On the 28th of December, a group of young Irish will meet in
a Limerick bar a stone's throw from the University from which they graduated in
August 2011.
This will be no
chance encounter. A Facebook invite has taken the place of the Star of
Bethlehem in this modern Christmas tale. We'll come from near and far. Dublin
and Edinburgh, London and Korea, even Clare.
It will be more than
a meeting of old friends, however. It will be one in the eye of the recession
that for 364 days of the year keeps us apart.
In small groups we'll arrive, seeking familiar faces in the
crowded bar. The joy of reunion will be displayed in all its forms. Tears,
laughter, hugs and pats on the back. We're home.
The warm glow felt
after the first few pints will prompt the storytelling. Ten stories will be
told at once, many which have already been told via Skype or Facebook, all of
which mean more when told face-to-face.
At no point during the night will we forget friends half the
world away. Friends who are spending their Christmas in the Far East, on Australian
beaches, in Canadian cities. Our sorrow at their absence will ensure we are as
aware of them as we would be were they there with us.
I'll sit there smiling among my friends and inwardly I'll
wonder. What does 2013 have in store? Will I spend next Christmas half a world
away from the homestead, or will I be one of the lucky ones in gainful
employment within the confines of these shores?
I'll shrug away these questions as I shrug on my jacket.
There is a far more pressing matter at hand. Which bar next?
The night will hurtle toward its inevitable conclusion, and
as closing time approaches it will be as though the last 16 months never
happened. None of us have joined the rat race, the dole queue, or the masses
leaving this country in search of a better life.
Morning will bring with it cold reality and hot tea. Friends
will slip away from the hotel one by one. No goodbyes.. There is more promise
in "see you later." We can't predict how 2013 will pan out, but we'll
content ourselves with the knowledge that we've ended 2012 in good company.
