The Byrne story

Dublin, Ireland to Virginia, USA · 2011/2014

I grew up in Dublin, but America called to me from a young age. Both sides of my family had deep ties there. On my dad's side, my grandfather, originally from Kiltimagh in Mayo, worked in New York City before moving back to Ireland and meeting my grandmother. My aunt Mary later moved to San Diego with her family. On my mom's side, my uncle John, from Drogheda in Louth, moved to Boston with his family. Visiting cousins in the US as a kid shaped how I saw the country long before I ever considered living there myself.

After college, I started working at Google. That job gave me my first real look at the American business mindset: innovation, perseverance, and the belief that anyone can succeed with enough drive. It stuck with me.

I left Ireland in 2011 and moved to London, but the dream of living in the US never went away. At the end of 2013, I took a trip to New York with some friends. That trip is where I made myself a promise: I would live there within 18 months.

An opportunity at Google made it happen. I moved to New York City not knowing many people. Through work, I met people who are still close friends today. I also started going to Irish diaspora networking events hosted by Digital Irish. I hadn't expected to reconnect with Ireland so quickly after leaving, but Digital Irish introduced me to a lot of people who had made the same move I had: to New York, without knowing the city or many people in it.

In New York, I met my now wife, Joanne. Shortly after the pandemic hit, we decided to move closer to her family in Maryland and Virginia. We married four years ago in Maryland, surrounded by the friends and family we'd made in the US. A few weeks later, we had a reception in Dublin with our Irish family and friends.

We now live in Alexandria, Virginia, with our two dogs. Today, I'm proud to call myself an American citizen.

I'm also now on the board of Digital Irish, where I run the DC chapter and host the Digital Irish podcast, supporting Irish people and businesses as they make the same move I did, from Ireland to the US.

[Photo: New York City, end of 2013: the trip where I promised myself I'd live here within 18 months.]