Derek Glynn

I received my Morrison Visa in July 1995, likely one of the very last allocations before the program ended. At the time, I was finishing my final year in college at Manchester University, having initially studied in Galway at what is now Galway Mayo ATU. When the visa came through, I was given six months to make the move. Wanting to spend one last summer working and saving in Galway, and be home with family for Christmas, I cut it close, arriving in the U.S. on January 2, 1996, just one day before my visa expired.

I moved directly to San Francisco, where I had friends and extended family. My aunt welcomed me with open arms, giving me a place to stay and feeding me until I found a job. That generosity was invaluable, without her support, I’m not sure we could have made it work.

Before my move, I had been in a two-year long-distance relationship with my now-wife. We had met in Manchester, where she was staying on the college campus with the music students while completing a research project on Mozart. After finishing her contract in France, she had returned to Manchester and was looking for her next opportunity. We were in love, but faced the question, where do we go from here? The answer, we decided, was to take a chance on San Francisco.

I had always heard stories from my aunts and uncles who had emigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s about life in San Francisco, the towering hills, crooked streets, and the infamous fog so thick you couldn’t see across the road. They weren’t lying! One of my best friends was already there, and so, along with my wife-to-be, I made the move, thinking we’d stay for a year or two.

“That turned into 27 years, a marriage, two kids, and an incredible journey neither of us could have imagined.”

It took us a couple of years to fully settle, finding jobs, an apartment, and a car, but once we did, we embraced the California lifestyle with everything we had. The Bay Area became our playground, and we made the most of it.

From learning to ski for the first time in Tahoe to snowshoeing between backcountry cabins, from mountain biking up and down the Bay Area’s steep hills to four-day hiking trips in Yosemite’s wilderness (carefully avoiding hungry bears), every weekend was an adventure. As the years went on, we hosted a stream of visitors from Galway, taking them on the same experiences, trips that they still talk about to this day.

I remember my first ski trip with work colleagues. It was an unforgettable experience, except for the torrential rain and the ten feet of fresh snow. When I told my wife about it, she wasn’t convinced. “It’s too cold, I won’t like it, and I don’t see the attraction,” she said. But she soon realized that if she wanted to spend time with me, she needed to take up downhill skiing, backcountry skiing, and even mountain biking! She drew the line at windsurfing, though.

One of my biggest memories, however, is from when my parents visited. They had always been up for an adventure, but one evening in Tahoe, they got completely lost coming back from a trip into the city while we were skiing. With no cell phones, no house address, and no car, they wandered through the dark, knocking on doors for help. Eventually, a kind stranger drove them around the neighborhood until they recognized our house. It was 9 PM, freezing cold, and the police were almost called! Even today, my dad still talks about that incident 25 years later.

Of course, the journey wasn’t without its challenges.

Finding an apartment was tough. Rent was high, wages were low, and without a credit history, we had to pay for a credit-building service just to generate a score.

The biggest challenge was for my wife to find a job. Without a work visa, it was nearly impossible to secure a professional role or stay legally in the U.S. long-term. She was fortunate that she had a rolling six-month holiday visa from her time playing classical music in the U.S., which bought us time. After more than a year of unpaid internships, she eventually found a local choir group that sponsored her green card.

Despite these hurdles, we made it work. We found jobs, built a home, and created a brand-new life together.

“The Morrison Visa wasn’t just an opportunity, it was the foundation for everything we built. We found lifelong friends, many of whom became godparents to our kids, and we experienced a world that was completely different from what we had known in Ireland.”

San Francisco’s multiculturalism was eye-opening. Coming from Ireland in 1996, where rice and pasta were just making an appearance, I was suddenly surrounded by an explosion of flavors, Indian, Chinese, Thai, and even sushi for the first time!

Looking back, I am most proud of what we accomplished together. Moving to a new country, starting with nothing, and creating a full and adventurous life is something I will always be grateful for. The experiences we had, the friendships we built, and the life we created are priceless.

The Morrison Visa gave us a massive opportunity, to start a life together, to work in one of the most incredible cities in the world, and to share it all with family and friends. Our children were born in San Francisco, and they now have the opportunity to return, visit, or even live there one day if they choose.

For us, what started as a one or two year plan became a lifetime of memories. And for that, we will always be grateful.