Irish pride strong for Joanie and Aoife this St Patrick’s Day
ST PATRICK’S DAY
For Joanie and Aoife Conway, owners of Cafe Fresq, St Patrick’s Day is a celebration of culture, community and a little bit of Irish “craic” in the tropics.
Originally from County Wexford in southeast Ireland, Joanie was travelling the world when she landed in Australia.
“When I first visited Port Douglas on vacation, I instantly fell in love with the place,” she said.
“It was an easy, good life. The weather was fabulous and everybody is different and unique in Australia.”
Her partner Aoife, who grew up in Carlow about an hour from Dublin, arrived with a similar plan; a one-year working holiday that ended up becoming a permanent move.
“It was the thing to do in your twenties, come to Australia for a working holiday visa,” Aoife said. “I guess I just never left.”
As a trained chef in Ireland, Aoife was immediately inspired by the diversity of ingredients and fresh produce she discovered in Australia.
“Ireland has amazing produce now, but back then everything was meat and three veg,” she said. “Australia opened my eyes to so many new ingredients and flavours.”
“We are very proud Irish women and we celebrate being Irish in every way,” Joanie said.
Sport remains a strong connection to home, and Christmas is still celebrated the traditional way, with a hearty turkey and ham dinner rather than the typical Australian cold buffet.
But it is St Patrick’s Day that truly brings their Irish spirit to life.
For more than a decade, Café Fresq has hosted a special St Patrick’s Day celebration that has become something of a tradition for locals and visitors alike.
“For 11 years we’ve started the day with an Irish breakfast at Fresq with music and drinks,” Joanie said.
“Then we head to Paddy’s later in the evening to finish the night with more food and great music.”
“It’s become a tradition and we see the same people come back year after year.”
For Aoife, the day is all about sharing Irish culture with the wider community.
“St Patrick’s Day is literally a celebration of being Irish and inviting everyone to celebrate with us,” she said.
“We have the craic, play the tunes and get a bit silly. We love how everyone gets involved.”
Like many Irish people living abroad, there are things they still miss from home, especially family and friends.
“That’s the big price we pay for living here,” Aoife said. “But on the upside we always have plenty of visitors from home and people love coming to Port Douglas, it’s not a bad spot.”
Joanie agrees there is one thing in Ireland that simply can’t be replicated anywhere else.
“I miss the music and the craic in the pubs,” she said.
“There’s nothing in the world that can match the craic in an Irish pub.”
And when it comes to food, Aoife admits there are a few simple comforts she still longs for.
“The potatoes, sausages and bread. Unless you’ve had them, you’ll never understand.”