Conor Hanratty: These seven words had a happy impact on my life after returning home from LA

Sometimes one’s life path can turn on a simple utterance from someone else. That’s exactly what happened for theatre and opera director Conor Hanratty. He tells Helen O’Callaghan about seven words, said with warmth and genuineness, that paved the way for an unexpected pivot

Conor Hanratty: 'Sometimes a warm word can have a very happy impact, and I’ve always been incredibly grateful to Niamh O'Donnell for hers.' Pictures: Brian McEvoy

In March 2011, I was in my final year of graduate school, studying directing at the University of California, Los Angeles. I had just worked on my first opera, and had been offered an exciting job with a major Hollywood studio. I had spent most of my 20s living away from home, in London, and Tokyo, and had been in California for the best part of three years.

I loved living in new places. I loved adapting to the rhythm of a new city, but I always carried a quiet, constant friction — the small, daily effort of navigating a culture that isn’t quite your own. The little things that make you feel you’re a foreigner there.