Galway to San Francisco

I received my Morrison Visa in 1992. At the time, I was living at home with my parents in Dublin and had just started college. Not long after, I moved to San Francisco with my boyfriend, now husband, and we rented an apartment in the city, excited for the adventure ahead.

Life in Ireland was good, but we had a strong desire to travel and experience something new. When my sister-in-law’s boyfriend mentioned he was applying for the Morrison Visa while studying hotel management in Dublin, it piqued our interest. Encouraged by the idea, about ten of our friends applied as well, and most of us were successful. Some are still based in the U.S. to this day.

“Adjusting to life in San Francisco was an exciting transition. I initially took on temporary work in a bank and was even offered a permanent position, but my real passion was teaching.”

I pursued that path, securing a full-time teaching job, which I absolutely loved. One of the biggest cultural differences I noticed was the level of consumerism in the U.S., it was far beyond anything I had experienced in Ireland and felt quite extreme at times.

One of the toughest challenges we faced was when our son was born prematurely at 27 weeks. At the time, we also had a 17-month-old daughter to care for. Our son spent the first three months of his life in the NICU, a time that was both emotionally and physically exhausting. My husband was working New York market hours, leaving home at 3:45 AM and returning around 1 PM. Thankfully, a family member who was returning to Ireland after a year in Australia offered to stay and help us for a few months, which was a lifesaver.

Despite how difficult that period was, we remained fiercely independent and figured things out as we went. We will always be incredibly grateful to the medical staff who took care of our son, we have remained close friends with many of the doctors and nurses to this day. One thing we were particularly fortunate for was our health insurance. The care our son received at CPMC was world-class, and by the time he was discharged, the total cost had reached $1 million.

“Moving to the U.S. opened doors to opportunities that simply didn’t exist in Ireland at the time.”

While I don’t have any particular personal achievements that stand out, I take immense pride in what we were able to build as a family. Thanks to my husband’s career, we were able to provide our children with a strong education and a great quality of life, hopefully setting them up for success in their own futures.

The Morrison Visa gave us so much more than just a chance to work in the U.S., it gave us the opportunity to build a life, meet lifelong friends, and experience the world in ways we never could have imagined. It allowed us to give our children more choices and a brighter future, and for that, we will always be grateful.