Dirty Laundry author Disha Bose on living in Ireland and how she made West Cork her home

One of the main characters in Disha Bose’s highly anticipated debut thriller moves from India to a small Cork town, just as the author did herself. Here, she writes about her own introduction to life in Ireland, and making West Cork home

Disha Bose: has fallen in love with living in Ireland. Pic: Emma Jervis

Never, not in my wildest dreams, had I imagined living in Ireland. When I left India, I’d built romantic notions of sharing an aesthetically pleasing loft in Manhattan with a group of stylish best friends, or blending into the corporate crowd walking across Tower Bridge in long wool coats, but never had I pictured myself having grown so accustomed to Irish country living that I barely notice the smell of slurry anymore.

In my early 20s, while I was living ‘the dream’ in London, I met a lovely Irish man. Our first few encounters were at drunken gatherings, but when I was clear-headed in the mornings, I was convinced he had a gentle soul and good manners. Less than a year after we had met, we moved to Ireland together, and he insisted that I watch all the episodes of Father Ted in preparation.