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At this time of year many families are preparing not only for Christmas but also to welcome home friends and family living abroad. And so earlier this month Government launched a new campaign - #hometowork - to communicate to Irish diaspora coming home for Christmas to invite them to consider moving back to Ireland. 

Minister Deenihan got the conversation going at a diaspora conference in Dingle called Ireland's Edge at the beginning of the month. The Minister was joined at the conference by Eamonn Sinnott of Intel, Professor Linda Doyle of UCD, Ciara Kenny of the Irish Times and numerous other speakers and musicians to discuss the diaspora and creativity, and opportunities in Ireland to live and work.

Check out this video which gives a flavour of some of the conversation on the day, and reasons why now is perhaps a good time to look at moving home to Ireland. And below, we've the story of one Clare man who recently moved home from Canada on why he decided to come home and how he's found the experience of moving back to Ireland.

Why I returned to Ireland - Conor Bredin 

Co. Clare native Conor Bredin (Manufacturing Engineer) recently returned home from Canada to work in Ireland with the help of a local recruitment company Sigmar Recruitment. Conor has secured a role with Boston Scientific in Galway. Read on to find out about his experience of moving back to Ireland....

How do you feel about being home?

“I love being home. I feel the country has improved so much for me having had the perspective of living abroad. It’s refreshing to see the economy improving”

Was it difficult to find a job at home?

“Sigmar made finding a job at home incredibly easy. After submitting my CV for one role that they advertised, they asked me about the kind of role I was looking for and proposed a number of other roles which would suit my experience and interests. It really took a lot of the hunting out of the process and allowed me to enjoy my last few weeks abroad with a real possibility of having a role lined up for as soon as I got home.

Why did you choose to return to Ireland?

“A lot of factors but ultimately to be closer to family. Conveniently there were a lot of jobs going in Galway at the time and it was a very easy move.”

What is the best thing about being back in Ireland?

“There’s so much to do in Ireland and everything is nearby, compared to the vastness of Canada. My favourite thing about being home is the great and active bunch of friends I have here who are always doing something at the weekends”

For more information

For practical information on moving home to Ireland, check out hometowork.ie

Join the conversation on twitter at #hometowork.