A new life Down Under for Ballydangan man

JOSEPH O'CONNELL

Joe O'Connell, from Kilcastle, Ballydangan, has been living in Sydney since 2008, where he runs his own civil construction business, Kilcastle & Co. He is a son of Joe Sr and Eileen, and his family includes his sister Margaret and her husband Joe, brother Danny and his wife Fiona, sister Mary and her husband Seamus, brother John and his wife Maura, and brother Pat and his wife Regina.

How did your move to Sydney come about?

Like a lot of Irish at the time, myself and five mates decided to head over to Australia for the craic, for a year, in 2008. All of the lads were from the Athlone area. Unfortunately, due to the global financial crisis that followed, it made more sense to stay in Australia, and Sydney in particular, as the construction industry was still booming here and things were very unpredictable in Ireland. A few of the lads headed back, but I got the opportunity to get sponsored to stay here. The weather and the Irish community in Sydney were the major factors that made it easy.

Could you tell me a bit about the company you run there?

I started Kilcastle & Co, a civil construction company, in 2017. The company specialises in infrastructure, utility and drainage installation or renewal, and bulk earthworks. In 2019, I joined forces with a man from Clare. We have anywhere between 15 and 25 lads on at any one time, with probably 80% Irish, but we're always looking to expand.

Workers have been scarce for the past few years. During the pandemic, lads were moving home and nobody was coming to replace them. But, fortunately, Australia has opened the borders again, and I think the Government are throwing out the visas again, so hopefully there will be a bit of movement there. We can sponsor people to stay in Australia, which helps.

We're always looking for workers such as site or project engineers, excavator operators, heavy truck drivers, pipelayers, and ground workers, so if anyone wants to get in touch they can reach me at: joe@kilcastleandco.com.au

What are the best and worst things about living in Australia?

The best thing about being out here has to be the weather and the amount of opportunities. You just need a good work ethic to succeed here. Also, the GAA community is great here. As a Padraig Pearses man in Roscommon, I never thought I'd end up playing for a Clann na nGael team, but I did in Sydney and the craic was mighty! Unfortunately, I'm past it now, and there's no Junior B level here!

Another of the best things is that you meet a lot of people from all the different corners of Ireland, who you would never have met by staying at home, and you develop some great friendships with them

The worst thing, obviously, is missing family and friends. I've missed a lot of family events, be it weddings, funerals, birthdays, etc. I do get home for the odd one, but I have missed a lot. We're just a bit too far away down here. And my son is growing up without really getting to know his cousins, which is hard.

What is the build-up to Christmas like in Sydney?

The build-up is not the same, really. It's hard when it's 30 or 35 degree heat for a month before it. But the Irish community is great here, around the eastern suburbs of Sydney, and there's always great singing and dancing in the pubs around Christmas. It's a bit different alright with kids, but there's lots to do and the local councils are great for putting on free Christmas markets and concerts, etc. Santa certainly has his work cut out for him doing the rounds here.

What are your own plans for Christmas Day this year?

We're having a nice quiet Christmas at home, with my partner's sister also here. Santa will be calling in the morning, so there will be chaos for a few hours. I'll be honest, my partner Ciara does most of the cooking all year round, so I'll put on the apron for the big day.

We'll have friends over for a BBQ on Stephen's Day and then we're off on holidays for a week up the coast with a group of friends. A lot of Irish people do something similar, as Australia has hundreds of nice beachside towns that are perfect for getaways.

What are some of the things you will miss about Christmas in Ireland?

The family dinner, first of all. My mother usually goes all out with the trimmings. Then the lounging around, ready to burst for a couple of hours, and the cards that night. I'll also miss the local pub around Christmas time. Mine was Millars, in Ballydangan, which was always good craic because with a lot of neighbours and friends home you'd get to catch up with people you wouldn't have seen for a few years.

Is there any message you would like to send to your friends or family reading this?

Obviously with Covid around the last few Christmases have been hard on everyone, but hopefully this year everyone can get back to normal and enjoy it the way it should be enjoyed. We'll miss you all again, but eat well and be merry. We hope Santa comes to ye all. Stay safe, and we'll see you whenever we can get home again.