Scott De Buitléir

When I first visited Nottingham, I was smitten.

The landscape of the East Midlands, from Leicestershire to Nottinghamshire and beyond, was beautiful in my eyes. The charm of my first few visits to Nottingham would turn out to have a lasting effect on me: 18 months later, and I made the decision to join my partner in Robin Hood’s hometown, and start a new chapter of my life in this beautiful part of England. 

The 18 months after that were something special. I’ve seen more of England than ever before, from the undulating hills of Lincolnshire to the chilled-out vibe of Brighton. I’ve camped in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, partied in Manchester and Leeds, wandered around Stratford-upon-Avon, dined in Birmingham, and spent quality time with friends and family in London. I’ve done so much more than all that, and enjoyed every minute along the way.

For all the good moments I’ve experienced in England, however, I knew from the start that it would not be forever. Both my partner and I consider ourselves to be homebirds, and that Ireland would always be our real home, even if our apartment in Nottingham was our home for the moment. We thought that we’d be here for a while; not giving ourselves a specific end date, as we knew that it was difficult to plan for major changes like that. We’d go with the flow, and make our home in England for as long as it felt right.

Just as the stars aligned themselves to allow me to move over to England back in 2015, they have re-aligned themselves once again – this time, for both of us: We’re coming home.

In a little under two months’ time, I’ll be preparing to say goodbye to our home in Nottingham, and make the move to Cork to start a new job there from July. While I genuinely have loved my time in England, I can’t wait to get back to Ireland. There are people, places, and things that I’ll definitely miss from Nottingham, but thankfully, Ireland and England aren’t too far away from one another, so it’s never goodbye for good.

Still, it’s time to come home. Ar aghaidh linn!