As many of you know, Malachy and I first met in Sydney. As we chatted over poached eggs & smashed avo in hipster Surry Hills, I told myself I better not fall for this Irish man who was going to be heading home because I was going to be staying in Sydney forever, right? ... wrong!

Malachy landed back on Irish soil early 2018, worked in Dublin for a while and, after deciding between Dublin and Cork, he luckily (for me) chose to move to 'Rebel' Cork. I said goodbye to Sydney in September 2018, moved back to Cork and started working the following year, delighted to land a role in the 'smartest building in Ireland' so close to home.

Fast forward to 2020, both of us settling into our new lives, our paths crossed again and this time it stuck! Just as Covid-19 began to wreak havoc, Mal and Suz were starting their story.

-- Suzanne


Suz and I first matched online in June 2015. We lived in suburbs of Central Sydney about a 30 min walk from each other. After exchanging phone numbers and messaging each other for a while, I felt the moment was right to suggest that we meet in person. It was about 6pm on a Wednesday evening; and I said something along the lines of “Do you fancy meeting up for a drink at some stage?”

The last response I was expecting was “Sure, where do you suggest? Does 8:30pm suit?” Immediately on the back foot, and slightly panicked, I figured the best course of action was to pick a spot halfway way between us, and since we were both Irish, it was naturally going to be a bar of some variety. That was how we ended up at Bar Broadway near central station. A somewhat dingy student bar that I had previously frequented almost 10 years earlier. I can see now how someone might have gotten a “just another Irish man in Sydney” vibe!

We went on a few more dates; but things didn’t work out. I had written Suz off, as the one that got away.

…. it’s funny how things work out.

-- Malachy