Tag Archives: home for Christmas

WHILE there was joy unconfined at Shannon Airport in the days before Christmas as emigrants arrived, the other side of the coin can be seen this week, as families wave off their loved ones. Antoinette Jenkins came home from Perth, with her husband, Mark, and their three children. Her parents, Sean and Mary Nestor, were saying goodbye to them in the terminal on Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures in Perth regularly hit 30oC during December, which was in stark contrast to the wintry conditions at Shannon but the weather didn’t dim her enjoyment of the visit at all. “We had a lovely time. It was great to be back and to see all the family. It’s very, very hot there [in Perth] and very cold here but we love the change, so it’s all good.” She has been in Australia for 18 years and is well settled there now. “It’s great, we’ve lots of friends there but it’s also great to get …

FAMILIES were reunited, tears were shed and hugs swapped as emigrants returning for Christmas arrived at Shannon this week. On Monday afternoon, the Heathrow-Shannon flight was packed with people arriving home from various corners of the world, with dozens waiting in the terminal to greet them.   Michelle Davitt of Galway was at Shannon to collect her brother, who manages a restaurant in Washington. “He hasn’t been home for Christmas in 12 years, so it’s a long time. He has been home during summers and stuff, but not for Christmas,” she said. She was the only member of her family who knew he was coming, as his arrival was being kept as a seasonal surprise. Deirdre O’Rourke was waiting for her brother, Sean. “He’s coming from England and it’s the first time in 21 years he’s been home for Christmas. We’re really looking forward to it and we’re going to make a show of him.” When he stepped through the …