The Road Taken

Ann Garratts story begins at a critical time in her life with the murder of a fellow worker by a colleague whom she recruited. The feelings of guilt and later the prospect of losing her senior job in the NHS conspire to create a perfect storm in her world and Ann is left suffering from a serious mental health problem. In an effort to understand the cause of her illness Ann journeyed back through her childhood reflecting on her Irish roots and how emigration may have impacted on her ability to deal with stress. Ann recalls her life as a child in Falcarragh on the north coast of Donegal Ireland and the shock of being transplanted into war-scarred inner-city Coventry where the family struggled with poverty separation their mothers poor health and fathers drink problem. The Road Taken explores the nature of emigration the loss of homeland and its impact on personal identity. Anns story is not uncommon. It has been shared by thousands of people uprooted from their family friends and culture to settle in foreign place.