A teacher from Newry that's working in Liverpool has spoken of her relief at finally being able to book a trip back home after the country announced non-essential travel would be welcomed from July 19.
Pauline Ronan, 44, lives in Crosby but grew up in Newry with her parents and family still living there.
The teacher moved to Liverpool 19 years ago and would regularly fly back to Ireland via Dublin.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has left her only managing to see her parents and sisters once since March 2020.
Speaking of how hard it has been, she told the Liverpool Echo: "It feels like a heavy heart, and that, even though you could be sitting in a really busy room or there might be people around you, it still feels like there's something missing."
Pauline, one of six sisters, added: "I guess the big thing for a long time was that kind of FOMO, fear of missing out, and fear of being forgotten. I think as somebody living away from home, that's a big thing, the fear of being forgotten."
She last saw her parents on a two-day trip to their village on the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic in December.
Pauline elaborated about how she surprised her parents during that visit.
She said: "We hadn't told our parents because we didn't want to build up their hopes and then it not happen. So then I literally go back to my sister's house, then the next morning I rang my mum and the dad.
"My mum was just in floods of tears because obviously, it's really hard for them as well."
Pauline is now planning to visit Ireland in a couple of weeks to finally reunite with her family.
They have a three and a half week holiday planned for August, in a cottage they booked a year ago and have had to postpone four or five times already.
Speaking of the excitement, Pauline's husband Kevin said: "Our son is counting down. He knows it's 16 days. He'll count them out. He'll say, 'Right, tomorrow it'll be 15 days before I go back to Ireland'.
And that's the connection he's got because he can't wait to see his cousins and his family."
From Monday, July 19, travellers to Ireland from a country to which the EU has not applied an 'emergency brake' will not have to quarantine or undergo travel-related testing if they have a valid proof of a Covid vaccination.
Unvaccinated travellers will have to present evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken within three days before their arrival and will have to self-quarantine and undergo testing provided by the Irish health service.
