Well-being Across the Life Course: Polish Families in Rural Ireland

This chapter investigates the experiences of 15 Polish families who opted to settle in rural Ireland after living in various locations, both within Ireland and abroad. It examines their motivations for leaving Poland, their choice of rural settlement, and how their initial perceptions of rural living compared with their actual experiences. The chapter positions the human well-being approach within a life course framework to analyse the subjective, material, and relational elements of human well-being. It illustrates how well-being and attachment to rural life evolved as participants interacted with employment, housing and the local community context over time. Despite initial challenges, including language competencies and employment in roles that did not match their qualifications and experience, these obstacles were overcome, and their level of integration and interaction evolved to a point where living in rural Ireland became a feasible and even desirable choice. This was evident in their plans for homeownership, career advancement and business ventures. The chapter emphasises the importance of embracing a life course and well-being perspective in migration studies, moving beyond purely economic considerations to acknowledge the complexities of migrant experiences, which continuously evolve across time and space.