'The political stuff pushed us over the edge': Meet five Americans who made Ireland their home

Nearly 10,000 Americans moved to Ireland in the year to April 2025 — almost double the previous year. As the US marks Independence Day, Kirstie McDermott meets those who’ve made Ireland home 

From the political to the personal, these five American immigrants to Ireland share their stories of settling on the Emerald Isle

Americans have long loved Ireland, which is no surprise considering about 35 million of them identify as Irish to some degree. Where Ireland traditionally sent her sons and daughters to the US in search of a better life, now the tables are turning.

Central Statistics Office figures reveal that 9,600 people moved to the Republic of Ireland from the US in 2025, up from 4,900 in 2024. One of the most visible examples of this surge is comedian Rosie O’Donnell, who moved here at the start of 2025. “It was very strange to feel so at home in a new country,” she told the Irish Examiner in February. “But I do.”