EVERY year thousands of people fly home for Christmas to visit family and friends in Donegal.
However it will very different this year with air travel restrictions, lockdown and quarantine measures currently in place due to the ongoing pandemic.
Harry Walsh spoke to five people living abroad to get their views on Christmas 2020 and their plans for the festive season.
ITALY
Letterkenny woman Siobhán Hegarty works as a wedding photographer throughout Umbria and central Italy. She lives in Acquasparta, a town in the province of Terni, with her husband Conor and two children Massimo (12) and Ilaria (9).
While there was no holiday in Italy for Siobhán and her family this year she did manage to get the children home to experience an Irish summer.
“We had a very lucky break in August which was an absolute blessing and superb weather too,” she said.
“We have no plans to go anywhere just now. It’s actually impossible to plan anything as our rules are changing daily. It’s gone made here again. We can’t leave the town. There’s no activities for the kids and we have a curfew.
“At the minute we cant even have our next door neighbour over for the usual Christmas dinner. Let’s see what happens closer to Christmas.
“I hope things are picking up for everyone at home. Italy has hit rock bottom and people are getting depressed. I guess it’s the same everywhere now..hanging out for hope and a vaccine,” she said.
SWITZERLAND
Originally from the Ballyraine Road, Letterkenny, Damien Flatley first moved to Germany in 1993 but now lives in Switzerland with his Spanish wife, Carmela and their 8-year-old daughter, Mia.
Carmela, who is a pharmacist, works for Johnson & Johnson and Damien works for UBS, Switzerland’s largest bank, as a HR Business Partner.
While Damien lives in Basel he works in Zurich, which is a 90 minute commute by train. He will not be coming home to see his parents Joe and Lily and other family members this Christmas.
“Thankfully everyone is still safe and sound here. We generally alternate Christmas between seeing my folks and my wife’s. Last year we were in Letterkenny, so we have plans to go to Spain this year although they’re far from clear yet due to ongoing restrictions.
“The next planned trip home will be for my sister Audrey’s daughter’s wedding next September,” he said.
FRANCE
Another Letterkenny man, Pádraig McGeehan hopes to come home early next month. Both he and his wife Catherine has called France home for the past seven years.
They are based near a small town called Prades, just in the foothills of the Pyrenees. It is about 45 minutes from Spain and quite near Andorra. Their biggest nearby town is Perpignan which has a nightly curfew from 8pm to 6am.
“It’s strange times – lockdown restarted here a week ago. We need to sign a form to go out and we’re only allowed to exercise within one kilometre of home. I’m envious of the five km limits in Ireland. There’s an online petition here at the moment to allow us the same freedom,” he laughed.
“Work and schools are allowed to open however is seems a lot busier than March (last lockdown) so it may not work. Numbers are really high and hospital are near capacity. Restrictions are tight and checks are frequent,” he said.
The couple run a holiday letting business catering mainly to Spanish customers who like to escape north for a break.
“Our rental business had to close its doors. We have a lot of health tourists in winter who avail of government sponsored spa health treatments. These centres are now closed and we also have some renovations planned so we have taken the decision to close shop until early spring. This gives us the opportunity to get back to Donegal early.
“Once restrictions ease at the beginning of December we intend to head back to Donegal by car. We intend to get tested locally before travelling. Our early arrival in Ireland will mean we can do our two week isolation before meeting family at Christmas. This is likely to be with only our immediate family. We have not seen our children, Niall and Claire, their partners Emma and Sean or our one year grandchild Odie since last year so we are really hoping that the lockdowns work and that Christmas may go ahead,” he said.
HONG KONG
JOHN Hone from the bottom of the High Road in Letterkenny has been living in Hong Kong since 1998. He had planned to go home for Easter but postponed the trip to the summer before being forced to defer it again since.
“This is the first time in my almost 60 years that I haven’t been home for more than a year and it’s not easy,” he said.
“We’re coming out of a third Covid wave here and things are still relatively normal within the city. But because of very strict quarantine rules, leaving and coming back is not really an option so I won’t be going home for Christmas.
“Being optimistic I’m hoping that entry and exit restrictions here will be eased by Easter but realistically it will probably be next summer.
“I’m surviving by living in the present and not thinking too much about the future.
“Christmas day will be spent with family and a few friends, eating and getting quietly sozzled while sending forlorn whattsapp messages tinged with homesickness,” he said.
Mr Hone was a teacher in a public school until 2016. He now works for the Hong Kong Government Education Bureau in teacher support and training. He said that he was very saddened to hear about Joe Kelly’s passingin the Donegal News.
“Fate put two Letterkenny men sitting beside each other the last time I flew from Dublin to Hong Kong. We spent twelve hours in each other’s company talking about St Eunan’s and old Letterkenny. He was a lovely guy. Too young, much too young. May he rest in peace,” he said.
AUSTRIA
Fintown woman Fionnuala Ni Cheallabhuí has been living in Niederau, a small village in the Tyrolean Alps, for much of the past fifteen years. Married to Helmut Margreiter the couple have two children Kiera and Daniel.
“I would like to go home during the Christmas break but it’s difficult to plan anything at the moment. I would normally go after Christmas (December 24 is the main day in Austria) and stay for a week or so and see all the family. New Year’s Eve is more of a celebration here with fireworks so came back last year for that,” she said.
Self employed, Ms Margreiter works as a Grants & Collaborations Manager for the European Huntington’s Disease Network whose headquarters are based at the University of Ulm, Germany.
“I’m not one to plan too far ahead…last minute is always an option! I was waiting for things to improve during the summer so that we could maybe travel to see the young cousins in Donegal but missed my chance. Some of my UK friends were home and back without any problems. We are in lockdown for at least a month now as Corona numbers are quite high.
“Schools are back this week after the autumn break and a light Corona lockdown has started this week too. Everyone should be at home by 8pm until 6am, restaurants and hotels closed but the shops remain open,” she said.
“I’m hoping that things improve everywhere soon,” she added.
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)