We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value.

Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth.

Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism.

For everyone who needs it.

One-off amount I already contribute Sign in.

It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.

An account is an optional way to support the work we do.

Find out more.

Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment Domino's Best of the Box The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Sasha Piton took a trip to the cinema in Dublin this week to see The Odyssey and made a new friend along the way.Alamy Stock Photo Dublin Diaries An American in Ireland: Making new friends is my own personal Odyssey A chance connection on the way to the cinema got Sasha Piton thinking about the trials of breaking in to Irish friend groups.

8.01pm, 20 Jul 2026 Share options Sasha Piton Irish-French-American Sasha Piton has travelled widely outside the US but has recently settled in Dublin.

In her new series for The Journal, she shares the insights of a new arrival on a country she’s trying to call home.

THERE IS SOMETHING that happens when one moves to a new place.

It’s a searching and a yearning that’s not just for “home” or for your new hair salon or your new nail place but it’s also a search for community.

The people that will show up for you when you need it most.

The people who bring joy and laughter and can make any situation more human.

A family-friendly lifestyle is one of the things that draws people to Ireland especially for Americans, whose ancestors hail from here.

It feels like a call back to home to step foot on the soil and to make a life here, but one of the challenges is then breaking into the very family-oriented, close-knit groups.

The other day I got on the train to head into the city centre to catch the premiere of The Odyssey at the Irish Film Institute.

It was quite busy and I found a seat across from a woman who was knitting on her lap.

I loved watching her hands move with knowledge and to see this piece coming together, so I asked her, “What are you working on?” She responded, “It’s a sweater.” We both smiled and I said, “Oh I see that coming together! It’s nice!” “Many hours on the Dart,” she said.

And I then clocked it: her American accent.

We talked for the entire duration of our train ride, laughed about life abroad, and we got out at the same stop.

Without missing a beat, we were following each other on social media, wishing each other the best with our plans and she asked me to tell her how the movie was because she’s headed to go see it with friends in the coming week.

Advertisement Sasha's chat with another American made her realise that many of the connections she's made in Ireland so far have been with other immigrants also trying to find community.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo (The movie, by the way, is absolutely brilliant! And the Irish Film Institute is a lovely theatre that really elevated the experience of diving into Greek mythology and the people of the sea.) Yearning for connection That moment on the train, however, was not Greek nor Irish but uniquely American.

In general, we make friends so easily and want to stay in touch and have follow up conversations after our first encounter.

It’s the being in the club bathroom at 2am and using hairspray from your purse to fix a stranger’s hair, sharing a pack of gum and perfume spritzes, and taking a pic before we all head back to the dance floor in the early 2000s.

As I’ve toted all over Dublin in public transport, I’ve started to notice — it’s never the Irish woman on the bus I’m mid-conversation with.

It’s always another immigrant.

Someone else still circling, looking for a way in.

I have lived in many states throughout the USA and used to travel for my job and I truly can talk to people anywhere! I love that I meet kind people here who will give me directions, recommend where I can shop for clothes and where find a toaster.