This article is from page 18 of the 2011-06-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
IT’S a long way from Peru to Clare but thankfully not too long for one Shannon worker.
Delia O’Malley, a machine operator with Ei Electronics, received the surprise of a lifetime last week when six members of her family touched down in Shannon after completing the 6,000-mile trip from their native Peru.
The visiting party included Delia’s parents Leonidas Zarate (94) and Dolores Zarate (85), two brothers and two sisters.
The family re-union was complete when another of Delia’s sisters flew in from Barcelona, while two other siblings also live in Ireland.
Mother-of-one Delia, who moved to Shannon 11 years ago, said she got a shock when she heard her parents had come to Ireland.
She said, “This is the first time they have travelled here together. My mother was here two years ago but my father has never been over here. He was born in 1917. When I was told they were coming, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I didn’t know they were coming.”
The visit to Ireland is Leonidas’ first trip abroad since attending the World Cup in 1986.
Delia added, “It’s amazing they came. My Dad is 94 my mother is 85. We have a family of 12 and all the kids are still alive.”
The family, who originally hail from Cajamarca in northern Peru near the Andes Mountains, have enjoyed their trip to Ireland. She said, “They love it except there are no mountains. Everything is green and so flat. They think it’s a park.”