spuds - the finest potatoes in all of New England - and I carry them away for myself. It saves me a few dollars your see.
The place I'm staying isn't bad either, I'm sharing the room with a girl from Mayo, Katie is her name. Twice since I've moved over here now we've gone to the dance in the Irish Club. She's as light footed as ever I saw! Oh and Jayo, did I tell you I have a friend. His name is Michael, he's from Sligo. We met at the last dance and he has taken me for walks since. He's working in the shipyard. Oh he's handsome, with lovely blondey hair and the rosiest cheeks you ever came across. He doesn't drink and he goes to mass every Sunday without fail. Now don't tell Daddy but we might be engaged soon!
Anyway, you're not to worry, I'll be home before you know it, in time for the big match if I'm lucky.

Slan,
Triona.

3inarow2008 (Kerry) - Posts: 204 - 07/01/2009 12:39:17    174831

The family moved over to London from West Cork when I was 15 for work, was forced to come with them and once I finished school and went to uni, had met a woman and have been stuck here since!!!!

Still get home 3/4 time a year though!

macattack (UK) - Posts: 584 - 07/01/2009 13:58:22    174902

Thanks for that Triona

So lovely to hear your story. Brought a tear to my glass eye ............

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 07/01/2009 14:05:33    174916

re: 3inarow2008

Priceless.... How much did the tickets cost you to travel back in time??

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 07/01/2009 14:17:09    174940