‘We came back to Ireland in late October, not the best time to come back. It was quite cold’

Farzana Maudarbaccus moved from Mauritius to Ireland in 2011Farzana Maudarbaccus: Having children afforded her the opportunity to meet more people as she made friends through baby groups and then her children’s schools. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Hosanna BoulterTue Jun 30 2026 - 06:00 • 4 MIN READFor Farzana Maudarbaccus, who moved from her native Mauritius to Ireland in 2011, coming to Europe was like arriving at the centre of the world. “Mauritius is so small so far, and I always thought I was going to go away to explore and learn about what is happening outside,” the 44-year-old says.After leaving school, she had first moved just outside of Paris to attend Paris Nanterre Université.As Mauritius was colonised by both the British and the French, it is normal for students there to learn both languages. “I decided to study psychology because my mum had loads of self-help books, which I happened to read.”During one of her summers home from university, she met Naazim Mohungoo at a wedding. The man who would become her husband was studying medicine in Ireland at the time. They became a long-distance couple, as she lived in Paris for a few years after finishing her degree. Farzana Maudarbaccus: 'If we don’t do something like everybody else does, I tell the kids, well this is just the way our family does this.' Photograph: Nick Bradshaw “They were the best years,” she says.Eventually she moved back to Mauritius, but she felt that her time in Europe was not over, and she moved to Ireland to join Naazim as he finished up his specialisation as a psychiatrist.Life in Ireland was a bit lonely to begin with, as her husband was working long hours and he was the only person she knew. However, she soon found friends and community, initially through people she met at her local gym and then at a running club. “I started training with a group of women because I wanted to run the mini-marathon in under an hour, and they became really good friends.”[ ‘We are a mixed-race family, and they don’t have many in Mullingar, but that’s fine. We’re not afraid to be one of the first’Opens in new window ]Maudarbaccus has run the women’s mini-marathon in Dublin every year since she moved to Ireland. She put a message on the Psychological Society of Ireland’s LinkedIn page, which listed her credentials and explained that she was looking for a new role. From that post she got an interview to intern as a psychologist, a necessary step because the organisation she worked for could not sponsor her visa. “I continued my networking with the Psychological Society, and eventually I did find someone who could sponsor me.”Not long after that the couple welcomed their first child, a son, in 2015, followed by a daughter in 2017. Having children afforded Maudarbaccus the opportunity to meet more people as she made friends through baby groups and then her children’s schools. In 2018, the couple decided to move to Mauritius, as Naazim had completed all his qualifications. Though they had intended their move back to Mauritius to be permanent, they only stayed for 10 months. The couple felt out of place, having been away for so long. “We came back [to Ireland in] late October, not the best time to come back. It was quite cold.”However, they felt it was the right decision for their family. What Maudarbaccus loves most about raising her children in Ireland is what she perceives as the lack of rigid expectations when it comes to parenting. “If we don’t do something like everybody else does, I tell the kids, well this is just the way our family does this. There is no expectation.”Farzana Maudarbaccus: 'The neighbours have been great. I find that it’s so nice to be able to ask them, can you mind my kid while I go and pick up another kid?' Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times Upon their return to Ireland the couple bought a house in Greystones, Co Wicklow, and she feels very settled there. She is a member of a book club and a swimming group and more generally feels part of a community that looks out for one another. “The neighbours have been great. I find that it’s so nice to be able to ask them, can you mind my kid while I go and pick up another kid? Or random things like, ‘Can I have an egg?’ when you are missing one egg for a recipe. The village that I created is providing this net now.”After being out of work for a few years while her children were young, she decided that she wanted to re-enter the workforce on her own terms. She firstly took a course in creative thinking and entrepreneurship, and after that set up her own business that focuses on coaching, leadership development, assessment centres and workplace wellbeing. She was recently invited to give a TEDx Talk in Tralee, Unlocking Your Brain’s Ability to Change.Maudarbaccus feels that she has changed in many ways since arriving in Ireland 15 years ago. She has adopted Irish holidays such as St Patrick’s Day, and takes Christmas much more seriously than she did back home, as in Mauritius, she says, there is no such thing as Father Christmas, and presents do not have to be opened on a specific day. “I think Christmas here is so beautiful – and stressful as well.”While she is clear that their family’s future is in Ireland, over the past few years the couple have made quite a few trips back home, as their parents are beginning to have some health issues. “We both work here, so long term, so we have no answer for that.” We would like to hear from people who have moved to Ireland. To get involved, email newtotheparish@irishtimes.com or send us two lines about yourself using the form below. IN THIS SECTION