Biance Rallis

Kilkenny’s Romanian community: A New Yorkers Perspective

BY BIANCA RALLIS

IN the summer of 2018, on the small Greek island of Skiathos, in a tiny pub called Totem, I met my wife. I can recall her asking me where I was from, to which I replied “New York.” When I posed the same question to her, she told me she was from Transylvania, the land of Dracula. When she learned that I knew Transylvania was part of Romania, she revealed a wide-eyed look of surprise. I was somewhat familiar with Romania, as a good friend of mine back home is from Ploiesti, though he was born in Brasov.

Not long after meeting my wife, I hopped on a plane to Cluj-Napoca. It was one of several trips I took to Romania. During my travels I was exposed to different aspects of Romanian culture. My first stay in Romania lasted ten days. I helped my motherin-law pick grapes from her garden before crushing them into a large barrel. When I made it back for my second trip, I was able to try some of the wine I helped make. This time I stayed for more than five weeks, and we began by celebrating New Year’s Eve in Cluj, one of my favourite cities in Romania. We also took trips to Brasov and Sighisoara, where some of the medieval buildings are amongst the oldest I have ever seen. We even had the chance to attend Celtic Transylvania, a music festival in Beclean.

Speaking with my wife and her friends, I have learned a bit about Romania’s past. I have learned about the day of unification on the first of December 1918 and the Revolution of 1989. I have even heard some stories of the Dacians, the ancestors of the modern Romanian people. I’ve been able to enjoy delicious Romanian cuisine such as sarmale and mici. I have also had the chance to hear beautiful Romanian folk music.

In August of 2019, my wife and I moved to Kilkenny, where she had previously lived for four years. Through my wife, an active member of the Romanian community in Kilkenny, I have met many Romanians abroad. Coming from New York, where ethic communities are extremely tight-knit, the closeness of the Romanian community in Kilkenny is palpable. As the months went on, I took notice to more and more of the wonderful contributions of the Romanians to Kilkenny.

Kilkenny is home to successful Romanian small businesses, which are growing every year. Notwithstanding the setbacks we have all faced through the COVID Pandemic, Romanian businesses have been thriving in Kilkenny. I love to sit down for dinner at the Grapevine on a Friday night, or grab a quick snack from House of Pretzels when I’m on the go in Market Cross. It is easy to see the positive impact of the Romanian small businesses in Kilkenny.

Although Romanians in Kilkenny may not be living in Romania, they are still able to participate in their home elections, as I witnessed my wife, along with other Romanian citizens, vote at the Pembroke hotel in 2019. This was made possible by the initiative of Marius Morosan, an important representative of the Romanian community in Ireland, combined with the efforts of Liviu Iftime and Cornel Potmecu from Kilkenny. However, the polling site in Kilkenny would not have been successful without the help of Martin Brennan, the chairman of the Twilight community group, who found the location and offered the logistic support required.

More and more Romanians are voting abroad, including in Kilkenny. Even the former mayor, Andrew McGuinness, made a visit to the polling site to encourage Romanians in Kilkenny to vote. McGuinness had developed a strong relationship with the Romanian community here, especially after visiting Romania and participating in the Celtic Transylvania festival more than once.

I would like to thank the Romanian community for the meaningful contributions they bring to Kilkenny and to many cities abroad, including my home, New York. Cultural diversity is an enriching educational experience, and in learning about other cultures we become more open-minded and accepting towards each other, and this is obvious in Kilkenny.

This article is supported by the Romanian Twighlight Community Group Contact: kclw.ro@twighlight.ie