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Megan made her way “across the pond,”
flying for the first time on her own and for
her first trip to Europe. “I truly had the
world before me as a young 21-year-old,”
she says.
During her first week in Ireland,
she ventured out into city center with
another Meghan from America, “to
explore what Cork had to offer,” she says.
“We happened upon a neat Irish pub
called Costigans. The place was packed
and for the first time in my life, I was
hearing accents and languages from all
over the world,” she recalls. “It was, at
that moment, that I fell in love with the
city of Cork and Ireland. Meghan and I
went up to the barman and both ordered
Murphy’s, a local Cork stout. We wanted
to fit in. We quickly noticed that not many
women were drinking stout, so we realized
we stood out.” After finding a seat, the
duo was approached by an Irish fellow
who asked from what part of America
they came. “He was a warm and very
handsome young Irish guy named Paul
Corkery who was sitting with some friends
in the pub. We started talking to him and
his friends. At the end of the evening we
exchanged phone numbers with Paul,” she
states.
“For the next month or so, Paul became
a good friend to Meghan and me. He
showed us the Irish countryside, took us
to nearby beaches, and recommended the
best restaurants and pubs. He was like our
little Irish chauffer.”
After a while, Paul focused his
invitations and attention primarily on
Megan Robertson, who, did not seem to
notice, at first, that she was being singled
out. “Meghan said she knew that he
fancied me, so it came as no surprise to
her.”
Megan and Paul began dating officially
two months after meeting. “I had always
had an infatuation with Ireland but never
anticipated meeting a guy while studying
abroad, let alone the man of my dreams,”
she states. “We developed a strong
friendship and liking towards each other
and eventually realized we were falling
deeply in love by the end of my time in
Ireland.”
The ever dreaded “goodbye” arrived all
too quickly that December. Megan says.
“By then, we knew we had something
special and worth holding on to. We just
were not sure how to make such a long
distance relationship work,” she says.
Admitting to never being in love before,
she was determined to see where things
were headed. “We decided to remain in
a relationship and to speak via Skype, as
often as we could, once I returned to the
U.S. for my last semester of college.”
The tearful goodbye at the Cork airport
was the hardest thing she ever had to do,
Megan says. “Little did I know we would
have to encounter similar tearful airport
goodbyes for the next 3½ years,” she
states.
Upon returning to school, the couple
had “Skype dates” every day. Megan
decided to go back for a visit during spring
break of her senior year. “After that visit,
we knew how strong our love was and that
we wanted to pursue our relationship as
long as possible.”
Before graduation, she applied for
a work permit to return to Ireland. “I
obtained the work visa and spent the
summer working two jobs, saving for my
big move to Cork,” she states. “I moved
there in September and was lucky enough
to find a job within two days of arrival.”
The visa was only temporary, forcing
her to return home after seven months.
“Paul and I had the time of our lives for
those seven months. We knew that we
could not live without each other,” she
states.
For the next year, the two traveled back
and forth to each other and maintained
the long distance relationship, thanks,
in part again, to Skype. “We never went
more than three to six months without
seeing each other. Being apart from
someone you love so deeply was some of
the hardest times in our lives,” she states.
The couple was engaged in Ireland on
New Year’s Eve “as we rung in 2009,” she
states. “It happened in a little Irish village
in Kenmare, County Kerry. Paul and I
were there with all of his friends and he
pulled me away for a little stroll around
midnight. We were crossing a stone
bridge that had a little creek below when
Paul stopped me and said, ‘It’s nearly
midnight.’
Just as I started to give him a New
Year’s kiss, he started to get down on
one knee. I immediately knew what was
happening. I was in shock and overcome
with joy and surprise at the same time,”
Megan states. “He asked me to marry him.
Right after I said ‘Of course,’ the village
sky lit up with fireworks and church bells
started ringing. I asked Paul if he had
planned it that way but he said, “No,” but
it could not have been more perfect if he
With LoveS
tudying abroad was always a desire
of Watauga native Megan Robertson
– but who wasn’t sure if she could
stand being far away from her family and
friends for an extended time period.
During her senior year at UNC-
Asheville, where she was completing her
undergraduate studies, her “very loving
and generous aunt in San Francisco”
offered her the opportunity to fulfill her
dream. After endless debating on where to
go to school, Megan narrowed her choices
to two favored locations – Scotland and
Ireland. “I started researching both. My
parents visited Cork, Ireland, during the
summer of 2005 and returned raving
about the people, the beauty of the land
and how great the university was in Cork
city,” she states.
After much deliberation – between
studying in Galway on the west coast of
Ireland or in Cork, the southernmost
county in Ireland, she decided on
University College in Cork. “It is located
in a thriving city of about 274,000 people
and is the second largest city in the
Republic of Ireland to Dublin,” she states.
After much “nervous anticipation,”
To Ireland – and Back –
B y S h e r r i e N o r r i s
Continued On Page 32
Megan Robertson Corkery
Making memories to last a lifetime.
Photos by Katie Langley