Ty Russell, an American chiropractor, moved to Athlone from Kansas a year ago. He had never been to Ireland before but was looking for a change and applied for the job - at the Athlone Chiropractic Centre - via the internet.

He travelled over for the interview, liked what he saw, felt that chiropractic (the treatment of spinal disorders) was in its infancy here and thought it was a great opportunity to live overseas.

Russell got the job and now he, his wife Kelly, and their three children - daughters Emma (6), Austyn (5), and son Dagan (3) - live in a rented house outside Athlone. The girls attend Summerhill National School which he describes as a great school.

The Russells are enjoying life in Athlone, say the people are great, have not encountered any anti-American sentiment and "felt at home right away. The town has all the necessities but without the hustle and bustle of a city and is a lot more laidback and less stressful than Kansas". The family are regulars at the Regional Sports Centre and hope eventually to get a boat.

They plan to stay here long-term and are currently looking to buy or build a house. They would like to build but there's a lot of hassle with the planning authorities - unlike in the US, they say - so they may end up buying.

Russell believes that the cost of living is about the same and, although housing is a little more expensive, it's not astronomical. The weather is "more moist" than they were used to "but is not a big issue". While they miss family and friends, Russell says they don't miss life in America except for Mexican restaurants. During their weekend travels around the country getting to know Ireland they found one in Cork but would like to find more.