Why are there so many Brazilians living in Gort, Ireland?

Question

Just seems strange to me as Brazil isn't in the EU

Answer 1

There are many Brazilians settling in Galway particularly Gort.

"Sandra and Cleomar Gomes are from Anapolis, near Brasilia in the heart of Brazil but have settled in Gort Co Galway" for example.

There does seem to be work available for the people from South America. I'm not sure why they would swap their climate for Ireland's - clearly the quality of life must be better in Gort particularly for the children.

Answer 2

There was a documentary on Irish Tv, RTE, recently on the Brazilians living in Gort and the diversity they have brought to the place. There is alot of employment for them in Gort. They have their own community in Gort, alot of them live in the one appartment complex so I don't think they feel like they have left Brazil at all (besides the weather obviously!) The documentary was absolutley fantastic. They took part in the St Patricks Day parades and the display they put on was superb! I love the brazilians living here in Ireland, I have made some brazilian friends in dublin, absolutely great people, love them!!

Answer 3

there are lots of Brazilians in Dublin too. They are all coming to learn english and stay to work for a bit and then usually travel to the continent to Visit some of the countries there.

Answer 4

I think it has to do with the fact they are employed in the meat factory in gort

Answer 5

Well it's not the weather!! maybe it's the waxes! after all the "Gortian Wax" is world famous!!

Answer 6

Lynne Kelleher

A TOWN in the west of Ireland has become “samba city”, with a quarter of its residents now hailing from Brazil.

The 2,400-strong population of Gort, Co Galway, has been swelled by a contingent of 600 Brazilians who have settled there over the past four years.

Signs in the local shops are now written in both Portuguese and English, and the Brazilians organise their own concerts and a summer carnival. The Assembleia de Deus, a Pentecostal congregation, has set up a church, and many of Gort’s Brazilians go to the local leisure centre three times a week to pray.

The South Americans were first attracted to the isolated town by jobs at Duffy’s meat plant, but now the new residents work in every part of Gort.

Brian Lynch, the factory manager, says about half his staff are from Brazil. “Sean Duffy went there a few years ago and brought back two or three skilled people. They got on well and more came. Then a lot of the Brazilians brought their brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles and aunts to Ireland,” said Lynch. “All our signs in the factory are in both English and Portuguese. We have translators as well to help people out, but a lot of them have studied English and are quite fluent.

“The Brazilians are lovely people. We have Brazilian nights out. They don’t drink very much but they would dance all night.”

Hundreds of Brazilians gathered in the town’s square in their native costume for 12 hours of dancing to celebrate the carnival season in their own country last summer.

Western Union has been persuaded to open a branch in the town because the workforce send a substantial volume of money back home each week.

The principal of the Convent of Mercy primary, Sr John, said more than 30 children from Brazil attend the national school in the town. Two language support teachers help the newcomers grasp English.

“We try to understand Portuguese as best we can and some of the children pick it up. When a lot of the children arrive they have no English, so it’s quite difficult at the start,” she said. “They play well with the other children and seem to fit in well.”

Brazilian mother-of-two Lucimeire Trindade said she loves everything about Gort — except the weather. She had never even heard of Ireland until a few years ago. “I only heard about it when my husband came to work in Roscommon in 1999. Now I work in Duffy’s and my husband, Marciel, works in another meat plant in the town.”

The 28-year-old feels completely at home in Gort but desperately misses her two sons who returned to Anapolis with her mother last September. “I miss my children, Sagio, who’s seven and Gabriel, who’s three. They were with me for two years and my second baby was born in Ireland. My mum was here with them and she decided to go back because she missed her own mother. I wouldn’t be able to cope without my mother because she minded them. Hopefully they will come back soon.”

Initial wariness by the locals has now dissipated, and the two cultures exchange tips on customs, cooking and even language. “I knew about seven Irish people speaking very good Portuguese,” said Trindade. “Most of the Irish people say ‘good morning’, ‘goodbye’ and ‘thank you’ in Brazilian. A lot of Irish people are learning the Brazilian dance and we cook Brazilian dishes for them as well.”