An Athlone woman's life in the city of Chicago

As the US Presidential campaign enters its closing stages, the mood in Chicago is "extremely tense," according to an Athlone native who has been living there for over a decade.

"The election certainly has caused interesting, heated debates," says Amanda Lynch.

"Similar to 2016, I think it will be a very close election with a lot weighing on the Electoral College. It's so important for eligible voters to vote!"

Amanda is a daughter of Alphonsus and Josephine Byrne from Barrymore, Athlone. She works as a marketing freelancer and content creator for brands in the US and abroad, and has 7,500 followers on her @amalynstyle Instagram account.

When she was a teenager she used to dream about living in the US and, surprisingly, she has Irish butter and cheese to thank for making this dream a reality.

Through the University of Limerick, she applied for an internship with Kerrygold and the Irish Dairy Council based in Orange County, California, which is about an hour south of Los Angeles.

"When I first heard about the internship opportunity I knew I had to go for it, but I was shocked when I actually got the job!" she recalls.

"Living by the beach and marketing Irish cheese and butter in California was pretty amazing in my early 20s."

The internship subsequently led to a position with the Irish Dairy Board (now Ornua) just outside Chicago. She met her Irish-American husband, Mike Lynch, at work and the couple have a son, Lincoln.

"Coincidentally, my husband has first cousins in Athlone. It's such a small world!" Amanda states.

She speaks about the variety of opportunities that are available in the US and of how much she enjoyed travelling to various parts of the country, pre-Covid.

"The people are lovely and they genuinely love to hear about Ireland. I love the fabulous food, exploring new places, and enjoying time with friends and family.

"While I'm a huge fan of Irish sports, I have come to love American sports too. My son has taught me a lot about baseball. Despite it being a 'slower' sport, once you learn the game, it is fun and intense to watch!"

Now self-employed, one of her recent work projects involved launching an eye-catching advertising campaign with the Fox TV network for 'Next', a drama series about artificial intelligence which stars John Slattery (of 'Mad Men' fame).

Asked about the popularity of her Instagram profile, Amanda says: "I have always loved photography and styling photos whether it's fashion, food, interiors or travel.

"I started posting to Instagram just as a creative outlet without even knowing that it would lead to creating content for brands here in the US and abroad. I also work with small businesses in helping them develop their social media strategies.

"I love the mix of creating content for established brands and also being an integral part of how small businesses execute their vision."

This year, of course, has been particularly turbulent in the US due to the devastating toll taken by the Coronavirus. Amanda says Chicago and other cities have "endured a lot" over recent months.

"When Covid hit, we went into quarantine mode. Both the Mayor of Chicago and Governor of Illinois were very proactive in shutting things down quickly, which of course caused much controversy in this diverse nation.

"Similar to Ireland, the streets and businesses were deserted from March to the end of May or early June. Following the horrific death of George Floyd in May, Chicago was hit with protests; looting alongside peaceful rallies.

"Businesses were rampaged, windows were smashed and boarded up and remain that way to this day. Our vibrant city has been hit hard with a number of businesses closing their doors for good."

Public schools in Chicago are currently still online, although hybrid models are due to be rolled out in the coming weeks which will offer the option of two days of in-person classes alongside three days of remote e-learning from home.

"We don't see full five-day in-person schooling until 2021," Amanda explains.

While she has enjoyed spending more time at home with her family - and perfecting her Irish brown bread recipe - the distance from her native country has been especially difficult this year.

She hasn't been back to Ireland in about three years, and had planned two trips that had to be postponed in 2020, one in the summer and one for Christmas.

"I miss my family and friends so much! It saddens me every time I think about when we will actually get home. Ireland will be our first trip out of the US when we can travel safely again," she says.

"I can't wait to get back home to do all of the things one takes for granted: walks down Hodson Bay with my family, lunch in the Left Bank with my friends from secondary school, beverages in the local and of course some shopping in town!

"I hope everyone stays safe and I can't wait to see you all soon," she concludes.