My dream life in Spain - the sun is an amazing amenity!

BORN and bred in Blackrock, within touching distance of the city, Colm Fitzpatrick lived in Cork up until relatively recently.

He now lives in Marbella in the south of Spain with his wife, Carol, and two-year-old son, Liam.

“We made the move in January, 2017,” explains Colm. “Setting off on the last bus from Merchant’s Quay to Dublin Airport as we were waved off by my parents.

“All we had in place was the short-term use of an apartment and our little bit of savings.”

Many people head to Spain for the sunshine, but Colm says it isn’t too hot.

“The climate is a little less extreme here in Marbella, and there’s a nice influx of outsiders, which make it an interesting place to live and meet people,” he says.

For his wife Carol, it was a case of returning home. But rather than Seville, where she is from, Marbella was their chosen destination.

“Carol came to Cork in 2013 and while she liked it on the Lee, her health suffered a bit with the wet and the cold and the pull to return was always there for her,” says Colm.

“She kept telling me that we could have a better quality of life down here.

“We would come on holiday to visit her family from time to time before returning to our apartment on Camden Quay, and I was always struck by the way people lived in Spain.

They lived outside, in light clothing, nearly all year round, with blue skies more than 300 days a year, making it easy to just get up and go.

“The sun is an amazing amenity! Going for a walk or a cycle is an easy choice, outdoor sports are everywhere, and I even gave weekly ukulele lessons at the beach pre-Covid.

“Planning a day trip to the mountains or the beach in advance are somewhat fool-proof, and the odd day of rain is usually welcome and a perfect excuse for staying in and taking it easy.”

“For me, the Costa del Sol was for the holiday goers, the wealthy or the retired and I had never seen it as a feasible option for living. We live in a quiet area in the suburbs. Fewer than half of our neighbours are here during the off season. I can work from home, have flexibility with my schedule, and get to see plenty of my family. I’m very grateful for the life we have built here.”

Leaving his home place was still a wrench for this emigrant.

“I was happy in Cork,” says Colm. “I had my family, friends, interests and work all on my doorstep, and what more could I need?

“To say I had a plan is generous. I had played with the idea of continuing my work with coffee by opening a speciality café and getting into roasting.

“I arrived with four different CVs, one for music, one for sales, one for coffee, and a general one for anything I could get. I had twice started to study for degrees and never finished and I had that hanging over me a little, I was just prepared to do whatever I could to make it work here.

“In the end, I saw a job for ‘Irish bar person needed’ and that was all the leg up I needed to get going.”

Almost six years later, he has no regrets.

“We have everything and more than I ever could have dreamed of,” says Colm. “A young family, our own home where I can work from, and we’re just a few minutes from the beach. I love my job and that I get to spend so much time with my family.”

He and Carol are bringing up little Liam and Colm says of the two-year-old - “he doesn’t know how good he has it! Access to a pool, plenty of playgrounds, and outdoor activities are all on our doorstep.

“He takes his little push motorbike from our door to the nursery and he’s already swinging a tennis racket at every opportunity.”

Of course, Colm has adapted a few ideas from the local Spaniards.

“Siestas - afternoon naps - are just a part of the life here. Everything shuts down at lunch for two hours or so and the average person’s day is usually split in two shifts, from 10am to 2.30pm and 4.30pm to 8pm. And shops are all closed on Sundays.

“The fiesta and life on the terrace are a big thing here. Be it breakfast, lunch, dinner or late into the night.

“Locals and tourists fill the streets, socialising and enjoying themselves. During the summer, there are often local kids out with their family way beyond any bedtime curfew I ever had!”

Colm has another side interest - he loves music.

“I’m a musician, and very much the type of musician I knew from home,” he says “I teach from Monday to Friday, at home or online, play weddings throughout the season, gig away steadily and, every once in a while, I get asked to write a custom song for someone as a present. I’m delighted with it!

“Twice a year, I MC and stage manage a music festival in Marbella and had the privilege of accompanying Finbar Furey at it in 2019.”

However, emigrant life does have its drawbacks too.

“I missed my Gran’s 100th birthday and my Mum’s 70th. That was hard to take. I get home two or three times a year to see family and meet a friend or two for a pint.

“Life is transient here. There’s a sense and reality that anyone can leave at any time, so that can lead to a sense of loneliness from time to time.

“If I were in Cork for a day, I would go to town in the morning for a coffee with my folks - my sister Aisling and my nephew and niece, Oscar and Matilda.

“I would visit my Gran, Eileen, and make it home for dinner with Mum and Dad before heading back into town for a game of pool and a few pints with some friends.

“I’ve had some great moments here in Marbella so far. I got married here, bought my first house and became a father.

“To be fair, Liam’s birth is pretty hard to top and I think it would rank at number one for both of us.

“Christmas is just around the corner and we will spend it here. Flights were way over the top and so we said we’d stay.

“I want to get the tree up early and make sure that Liam feels a genuine excitement for Santa and the Christmas spirit.

“My website is colmfitz.com, it has a bit more detail about my life out here, and information for anyone who’s getting married here!”