FOR GENERATIONS, Ireland and Canada have been linked by their emigrants.
Hundreds of thousands of Irish people crossed the Atlantic during the Famine, helping to create one of the world’s largest Irish diasporas, and today nearly 5 million Canadians claim Irish heritage.
Canada still remains one of the main countries for those leaving home, along with Australia, Britain and the US.
Central Statistics Office figures show that around 5,000 people a year have been moving from Ireland to Canada.
For young people one of the biggest draws is the International Experience Canada (IEC) working holiday programme, which allows 18- to 35-year-olds to work in Canada for up to two years.
Among those who have taken the plunge is Nicole McLaughlin, from County Tyrone, who moved to Vancouver in March.
What drew her to Canada wasn't a job or a partner but more the country itself.
“I was attracted to the fact that it looked so beautiful, and you had nature all around you, as well as the city itself,” she said.
Toronto welcomes nearly half of all Irish emigrants who move over (WikiCommons/Photo by Taxiarchos)McLaughlin had applied for her IEC working visa in January the previous year and had it fully approved by April.
“The visa is really straightforward,” she said.
Unlike certain other visas, she described the application as “just a couple of hundred dollars”.
“When I came here, I didn’t really have a plan, no job, nowhere to live,” she said.
She initially stayed in an Airbnb in East Vancouver and admits she was nervous about what lay ahead.
“I had heard from people back home that this isn’t the easiest place to find work,” she said.
The cost of living was another worry.
“Also for a city, it is a little more on the expensive side.”
But after applying for nearly every job she could, she quickly found work as an administrator in a medical office.
Winnipeg is known for its museums and its extremely cold winters (WikiCommons/Photo by Ethan Sahagun)Finding somewhere to live, as well as some friends, presented a different challenge.
One of the resources McLaughlin turned to was a Facebook group.
“I joined the ‘Irish and new in Vancouver group’, which I did use quite a few times because people will post job postings or places to live, people with a spare room.”
Although she didn’t find a flat directly through the group, she said it was still useful for getting a sense of what other Irish people in the city were up to.
Her Canadian roommate also helped her settle into life in the city.
McLaughlin said that settling in required her to make the first move.
“You have to initiate things and be responsive to things; you do have to put yourself out there,” she said.
“But when you do reach out, they’re all lovely; I’ve never had a bad experience, honestly.”
She also discovered a group called ‘We Should Be Friends’, which hosts weekly events for people looking to meet others.
The skyline of Vancouver (WikiCommons/Photo by Quintin Soloviev)For McLaughlin, the similarities between Irish and Canadian culture have helped make the transition easier.
“I suppose something that is similar is that we’re all very easygoing," she said. “The Irish and Canadians are both really friendly.”
She also enjoyed the differences she found in East Vancouver.
“Everyone is so individual and different and kind of beats to their own drum,” she said.
“When you show up, everyone is just doing whatever and wearing whatever, the men and the women; it’s very liberal. That's a difference that I love.”
McLaughlin is planning to make the most of her time in Canada.
“I’m definitely going to stick it out for the rest of the work permit and see how I feel after a couple of winters here,” she said with a laugh.
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