A NIGERIAN FAMILY living in Dublin hit the small screen this week – with their son Kosi’s Holy Communion becoming a prime time attraction.
The documentary on TV3 followed the Rathfarnham-based Ononos as part of a ‘day in the life’ series on modern Ireland, which also turned the spotlight on the Co Louth-based Boylans and the Dohertys from Donegal, whose respective daughters Caitlin and Aileen were also making their first communions.
Kosi’s mum Olive, who attended Rathdown School in Dublin during the 1980s before returning to Nigeria – and then back to Ireland – said participating in the programme was “exciting”.
The film especially captured the visit of Kosi’s dad Austin, who lives in Nigeria, for his son’s special day.
And according to Olive, participating in the documentary was a means of showing another side to Nigerians.
“We’re normal,” said Olive, a HSE social worker. “Maybe there are a few bad eggs, but we can’t be all tainted with the same brush.”
The Nigerian permanently returned to Ireland in 2002, and “couldn’t believe” the demographic changes since the 1980s. “When I was 15 in Ireland, I was the only black person for miles,” she recalled.
