Mathilde Berthillier was born in Caen and moved to Dublin.
The Normandie Attractivité events have helped me bond with my compatriots living here
Let me introduce myself…
Hi, my name is Mathilde Berthillier, I’m 48 and I’ve lived in Dublin since 2007. My boyfriend Derek and me live in the south of the city in a house we bought in 2021 that we’re slowly renovating. I work in tech at Udemy, a company involved in online courses. Over time, I’ve managed to build a network of both personal and professional relationships both in Dublin and around the world given it’s a multicultural city. There are about fifteen different nationalities in my friendship group! Like any country, life in Ireland has it’s highs and lows but I’m happy here. I love how chilled people are with each other, it’s near the sea, there are more jobs here and career opportunities are more diverse.
Me and Normandy
I was born in Caen in Calvados. I have a connection with the Manche area too as my parents’ families came from Granville. I’m a huge fan of my hometown. Where’s my favourite haunt when I’m visiting for a few days? The tearoom on the top floor of the Memoranda bookshop on Rue Froide in Caen. I love Saint Sauveur market on Friday morning for its quality produce and my regular post-shopping coffee on the square with my mum. You never tire of the view from Notre Dame Church in Granville. When you live abroad, you often see your country through the eyes of the people you take home: I redid the D-Day trail with my boyfriend a few years ago and the sites reminded me how important our duty of memory is.
My role as an ambassador
When I found out about Normandie Attractivité, it gave me a fresh look at my land and everything it has going for it. I’m proud to fly the flag for my region, to promote our culture, food, drink and game-changing Normandy businesses. Let’s not forget there Normandy has real heritage here in Ireland too. The biggest landmarks in Dublin were built by Normans. Surnames such as Archer or Burke come from Normandy. We can use our historical connection to work together in the present: tourism, product promotion etc. The Normandie Attractivité events have helped me bond with my compatriots living here. But I want to get even more involved, if I can!
What do I miss? Like any self-respecting French person, I’d say the food! Unfortunately, an island in Northern Europe can’t match the diversity and quality of the produce we have in Normandy. Fortunately my family are good cooks: I often make “galettes”, “teurgoule” and other regional dishes. We’re getting more and more Normandy produce here but I still fill my suitcase up with terrine and salted caramel toffee when I visit France!