Have you ever wondered what Ireland looks like from the perspective of someone who chooses to become one of her people, rather than being born to it? Check out this fascinating insight, first published by Claire Burge on her website ClareBurge.com and republished here with permission of the author. ____________________________________________________ An open letter to the country of Ireland and her people, You know how to seduce a girl … you make me your own on a week when the sun is shining brighter than it has in 9 months. Today I become an Irish citizen. My ceremony starts at 11:30am and will be held in the Convention Centre, on the quays. I write from Kaph café. Dublin is bustling. A tv show is being recorded live just down the street. A man takes a long slow drag of his cigarette while his hand absently fiddles with his dreads. Potent smells stream out of the Asia Market, the coriander catches me. A man with a beard, a peppered one, quintessentially Irish, leans against the glass, closes his eyes and soaks up every drop of sunshine. A woman makes her way into the café, orders a skinny latte, haggles in her own mind over a sweet treat and smiles coyly at the waiter. This city is alive: with love, with culture, with difference, with languages. There is an undercurrent of energy that swoops you up and takes you in. I am honoured to be making it a real home. Thank you for the welcome and the invite to stay … There are 17 things from the past six years that stand out to me about this country:

1. The way you open yourselves to other nationalities: you are genuinely welcoming
2. The way you fell economically, admitted it and made a plan to get out of the mess
3. The way you address injustice on many levels
4. The way you probe into inefficiencies
5. The way you structure business support systems to really help small businesses grow, develop, fly
6. The way you stubbornly refuse to be moulded into any other shape: you’re proudly Irish
7. The way you market yourselves abroad
8. The way you market yourselves at home to your own people
9. The way you talk and ask question after question to get to the bottom of where someone comes from
10. The way your word of mouth referral system helps businesses to fly
11. The way you create business structures that attract foreign direct investment
12. The way you challenge entrepreneurs to think big, really big
13. The way you protect families and family life
14. The ways in which you discuss the weather just because it’s a good way to get any conversation started
15. The way you create networks that really help people to progress in their pursuits
16. The way in which you constantly play yourselves down: self-deprecation at its best
17. The never ending green …

Here’s to the future, Ireland. Much love, Claire