Ollie's home from home
"I went there for six months and I've stayed for ten years. It's a great place ... when I come home from work I can just get changed and in five minutes I'm walking along the beach."
It wasn't just the proximity of the beach that kept him on the island that is fabled for being home to the very rich. He met Natalie soon after he arrived. She's now his wife and they have a little daughter, Mollie.
Going to Jersey was thanks to FAS, the state training and recruitment agency, which landed him a job as a bar manager on the island.
"It was the first time I'd ever been abroad except on holidays. I got the job, and a one-way ticket, and I've been here ever since."
These days Ollie is working for a bank on Jersey, and has no plans to ever leave. The island is English-speaking, but very close to France, and has a mix of both nations. What he particularly appreciates is the absence of crime.
"It is very safe, I can leave my car open at night outside the house, and it's a great place to bring up a family."
Though he will always think of Kilcullen as his home, Jersey is where home will be for his future. He and Natalie have their own house -- possible to buy only because she is from the island.
"It's my home now, my family is here. The place gets into your blood. It is hard to explain to people from home, you have to come and experience it. That said, you have to get off 'the rock' sometimes and come back here."
Apart from seeing the people back in Kilcullen, Ollie also takes advantage of the trips to go to some of the big stores like Dunnes and M&S, to buy clothes for their daughter. "We don't have big stores like that on Jersey, though we can be in France in an hour on the ferry."
The ethos is more British than French, Ollie says. "When it suits them, anyhow. If there's a world cup soccer game with England playing, you'll see everybody in English jerseys."
Access to Jersey from Ireland in the winter months involves flying through Heathrow, but from April to October there are direct flights operated by Aer Lingus.
"I'd recommend anyone from Kilcullen to come out and have a look. It's a beautiful island, the sunniest place in Britain -- from April to September you'll be guaranteed good weather."
There's also a strong history to the place, especially relating to WW II. "The war tunnels are well worth visiting, and whenever anybody comes over I always bring them to see them."
When people from outside go to Jersey, the immediate perception is that it is a really laid back place. And part of that might be because it has some things that we no longer have.
"Shops don't open on Sundays, for instance. Apart from newspapers and some small things like that, you can't shop on Sundays. It seems a bit weird."
Just now, Ollie and a few Irish friends living on the island are trying to get the local Irish Society up and running again, so they can show a presence from the old country during festive occasions, like St Patrick's Day. But home is where the heart is, and now Ollie's heart is in Jersey.
"It's me now," he says with a happy grin.
Brian Byrne.
