Why an Irish lecturer stayed in France: life, work and challenges in Brittany

Grainne O’Keeffe Vigneron, originally from Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, moved to France in her early 20s, in 1997, for a teaching contract that was supposed to last a year.

“I was completing my Master’s degree at the time and had to write my thesis in French, so I thought it would be a good idea to spend a year in France while doing this. I stayed for love!” she said.

Today, she lives just outside Rennes, the capital of the Brittany region in north-west France, but she remains close to her roots, lecturing in Irish Studies at Université Rennes 2.

“Rennes is a wonderful place to live despite the bad press at the moment (in relation to drug trafficking). It is twinned with Cork, so it is a lovely size—not too big, not too small—and the countryside is easily accessible,” she said.

“I love walking around the pedestrian streets, having coffee at Place Saint-Anne, and exploring the open-air Saturday market, Marché des Lices, the biggest in Brittany.”

But moving to France has not been without its challenges. Like many people, Grainne found the French administration challenging to navigate.

Despite nearly 30 years in France, she still sometimes finds feeling like “the foreigner” difficult.

“Living in a foreign language can be challenging. I still have an accent when I speak French, even after so many years, and I dislike situations where my foreignness is made visible,” she said.

“For example, when I have to speak with a shop assistant, other customers often turn their heads when they hear the foreign accent. The assistant’s face can also change. You can almost see them thinking, ‘Oh no, a foreigner!’”

Trying to succeed in France’s job market has also been a challenge.

“Finding well-paid employment can be difficult. The ‘concours’ system for some professions can be hard to understand, but there is no getting around it for certain sectors,” she said.

“The language barrier does not help either. Working in a foreign language can make communication more difficult and restrict professional opportunities.”

Some of Ms O’Keeffe Vigneron’s research has focused on the Irish diaspora in France.

She has found that lifestyle factors have played a particularly important role in recent Irish migration to France, with the majority not strongly influenced by economic conditions in Ireland. This indicates that migration was more a choice than a necessity.

“Many were attracted by the opportunity to experience a new culture, travel, improve their quality of life, or develop their French language skills. Others moved for education or romantic relationships, with ‘love migration’ accounting for a notable share,” she said.

She has also found some interesting parallels between her adopted region and her home country.

“The Bretons and the Irish are quite similar, sharing a love of music (and drinking!) with many well-known festivals organised each year (Le Festival Interceltique de Lorient, for instance). These shared Celtic origins with Ireland make it easier to feel at home.

“However, the Bretons can be distrustful at first, but once you are accepted, you have friends for life. Being Irish in Brittany is wonderful, though, and opens many doors; it is Irish soft power!”

One area that differs in France compared to her native Ireland is how people deal with conflict.

“When you have a problem to solve, there is no use in being polite. You have to tackle the situation head-on and defend yourself in an assertive way. In Ireland, I could never imagine myself speaking to people in an unfriendly manner; the opposite is how we handle things by staying calm and polite.”