Building a Village, Even When You're Far From Home

Last week, our Chair Yvonne Maher joined a panel at the Embassy of Ireland in London for Without a Village — a conversation about building a career and a life in London as part of the Irish diaspora. The event was co-organised by six London-Irish networks: the London Irish Lawyers Association, London Irish Business Society, Chartered Accountants Ireland London Society, Digital Irish, The Ireland Funds Great Britain, and the Women's Irish Network UK.

Joined by Kenneth O'Connor (London Irish Business Society) and Martina Redmond (Chartered Accountants Ireland), and chaired by David Hardstaff, Partner at BCL Solicitors, the panel explored what it means to build a successful career in a demanding industry while managing caring responsibilities and maintaining a life — without the traditional support network back home.

Can you have it all?

It's a question that continues to dominate conversations about women and work. The panel's view: yes — but not all at once, and not without trade-offs. Yvonne framed it simply: think of the five rings on a cooker. You can have several on at once, but never all five at full heat. The five rings — career, kids, family and friends, sport, and yourself — require constant recalibration, not a fixed formula.

The discussion also challenged the language of "balance." Work/life integration, rather than balance, was offered as a more honest and functional model for those building careers in demanding industries while raising families far from home.

The mental load nobody names

A recurring theme across the panel was the invisible mental load that comes with building a life in London without family nearby. When there is no parent or sibling available to step in, the logistics of everyday life — childcare cover, school schedules, contingency planning — fall entirely on the individual or couple. This burden rarely surfaces in professional conversations, but it shapes career decisions, working patterns, and wellbeing in significant ways.

The panel also noted how much the landscape has shifted post-pandemic. Hybrid working, greater flexibility, and a genuine shift in how fathers participate in family life have materially changed what is possible for working parents. A decade ago, many parents had children in full-time childcare from 8am to 6pm, five days a week, with no flexibility. That is no longer the only option — and that change matters.

Networks, AI, and the opportunities ahead

Three practical themes emerged from the panel for women navigating careers in London today.

First, networks are not optional. Building and maintaining a professional and social network — in London and in Ireland — requires active, consistent investment. Making introductions, showing up to events, and supporting others in the network are as important as attending.

Second, AI is a strategic priority. Yvonne outlined how the technology is already reshaping how teams work, including developing internal AI frameworks and presenting phased adoption strategies at board level. Her advice to those earlier in their careers: engage with AI now. The skills that AI cannot replace — relationship intelligence, adaptability, empathy, reading a room — are precisely the ones the Irish diaspora has in abundance. Use them as your differentiator.

Third, supportive workplaces make a measurable difference. The ability to build a career without sacrificing everything else is rarely achieved alone — it requires employers who actively enable it.

What WIN has been doing

The event was also an opportunity to highlight the work of the Women's Irish Network over the past year. In that time, WIN has engaged more than 430 women across its events programme and raised £8,000 for the Irish Youth Foundation.

Recent events have included an evening with award-winning authors Claire Kilroy, Lisa McInerney and Kit de Waal in partnership with the Women's Prize for Fiction; an intimate dinner for 50 women with Angela Hartnett OBE at Café Murano; a female health evening with broadcaster Angela Scanlon and the founders of SISTERLY; and a media confidence breakfast with BBC alumni. WIN's recent Women in AI event, held in partnership with Dell, sold out ahead of the evening.

The programme spans large-scale public events and smaller, more informal gatherings — reflecting WIN's aim to build a network that functions at every level: professional introductions, peer support, and genuine community.

Events like Without a Village are part of how that connection is maintained — and strengthened.