A Wicklow woman in Venice: ‘It really feeds the soul to have all that beauty around you'
Languages were always a strength for Orla McLaughlin at school, where she studied French and German. 'I always wanted another language,' she says, so she settled on Italian and politics as it combined Italian with her interest in current affairs.
An Erasmus placement brought the Greystones woman to Venice and, having completed her degree in Italian and Politics at UCD, she returned to Italy for a postgraduate diploma in European studies in the University of Padua.
During her UCD days, she had spent time in Italy working with children on summer camps: 'the best way to learn a language', she says.
Having completed her studies in Padua in the 1990s, she returned to Venice with other plans as well as picking up a further degree in Fundraising and Non-profit Management from the University of Bologna.
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'I worked in film production and with theatre companies and as a translator, so I was having a great time in my 20s. It was the first time I was away from home and exciting to be somewhere new.'
In 2001 she started work as a programme assistant to professors in the Venice International University (VIU) and now manages its academic projects providing learning and teaching opportunities for students and scholars from VIU's associated universities all around the world.
'It was founded in 1995, so as it grew, so did I,' she says.
We are fortunate in having a nice house and garden, but it is harder to find such places now
She works a 40-hour week, 'and where I work is on an island [San Servolo, formerly a monastery], so I am crossing the water every day as my office is on a lagoon and you have that wonderful view back to the city', she says.
Her job at the university, which is now associated with 20 universities globally, brings her into contact with people from all over the world, 'so it's a real mix, with wonderful interdisciplinary and intercultural opportunities', she says. 'Working in an international educational environment is very rewarding. I meet many interesting people and travel regularly too.'
She is married to Sebastiano, a Venetian she met through friends and whom she credits for her decision to stay in Venice. The couple have three children, Conall (17), Clodagh (14) and Oisín (11), who are bilingual.
'My husband has a small family business founded by his parents and his uncle making glass chandeliers in Murano. We have now set up a small business selling chandeliers or lighting directly to customers. He designs and assembles, and we sell them on
illuminamurano.com
'.
'I felt very connected to the city early on. It has intangible qualities and a lot of people feel really at home here, feel really drawn in, that it is their city.
'It's a city on water, it's a pedestrian city, it's very engaging as you meet people from all walks of life all the time – it could be your neighbour, your butcher, the bar owner. I made a lot of local Venetian friends early on.'
One of the benefits of living in Venice 'is the extraordinary quality of light and it really feeds the soul to have all that beauty around you. It's like living in a town – there are 50,000 residents – but a very international town with enormous cultural institutions, built heritage, galleries and temporary exhibitions like the Biennale.'
Despite all that, she notes that the cost of living is not as high as Ireland.
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Venice to limit tourist groups to 25 people to 'protect peace of residents'
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The challenges of living in Venice? 'Rising sea levels, flooding and overtourism are real and impactful.
'Floods are not so much a problem since the setting up of mobile dams three years ago at the inlets to the lagoon, so there have been no bad floods since 2019.
'Overtourism means that the centre of the city gets very crowded and the whole Airbnb issue means that it is difficult to find accommodation for students. We are fortunate in having a nice house and garden, but it is harder to find such places now.'
Social life means 'you don't need to have plans; you can go to your local wine bar and sit down for drinks and a chat – especially on Fridays – from around 6.30pm-7.30pm, before dinner. The kids who finish school at 4.30pm can play football in the square, and watching them and having a drink as the sun goes down before going home for dinner is one of the things I love to do.
'At home we like to entertain quite a lot and enjoy having barbecues. We also have a boat – for free time, not for transport – for a day out for a picnic on part of the lagoon. In summer there is the beach, and in winter skiing is only two hours away.'
She laments the lack of green spaces in the city, but they have a second home in the mountains, bought during Covid in 2021, 'and we go there for long weekends during the year, skiing in winter and for walks and hikes during the summer'.
She misses friends and family in Ireland and returns once or twice a year, 'though it was easier when the children were younger. You inevitably miss out on some milestones and sharing some of your own too.'
As to the publicity surrounding Jeff Bezos's planned marriage in the city later this month (estimated to cost more than $600 million), she describes it as the commodification of Venice, with others denouncing it as a great big nuisance.
'The tone of the mayor and his delight in handing the city over to him [Bezos] left me disheartened. It's not the first time that somebody famous has had a big wedding in the city. George and Amal Clooney did in 2014. That was received very well.
'There is also a total lack of housing policy or amenities for residents, so the frustration of people living here is the real lack of vision of politicians as to what the future of the city will be.'
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Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
Forget the guide book: Immerse yourself in these location-based novels
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The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Mum reveals desperate sunlounger hogging attempt after getting up in the dark hours before pool opens
A MUM has shared how she got up at 6am to beat 'sunbed warriors' at a popular Spanish holiday hotspot. Venice Wallace, 29, has shared she got up in the early morning and in the dark, to try and reserve the best spot for family when on 4 A mum has shared how she got up at 6am to beat 'sunbed warriors' at a popular Spanish holiday hotspot Credit: SWNS 4 For the first seven days of her holiday, Venice was unable to get a lounger Credit: SWNS She commented how she would be ready "go to war" for the sunbeds in her Unable to find a good bed for the first seven-days of her holiday, Venice then decided to set an alarm to be able to put her towels down and secure a bed at 6am. The property manager from Essex said: "We were there for 11 days and there were no rules around the sunbeds. "It was just a free for all and I've never experienced that. Read more on Spain "Every morning, we'd get up quite early and I'd look over the balcony to see all the sunbeds covered in towels. "So, when we would go down at like eight or nine in the morning, we'd never get a front row seat to the kids' Venice explained how when she then decided to get up early to secure some of the loungers, "there was no arguing or anything". She added: "I never would have done it, but now that I'm a mum I understand it. Most read in News Travel "You need to be able to see your children." The mum shared a video on TikTok - which was captioned "Venice 1, everybody else 0" - of the ordeal. Sunbed wars take place at hotel used in filming of tv show Benidorm Since positing, it has gained over 1.6million views. Some viewers praised Venice for her boldness. However, others were quick to judge and blamed her for being "part of the problem". One said: "I swear on my life that if I'm coming down to find 'reserved' sunbeds like this with no one in sight, I'm removing those towels. "Mad? Go see what the staff have to say about it." The 29-year-old added that she gained a lot of hate in the comments from Spanish locals, but as she speaks Spanish - she has since argued back in more recent videos. 4 She then decided she had had enough and got up early to reserve some loungers for her family Credit: SWNS She said: "A lot of Brits give us a bad name, so they were saying 'we hate the tourists', 'don't bother coming here!' "The population of Spain and probably speak better than their ancestors." Another popular spot in Spain recently announced that it would be In and around Palma, more than 1,700 loungers are being removed by the government as locals have complained they cannot find sunbathing spots. The news follows a time where people are becoming increasingly frustrated over the amount of sun lounger space and availability. Often, videos are uploaded to social media showing holidaymakers battling for spots - or in Venice's case - rush to secure a spot at ridiculous hours. Plus, another 4 The property manager from Essex has received mixed comments on her decision to getting up early and reserve loungers Credit: SWNS
The Journal
4 days ago
- The Journal
We asked students queuing outside the US embassy what they make of new visa social media checks
JUST OVER A dozen people were queuing for visa applications when the US Embassy opened at 9am this morning. It was a mixed group – a family of three, several middle-aged workers and a handful of students awaiting interviews for J1 visas. The smaller crowd was not surprising. There has recently been a 25% drop in young people travelling from Ireland to the US on student visas, according to US authorities. Processing of new visas for students was also suspended last month, as Donald Trump's administration ramps up vetting. New protocols now require international students, including Irish students travelling on a J1 visa, to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to 'public' . Yesterday, the Dublin embassy said yesterday that all future visa applicants will also be required to divulge 'all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years' on their visa application form . Among the students outside the embassy this morning was Éamon, who is heading to study in the US as part of an Erasmus programme. He's currently applying for a J visa, the most common visa used by Irish students heading to the US. 'It is a small bit invasive that you have to go public with your social media accounts,' Éamon said. 'I had decided last year that I was going to study in the States. It would definitely be different if you're going on a J1 working holiday.' Éamon outside the US Embassy. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal He later conceded that he 'did not have a problem' with the recent changes to US visa application checks, adding: 'They're just trying to protect their country'. This sentiment was echoed by Jack, another student in the queue waiting on an interview for a J1 application to head to Pennsylvania. 'There shouldn't be too much of an issue, because I think a lot of people don't really have their whole lives on social media,' he said. 'America has the right to deny anyone who comes in, but I suppose it's a wee bit dodgy'. Ailbhe, another J1 visa hopeful, told The Journal that the application process was 'straightforward', but added that recent restrictions were 'a little worrying'. 'I suppose I'd be worried if I had private accounts, or if I was posting more,' Ailbhe said. 'It will definitely affect some people that I follow that would post more activist content'. 'An absurd situation' National students' union Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ) urged caution yesterday, advising those applying for J1 or other US student visas to stay informed and to be mindful of their online presence. The union criticised new visa measures as an overreach into students' private lives, warning they threaten free expression and represent an increase in online surveillance. Advertisement 'Students shouldn't face invasive scrutiny just for pursuing education abroad,' said AMLÉ deputy president Bryan O'Mahony, adding that the changes foster fear and self-censorship, and may disproportionately impact marginalised or politically active students. CCTV cameras at the US embassy in Dublin. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal Trinity Students' Union President Jenny Maguire said the new visa social media checks were a 'fundamentally undemocratic move' by the US. 'I still think that the J1 visa is held in high regard here, but it's just not an option for so many people,' Maguire said. She said that the new stricter vetting process posed a risk of activists in Ireland censoring their content, adding: 'This is an attempt to curb and suppress political opposition.' It is an absolutely absurd situation and it cannot be normalised. 'I personally would not risk going on a J1, and I think that's awful,' Maguire said, adding that activists, academics, minority groups and LGBTQ+ people in Ireland now face an uphill battle entering the US to work. Boston-bassed immigration lawyer John Foley told RTÉ Radio 1′s Claire Byrne show this morning that students 'should be worried'. 'They're going back five years, so these students would have been young teenagers at the time. There's no telling what they're looking for, and there's no telling how they'll be treated once they get to the embassy,' Foley said. Foley explained that J1 hopefuls now have to hand over all of their social media usernames and passwords going back five years, and said: 'If you don't list them, and they catch you, you'll be denied, and you'll possibly be banned from coming to the US.' 'It doesn't solve a problem that exists,' Foley said. 'It's Trump doing what Trump does. He creates a problem and then he solves it with some ridiculous administrative move that is not going to work. 'It's simply going to slow things up. Gum things up, spread fear, and then he'll come to the rescue by getting rid of it somewhere down the road,' Foley added. US embassy delays It's understood that fewer than 100 J1 visa applications were going through the system when changes to vetting procedures were first announced last week. According to US embassy staff, the focus is now on applications from students who have applied to study in America in September for the next academic year. As a hiring freeze came into place at embassies when Trump was elected, and there are now additional vetting procedures, it's expected that the processing of appointments will be slower. In the statement yesterday, the US Embassy said that a visa 'is a privilege, not a right' for travellers and that every visa decision was a 'national security decision'. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said yesterday that the new social media checks are 'excessive', adding that 'there is an issue around freedom of speech'. 'It's more the atmosphere that's created by these measures, the fear and the anxiety that young people will now experience travelling,' Martin said. The embassy said it will resume scheduling F, M, and J non-immigrant visa applications soon. Additional reporting by Eimer McAuley Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
