Jess moved to Ireland in 2018 with her family.
Interview:
1) How did you feel on 24th June when you heard about the UK’s vote to leave the EU?
Really shocked, I felt that most of the people that I knew would be voting to remain so I didn’t expect it.
2) What were the key driving factors that made you decide to leave the UK?
Mainly my kids, they are both teenagers and are very happy that we made the move.
3) How/why did you choose your current country of residence?
We had visited often and in terms of education and travelling back to see family Ireland is a good option.
4) Do you have citizenship for your current country? Do you still have EU citizenship? If no, are you hoping to obtain it?
We don’t have citizenship yet but hope to in the future.
5) Do you plan to return to the UK or hope to move to another country in the future?
We are happily settled here now and plan to stay.
6) What was the most difficult aspect/greatest you challenge you faced in moving?
The paperwork, I don’t enjoy form filling and there seemed to be a lot.
7) What do you miss most about the UK?
Being apart from family and friends is hard, we still get to see people regularly but obviously the spontaneity is gone.
8) What do you love most about your current country of residence?
The people and being by the sea.
9) Do you consider yourself to have a “European identity” and what that does that mean to you?
I do consider myself as European, to me that means being part of a larger community with lots of extra protection and privileges.
10) Do you still consider yourself to have a “British identity” and how do you feel about it?
I do still feel British but am very conflicted about it because of the way that we are perceived by a lot of people in the world.
Additional Questions (relating to Corona Virus)
11) How has the Covid19 pandemic affected your life?
Schools in Ireland closed before the UK so we have had a long period of completing homework which looks set to continue. We live in a rural area so have a bit more freedom in terms of getting out to exercise so I feel quite lucky.
12) How do you feel about your country’s response to the Covid19 pandemic compared to the UK government & media?
It’s hard to know because the media and social media aren’t a reliable judge of what is actually happening; It feels like the Irish government have been more decisive and that the population have been quicker to respond and in a more positive way. It felt strange when we were already isolating with schools and pubs shut but the UK were still carrying on as normal.