07.09.2022
We have noticed how for some of our clients, ties with their home county and country is unbreakable. For some who are not tech savvy, family in Ireland will help with navigating the minefield website that is Ryanair. This was brought home to me this week when one of our regulars came in. He was speaking about going “home” at Christmas. I asked if he needed some help with booking the flights. He said “No sure my brother’s wife does all that, she books the flights for me, Christmas Easter, and Summer. She prints off the boarding passes and posts them over to me.” I asked client if he enjoyed his trips over and what he gets up to whilst there. He said, “sure the rain would cut the nose off you in the winter, 10 seconds outside and you’d be drenched”. Client lives 100 yards from the Atlantic Ocean so no wonder. He went on to tell me how recently they’d played 25 till 2 in the morning and it was great, the time flew. This was heart-warming to hear, knowing that he is still a part of the family, not just in theory but in the way he is encouraged to go home regularly and can fall into a familiar routine with no fuss.
Sadly, though for others, and for the majority of our clients, they feel disconnected from their family in Ireland. This can be for many reasons. Disagreements or not feeling wanted can lead some to just not bother to go and the years as we know fly past. When parents have passed away and other family members are busy with their lives, some feel there’s no home to go to. At Ashford Place we do all we can to help, e.g. facilitating someone to make a call to a family member across the Irish sea. We also help with booking flights and trains. For those who just don’t go home for whatever reason, we hope that they find some comfort meeting old and new friends at Ashford place, watching a Gaelic game or listening to their favourite tune from home.