WHEN EVGENIYA EM first moved to Dublin seven years ago, she wasn’t too fond of the Irish capital.
“It took me four years to fall in love with Dublin, because I hated it for a while,” she recalled. Coming from a huge capital city – Moscow – Dublin felt small and almost rural to her.
“It was a cultural shock, so I was thinking ‘this is a village’,” she admitted. She even thought about moving to another European country. However, the country soon began to grow on her. Soon, she was in love.
“After a while I was charmed by Irish people and their sense of humour – they are very sarcastic,” she laughed. “You see how people… they are open and they are not fake and I think that’s what got my heart.”
Spreading the love
Now she is on a mission to spread that love for Dublin, through a new TV show, We Love Dublin. Presented and produced by Em, it is made possible thanks to a BAI grant.
“For the last three years I had this idea brewing inside of me, I have to share this passion for Dublin. The places and people that made me look at Dublin differently,” is how she describes her aim with the show.
We Love Dublin is putting call out to for people who aren’t originally from Ireland, but are now settled here, to spill their secrets and share their favourite parts of the city with the show.
The aim of the show is to show the ethnic diversity of Dublin. Over the course of 21 10-minute long programmes, We Love Dublin will journey into the nooks and crannies of the capital and all it has to offer.
Each episode is based on one postcode and there will be nine episodes about the northside of the city, and 12 on the southside.
They are looking for people “who know the neighbourhood – where to eat, what kind of entertainment would be in the area”, explained Em. “They can show us that part of Dubin through their eyes.”
It’s a new perspective as it involves people who didn’t necessarily grow up in Ireland. “We weren’t born here and for us we perceive things differently,” said Em. “We aim to show Dublin through the positive point of view. The aim of the show is to show Dublin is an amazing city.”
Melting pot
With Dublin becoming “more and more of a melting pot”, Em is keen to show that there may be more to discover about the city than even natives might realise.
The show will be broadcast on DCTV and online. If you think you’d make a great host for an episode, and want to show off your stomping ground, you can contact the makers by filling in an application on welovedublin.tv.
“This project will not only show the diversity of Irish life to other nations, but will also help Irish people learn more about their own culture” said Em.
We Love Dublin is being produced in conjunction with the Immigrant Council Of Ireland and the support of the Broadcasting Authority Of Ireland’s Sound and Vision scheme.
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