Irish In Exile #9 : Jenny Fay
Jenny Fay seems to have tried her hand at almost everything in her 35 short years, but it was a three-year stay in Australia and New Zealand that provided her with a sense of direction for the first time.
“We were always busy,” she says of her time growing up in Crumlin, although that sounds like an understatement when she recalls gymnastics, ballroom dancing, running, life guarding, Aikido and performing as part of a local variety group as just some of the activities she was involved in.
Above all, dancing was always her main hobby. “I’ve been dancing since I was three and I first stepped on stage when I was three. Even when I wasn’t in formal dance classes I would have been part of Girls’ Brigade which you danced in.” Read more
There is a part of my brain that awakens and remembers – push on, don’t stop, it will end. My legs have long gone to rubber and it feels like I’m dragging my drunk and rowdy lower half through a painful session it has no interest in completing. But the brain, the brain has remembered, and it has no intention in stopping now. It may be only week 2 but the cruel edge of the internal competitor has laid down the law – we are here until the end. 
This weekend I discovered a new garden to visit, which has the bonus (for me at least) of being easy to reach by public transport, which I find is not always the case for many venues. The garden lies just outside the centre of Bray and is one of several gardens open to the public in Co. Wicklow. I found this one by simply typing ‘gardens in Dublin/Wicklow ’ into Google but while at Festina Lente, I found information on more gardens to visit. I picked up a leaflet, which lists twenty-two gardens open in 2013, ranging from large gardens such as the National Botanical Gardens at Kilmacurragh (52 acres) to private gardens such as Coolaught Gardens. The latter sneaks in despite being situated in Co. Wexford but we won’t quibble about that. There is plenty of scope in Wicklow Gardens 2013 for summer visits, but for now, back to our weekend trip… 
While many people travel the world to satisfy their sense of adventure, the stark reality is that many young Irish are leaving in search of employment – or at the very least for a fair day’s pay in return for an honest day’s work.
Habit is a two-edged sword. It can provide us with a work week of stability and income, a sense of comfort and security that we all need to be happy. Habit can also strengthen excuses for a lifestyle routine that deep down we neither desired nor wish to continue…
