When Derry girl Ami McLean found herself pregnant in a foreign country and naturally homesick five or so years ago, she knew she had to take action.
The Prehen native has been living in the New Zealand city of Auckland for the past eight years with her husband Ray and their young twin sons.
Aside from her career as a communications advisor, Ami has also established Irish Mammies in NZ, to support the many Irish immigrants living in New Zealand who may need a touch of home to make it seem not so far away.
Read more: Northern Ireland folk living Down Under open up on feeling the pinch
The immigration charity now has a membership of over 1500 women, many born in Ireland and now living in New Zealand.
“When I was pregnant, I set up Irishmammies.co.nz because I needed to feel part of a 'village',” Ami told MyDerry.
“I decided to take it upon myself to found this fantastic group that offers support to Irish women who feel somewhat isolated when they first arrive in NZ. We help immigrants make new friends, share information, support each other, and belong to a valued community.”
Now Ami has reached out to another fellow Derry girl, local author Jane Buckley and invited her to meet the group when she visits New Zealand this winter.
Like Ami, Jane, the author of the Stones Corner Tetralogy, left Derry at a young age to find work elsewhere and begin a new life in another country. At the age of 17, Jane moved to London, where she lived and worked for over 25 years before moving to France.
Along with her husband John, who is from Cork, she finally returned home in 2017 and lives just outside Derry city. But her daughter, Maggie, and her two grandchildren, who were both born in NZ, are desperately missed.
“It’s a two-way street,” Jane explained.
“I’ve missed being a granny, so I can understand how difficult it is for any young mammy to be in a new country without the support of their own, to show them the ropes, encourage them but most importantly, tell them they’re doing an excellent job!”
Ami added: “After reading Jane's first two Stones Corner novels, I was gushing to my dad, and when we chatted about the shirt factories and the troubled history of Derry, he suddenly suggested I invite Jane over for a cuppa!
”Coincidentally, Jane has grandchildren in Auckland and is visiting for Christmas, and she immediately agreed. Dad’s suggestion has now developed into Jane, myself, and our Auckland members hosting a good discussion in person and simultaneously broadcasting it to our 1500+ members all over NZ!”
Alongside this, Jane is scheduled to launch her third novel in the Stones Corner series, Light, in Auckland in January at the Irish Centre and later in Christchurch, where she has already developed a fan base.
“I feel very honoured to be invited, and Ami has undoubtedly created a group of close-knit, supportive women,” she added.
Since Jane lived predominantly in London throughout The Troubles, it was apparent to her then – and still is today – that not all the facts of the horrific events here were presented in an accurate and unbiased way, especially in mainland Britain.
Over recent years, Jane and John recognised that many of the people they'd been fortunate enough to meet on their travels worldwide didn’t understand why or how the conflict here in the North of Ireland began and why it continued for three decades.
"I have been asked many times when travelling the world, 'Why did the Troubles get so bad?' or 'What caused them to last so long?' or even 'Why did they start?!" Jane said.
She found this particularly frustrating: ”I decided I’d take it upon myself to perhaps inform them and others by writing a historical fiction series based on my own childhood experiences and around events from this horrific period in Ireland's history.”
Jane says writing was a frightening project at first, given that she'd never written anything substantial before but she ended up writing not just one novel, but a quartet - Turmoil, Darkness, Light and Hope.
Based on actual events, the Stones Corner Tetralogy will answer all these questions while taking you on a thrilling journey, a pilgrimage of heartache, bravery, treachery, and tragic love.
"From my own life experiences, I write about growing up during the Troubles, bringing with it sad, complicated and bleak memories," Jane explained.
While some readers may cringe when they come across a book about the Troubles, Jane is passionate about helping others learn what life was like by telling a thrilling, fictional tale. So far, she’s been overwhelmed by the fantastic response and feedback.
"It's surreal and has only fuelled my determination to get the stories to as broad an audience as possible," she added.
Stones Corner Turmoil and Darkness are available from Amazon. For more information on Jane see janebuckleywrites.com.
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