Descendant of Lafcadio Hearn Finds Love in Ireland
A Japanese descendant of a famous writer from Ireland has moved to that country after meeting her future husband there.
Lafcadio Hearn, who lived from 1850-1904, was a Greek-Irish writer who is known in Japan as Koizumi Yakumo.
Born in Greece, Hearn grew up in Ireland, and then spent time in England, the US and the West Indies before traveling to Japan in 1890. There he became famous for his writings about Japan and Japanese culture.
Ayuko Moriya is Hearn's great-great-granddaughter, and she has traveled to many of the places where Hearn lived. In 2017, she traveled to the Irish seaside town of Tramore, where Hearn spent many summers as a child.
In Tramore, Ayuko visited the Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens, a series of gardens designed to tell the story of Hearn's life. There she met the garden guide, Keith Guinan, and although their first meeting was short, they stayed in touch after her visit.
When Ayuko returned to Ireland on a working holiday in 2018, the two became good friends, and in a year, they had decided to get married.
The couple were married in Japan, and now live together in Tramore. Ayuko does some volunteer work in the gardens and has started a YouTube channel about life in the Irish countryside.
Ayuko also wants to share Hearn's life story. Both Ayuko and Keith agree that Hearn's writing is important, because it recorded a time when traditional Japanese culture was quickly changing.
However, like Hearn, Ayuko loves to travel. "Ireland is a wonderful place to live," she says, but adds, "I'm sure there is more travel in my future."
