Fatima Johnson believes there are many similarities between Irish and Senegalese culturesFatima Johnson: 'A lot of people who work for tech companies in Ireland will go back to their own countries or travel every weekend. It’s easy to be here and not be here at the same time.' Photograph: Chris Maddaloni/The Irish Times Hosanna BoulterTue Jul 28 2026 - 06:00 • 4 MIN READ“I knew about the IRA, trad music and maybe the Celtic Tiger,” Fatima Johnson (42) says when asked what she knew about Ireland before moving here in 2016. Johnson was born in Senegal. While she loves her family and is very proud of her culture, she understood from a young age that she was not going to fit in. “As a kid I had the realisation that religion was not my thing and that I did not really believe in anything – in God,” Johnson says. This was an awkward realisation to have in a country that is very religious. At 17 she moved to Paris and studied politics and history at the Sorbonne. She experienced many culture shocks after moving to the French capital, and the one that sticks out most in her mind happened just after she got off the plane – as she sat on the metro on the way to her new home. [ 'It's hard to be black in Ireland. When you're a kid, you want to fit in'Opens in new window ]“In Senegal if you are sitting in front of people on public transport, you will shake hands or say hello.”As a result of this custom, Johnson tried to shake hands with the people she was sitting opposite on the metro. “My dad laughed and explained to the people opposite that I had just arrived from Senegal.”Despite that first hiccup, she quickly adapted to life in Paris and came to love the city. “I would go to a lot of gigs in Paris, being into experimental music, after work.”She was on track to get her French citizenship and working in tech for a start-up when, out of the blue, she received a message from a recruiter at Google in Dublin. “I had to make the decision – either I was staying in France, or going on an adventure in Ireland and starting my immigrant life again from scratch.”Johnson was thinking about potentially moving after she got her citizenship, but Dublin was not at that stage on her radar. “I think when you’ve been moving countries a lot in your life there is always a point when you’re like, oh, I need a change.”She had never visited Ireland before she moved. She had thought about going on holiday here, but was put off after she found out she had to get a visa to visit from Paris. After moving she easily settled into to her work, but over time became uncomfortable with the fact she was only socialising with people she worked with. “A lot of people who work for tech companies in Ireland will go back to their own countries or travel every weekend. It’s easy to be here and not be here at the same time.”One day, she decided to approach a busker whose performances she admired, Jason McNamara. Before leaving Paris, she had begun to have drumming lessons, and she asked McNamara whether he knew someone who could give her lessons. McNamara gave Johnson lessons, and they quickly became friends. “I met a lot of his musician friends. Went to see them in gigs a lot. I also made some friends at Google who were not in my team but were into festivals and music.”People say that Senegalese people can be a bit hypocritical, as even if you don’t like someone, you still have to pretend and welcome them into your home. Irish people are very non-confrontational as wellBefore long, Johnson had built a vibrant life for herself in Dublin and decided to set about finding love. This was around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, and as people were not going out as much, she signed herself up to an online dating platform.“It was very hard. I feel like Irishmen were not the best at conversation on the app.”However, she said texting was easy with the man who later became her partner. After meeting online, they eventually arranged to go on a date, and she discovered he was every bit as creative, funny and charming in person. Her partner’s family run a bed and breakfast on Clare Island and Johnson now splits her time between there and Dublin. She has since left Google and founded her own marketing agency: Good Good Marketing. “The people on Clare Island are lovely, very interesting. A bit wild sometimes.” Johnson believes there are many similarities between Irish and Senegalese cultures. “Growing up sometimes you’ll have some random family member coming to live with you for months, and then years, and then suddenly they live with you.”A certain lack of directness is also characteristic of both cultures. “People say that Senegalese people can be a bit hypocritical, as even if you don’t like someone, you still have to pretend and welcome them into your home. Irish people are very non-confrontational as well. They can say something, but you are never sure if it’s exactly what they are thinking.”Recently, Johnson has been disheartened by the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric in Ireland. She describes two instances of racism she has experienced. In 2017 while waiting on her bike for a traffic light to change she was racially abused by a man on the street, and she says people around her jumped to her defence. More recently, on public transport, she courteously asked a man to use his headphones, instead of blasting out his music. “He called me a monkey or something like that. No one said anything. I was a bit disappointed.”Despite these episodes she still sees her future in Ireland, though she admits she has to get away each winter for some sun. We would like to hear from people who have moved to Ireland in the past 10 years. To get involved, email newtotheparish@irishtimes.com or send us two lines about yourself using the form below. IN THIS SECTION