Laois Abroad is brought to you in association with Abbeyleix Chauffeur Services
The always popular Laois Abroad series returns for the second time in 2025.
Up next are a couple from Portlaoise who have made Melbourne in Australia their home.
Siobhan and Dec Carey traded life in Laois for Down Under in 2010 and 15 years later, they have never looked back.
Now married and with two children, Siobhan tells us about life on the other side of the world, her experiences so far, what she misses about home and her hopes for the future.
Where are you originally from, when did you move away, and where are you now?
I’m born and bred Portlaoise. ‘Lived’ in Dublin for five years during my studies at university but pretty much came back home every weekend.
You couldn’t beat the weekend session followed by Club 23 in those days! When i finished university at the age of 22, I moved to Australia.
I had a few random jobs when I got here first then got a job in the healthcare industry where I worked for 10 years until I had children and am now a stay at home mother.
My husband Dec is originally from Offaly but moved to Portlaoise when he was 12.
He works all over Melbourne doing Tier 1 projects in the construction industry. Our two children Lachlan and Ruby were born in Melbourne.
How did you end up in Melborune?
The economy in Ireland went belly up around 2010 so there wasn’t much work to be had.
Dec had finished his apprenticeship and left for Australia, I finished university the same year so I followed him over.
I fully expected to be homesick and didn’t seriously consider any long term plans to live overseas at that time but Australia quickly became a home away from home.
What’s the best thing about living abroad?
In Australia it has to be the work-life balance. There are plenty of public holidays here in Victoria and there is always so much to do, a festival or event for every weekend should you choose to go.
The weather definitely helps and means we can take trips most of the year and still enjoy the outdoors and a spot of camping.
Have you visited Laois much since you left?
We come home on average every 2 years. Myself and Dec came back around the end of 2019 to get married and had our honeymoon via Thailand and Japan en route back to Australia.
It was lucky timing with COVID kicking off a few months later. Needless to say we didn’t do any travelling for a while after that.
We’re planning a longer trip next year and can’t wait to catch up with everyone and have the kids enjoy their grandparents, cousins etc. and make new memories.
What’s the funniest or strangest thing that has happened to you on your travels?
While traveling South East Asia, I bumped into a South African girl. After chatting it transpired that she knew Portlaoise and had even been there.
Turns out that Dec had likely met her around 15 years prior (circa 2001) as teenagers when she visited her cousin who had just moved to Portlaoise. Small little world we live in.
What have you learned most since leaving Ireland?
Appreciating the Irish culture and humour and how strongly drawn we are to other Irish people especially overseas (you don’t really realise how special it is to be Irish until you step away).
Do you meet many people from Ireland or Laois where you’re living now?
I don’t often run into other Laois people. You often hear the Irish accent at the shops or festivals and have a yarn with them.
My niece (also a Laois woman) lives in Sydney with her boyfriend who is also Irish. Dec has two brothers and a sister over here too.
We have a small crew of Irish friends that we try to catch up with at least once a year.
There is an Irish parents group called ‘Home Away From Home’ who run events and meet ups through out the year e.g. Halloween, Easter, Christmas, sausage sizzles etc.
There are other festivals throughout the year. I’ve been to Koroit Irish Festival a few times and it is a great weekend.
Myself and Dec narrowly missed winning best dressed at the “Fashions on the Irish Field” competition (we lost to a local dressed as a nun) but the host did agree we should have won and used our photo as their profile picture for the festival the following year.
We also go to the annual Trentham Spudfest which isn’t an Irish festival but a good excuse to stock up on the much needed “decent spud” and a nice wholesome family day out. I think the 30kg we bought there should keep us stocked for a while!
What do you miss most about Ireland?
- Family/friends. You miss the milestones, birthdays, achievements etc. and the support that comes with having them close when you have kids.
- The craic.
- Food; Mammy’s dinner, good sausages, chipper chips, good Guinness, chicken fillet rolls.
- Randomly popping in for a cuppa. it’s not the done thing here and you might get a strange look if you rock up unannounced.
Will you return to live in Laois at some point in the future?
We are planning a long trip in the near future but no plans to permanently leave Australia.
Anything else you would like to add?
I worked as an au pair when we came to Australia first, I advertised on Gumtree and someone picked up the ad.
I had arranged to meet the parents in Sydney and they would collect me and bring me to their house which was six hours inland.
En route, I fell asleep and when I woke we were in the outback somewhere, pure wilderness, red dust and all everywhere.
At that moment I feared that I may have gotten myself into a Wolf Creek scenario!
Luckily the family were legit, very lovely and certainly not serial killers but you never can be too sure when you meet someone from the internet.
Laois Abroad is brought to you in association with Abbeyleix Chauffeur Services
If you are from Laois and living abroad please get in contact with us to tell your story.
Anyone who is interested can contact us on any of our social media channels or email us on news@laoistoday.ie.
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