Published: Friday, 5th March, 2010 10:00am

Koh Tao or Killeshandra? You choose...

"It's a beautiful place, a kind of paradise island, really chilled out," says Barry about Koh Tao. This photo of Barry Carson from Killeshandra was taken on the diveboat off the coast of Koh Tao in Thailand last June. His two older brothers and his sister-in-law travelled from Ireland for a holiday and Barry flew from New South Wales to meet them.
Pic by==: 97

Barry Carson left his native Killeshandra in August 2008 and made the journey to New South Wales in Australia. With his travels prior to that being "nil", he was "itching to get away somewhere, anywhere".

The recession wasn't a factor, but Barry believes the push factors motivating young people to leave Ireland needn't be such a bad thing.

Still out there and thinking he might stay on for a few years, Barry now reckons "that emigration can be a good move rather than a last resort and that maybe the recession could have been the kick in the backside that some people needed to see the world".

He misses his family but, on the up-side, spends lots of time with his new Aussie girlfriend. As for his friends - "so many of them are Australia-bound now that I'll probably see them out here pretty soon".

Trained as an instrumentation technician, Barry had just completed his apprenticeship when he decided to head off, and he has secured work in his area.

His original plan was for short-term travel, but is now considering staying for a few years.

His hobbies at home were playing rugby, going to the gym, waterskiing and wakeboarding, and he's now added swimming, scuba-diving, surfing, watching Aussie rules, rugby league and cricket to the list.

Here's Barry's email from Australia to his local newspaper...

A typical working day:

Up about 6am, head to site, hits 30 degrees around 9am in the summer, spend half the day trying to stay in the shade and drink enough water to stay hydrated and the rest of the time installing, wiring and testing new equipment. Get home around 5.30pm, go to rugby training, swimming or the gym, have dinner, relax, maybe call home and get to bed early.

A typical day off:

These are usually just on Sundays, apart from long weekends, so it usually just involves relaxing, going swimming and heading to the pub with the lads.

Any new interests since you went abroad?

I suppose the main thing would have to be that I've started going out with a girl from Newcastle, New South Wales. She tends to take up a lot of my time. She's a student and really keen to travel when she's not in 'uni' so that's a good incentive for me to keep working and saving money for travelling.

What, if anything, do you miss about home?

My family. We're all pretty close so it's been tough being away from them but I think they're happy that I've got more job opportunities out here since things are so bad in Ireland right now. I also miss my friends but so many of them are Australia bound now that I'll probably see them out here pretty soon.

Why did you head abroad?

I had just qualified, and since I did an apprenticeship, I never had summer holidays like students so I didn't have the option to go abroad on a J1 or anything, so I was itching to get away somewhere, anywhere!

Was the recession a factor in your decision?

Actually no, I left in August 2008, almost immediately before the recession hit really hard. It worked out pretty well that I'd decided to leave before I was forced to.

Would you come home, cut short your travels or not have gone in the first place if there was a career opportunity here for you?

I had a job offer from the company that I served my apprenticeship with but I didn't want to commit to it because if I did, I thought that before I knew it, my twenties would have passed and I wouldn't have seen any of the world. I really didn't want to let that happen.

What, if any, are yours plans regarding coming back?

I love the weather and the lifestyle in Australia but Ireland is my home and unless the country never recovers then I'll be home eventually...

How or why are your travels benefiting you?

Even though it wasn't my original plan to work full time here, my career is really benefiting from being here. I am getting so much experience in the construction aspect of my trade and with factories shutting down every week in Ireland whilst Australia has massive industrial construction projects starting all the time, then leaving Ireland would have been the only option to get this experience.

Any challenges or downsides to your trip?

The amount of red tape there is in the Australian Department of Immigration and of course the fact that they charge so much for skilled workers (which their country still needs) to have a visa granted. But then again you can take the man out of Cavan etc!

Would you go again? Would you do anything differently?

Well, I'm still here so that says it all! I still haven't seen as much of Australia as I'd like, or New Zealand, but that's definitely on the cards for 2010 and 2011.

Have your travels changed you? If so, how?

I don't believe I've changed greatly, probably matured a bit. Coming to Oz on my own didn't scare me until I actually arrived but by then I had no choice but to get on with it. I'd like to think that now I approach every situation with the same attitude.

Favourite place you've been (anywhere) and why:

Koh Tao in Thailand. I learned to dive there with two of my brothers. It's a beautiful place, a kind of paradise island, really chilled out. There's so much to do there but at your own pace.

Your abiding memory of your overseas adventure (so far) - the experience, day or moment that you'll always remember?

My first night-dive - the most relaxing and incredible experience of my life, no sound except for your own breath, absolute darkness and the feeling of weightlessness...

• Keep us posted on your travels at sinead@anglocelt.ie.

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