VIDEO: There’s nowhere like Ireland for the emigrants coming home for Christmas

The Irish have a terrible habit of mixing up their sorrow for their joy. We are a nation of emigrants. As we flock to airports every Christmas to welcome our loved ones home, the reunions are always so bittersweet as happiness comes in the form of floods of tears.

In Dublin Airport yesterday, returning emigrants were arriving in their droves, met by banners and balloons.

One sign in particular caught many the teary eye. It read ‘Welcome home baby Sonny’. Up until yesterday, 9-week-old Sonny had never set foot on home soil.

“My grandchild, who I haven’t met yet, is coming in from Australia, I can’t wait. I’ve seen him on Skype but it’s not the same, my first grandchild,” said Cathy McCullough, from Newry, about her son and his wife Emily.

Emily McCullough and son Sonny are welcomed home by her family, from left, Cathy McCullough, Martin Murphy, Willie McCullough, and Angela Murphy at Dublin Airport. Picture: Colin Keegan

“My son Jonathan is living in Australia for the last six years, so we saw them almost two years ago: We were out and they haven’t been home since we saw them.

“There’s loads of work out there for him and they’re both working away and they’re happy enough. It’s so surreal, even though we’ve seen him (baby Sonny) on video-calls it’s just not the same.”

Another sign read: ‘Will you be my bridesmaid?’

It was held by Cliodhna Cullen as she waited for her oldest friend, Megan Fortune, to come through the sliding doors.

Megan who lives in Vancouver and has been out of Ireland for the last 18 months, had no idea Cliodhna would be at the airport to greet her. She agreed, wholeheartedly, to be her best friend’s bridesmaid.

Two younger girls also holding up a sign, complete with a tinsel border, were Charlotte Teeling, 7, and Georgia Doran, 5. Dressed in their Santa hats, they were waiting excitedly for their uncle Christopher Keegan to walk through the doors.

“Travelling is amazing but there’s nowhere like Ireland really, I miss it. You can’t beat it. I miss the kids,” said Christopher, who’s home from Canada.

Richard Stephens, living in Canada, with his daughters Ava and Isabell, from Killaloe, after arriving home. Picture: Brian Gavin

One reunion, of little words, was that of Christina Faherty with her family from Ballyshannon. She hasn’t been home for Christmas in four years as she lives in Australia.

It was all too overwhelming for her mother Pauline, whose tears wouldn’t let her find the words to say how she felt about her daughter’s return.

Another mother in Dublin Airport yesterday morning was Helen Callinan, who, standing by herself and dressed in full Mrs Claus attire, waited patiently for her son Mark to come home from New York.

“It was very hard not having him home for Christmas. I was in New York last year for Christmas but it wasn’t the same, you know. I’m going to celebrate it with my friends, my family, celebrate and chill and catch up and hope for the best,” she said.

For all the hustle and bustle and last-minute purchases nothing can beat the tearful joy of family and friends reuniting at Christmas.

Yesterday in Dublin Airport, it seemed like nothing else mattered.