“It’s so strange to see 28 degrees in the lead-up to Christmas”
Paul Luby is from Rahan, outside Tullamore. A graduate of NUI Maynooth, he says he ended up moving to Australia after a night out in the Thatch in Rahan where he was socialising with a group of friends and one of them said “wouldn't it be funny if we all went to Australia” - and so they did!
Paul now works in construction and says the biggest difference between being at home in Rahan and his new surroundings is definitely the weather. “It's so strange to see the weather being 28 degrees in the lead-up to Christmas,” he admits.
As he prepares to spend his first Christmas away from home, he says the worst part about living so far away is missing his family, and especially his dog Prince. “He's going on 16 now, so there's life in the auld dog yet,” he says hopefully. Another downside of his new surroundings are the "swooping magpies" in his neighbourhood.
On the other hand he is really enjoying the nightlife in Sydney. “Wherever you go, you'll end up with a load of Irish people,” he says.
The Rahan native is planning to spend Christmas with his fellow Offalians, Greg Galvin, Jake Cooney and Daniel Britten. “We'll be having our dinner on Christmas Eve then heading to Bondi Beach on Christmas Day, trying not to get burnt!” he says.
They will ring in the New Year at Sydney Harbour where there will be "fireworks and drinking" according to Paul.
He would like to send greetings to his parents Ita and Pius, his sisters Sharleen, Lorraine, Lisa, Aisling, and of course, his beloved dog, Prince.