Love brought Navan-born solicitor Martin Hayes to the Spanish city of Valencia in 2004. It turned out to be a one-way trip.
Hayes had met Maria, the Valencia-born woman who would become his wife, in Glasgow. She was on an Erasmus programme and, having completed a master’s at the University of Strathclyde, he was working for the Jisc legal information service, which provides legal assistance to universities and colleges across the UK on IT issues and law.
While the couple initially moved to Dublin where they both enjoyed law firm careers, Maria hankered for a move back to her native city, a decision sealed for her on one blustery November evening in the Irish capital.
He didn’t have the language or a background in Spanish law but Hayes says he was happy to give it a try. He already had happy experiences of Valencia. “I had been coming over here since I met Maria. It seemed incredible to me that this city wasn’t better known.
“When you fly in there from Glasgow in January and you are cycling a bike in your T-shirt and sunglasses, it really hits you. It’s the light as much as the good weather that makes all the difference throughout the year.”
