iven that there’s always been a Greystones welcome mat for every Tomasz, Daiwik or Helga, it’s hardly surprising that the town has become something of a melting pot.

Which got German blow-in Sylvia Payne thinking.

How does her own experience of moving to and settling down in The Greatest Irish Town Of All Time compare to those of other foreigners who have made Greystones their home?

And so, a beautiful blog was born.

“I had written about my own emigration story,” says Payne, “and then, when I quit my job in Irish tourism to become a full-time mum, I began to meet others at playgroups, etc, who had moved here too. I was just fascinated to find out what drew them here, and what made them stay.

“Besides having babies…”

The answers to those questions can be found on Sylvia’s blog, and the Foreigners Of Greystones series, with contributors from all over the planet offering up their take on the good, the bad and The Flynnstones. 

“Having written a lot about my own journey to Ireland,” finishes Sylvia, “it was great to find out about all these other global treks to Greystones. Turns out I might not be completely mad after all…”

You can find out how Greystones lured Germans, French, Lithuanians, Spanish and more right about here.