March 29, 1999 - Woman's Day - Katrina's Irish Love
I am Irrrish," says the actress who plays Minnie, rolling her R's with an
almost musical lilt.
I'm a permanent resident of New Zealand but I'm fiercely proud of being a citizen of
Northern Ireland. We came out here to visit relatives when I was six years old and Mum
and Dad fell in love with the place. We moved here not long after.
Katrina admits to being desperately homesick for the first couple of years, but eventually
came to love this country as much as her parents Thomas and Geraldine did.
She has never stopped being Irish though. As a girl she got jiggy with it, learning the art of
Irish dancing made famous by Lord of the Dance legend Michael Flatley. Her family joined
the burgeoning ranks of Auckland's Irish community to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with
vigour every year. And petite Katrina even dabbled in the wild sport of Gaelic football!
"I hate Guinness, though," she laughs. "But I'm quite fond of Bailey's. And I've given away
wearing green - It just doesn't suit me any more!"
Katrina says that one year she became so carried away with the
March 17 festivities she had a shamrock painted on her cheek. And
as she kicked up her heels this St. Patrick's Day along with the
hundreds of thousands of Irish living in New Zealand. She knew her
father would be doing exactly the same thing back in his native
Northern Ireland, where he returned several years ago.
Katrina, who last visited Ireland in 1997, is so fond of her birthplace she intends taking
love-of-her-life Blair, 26, there at the end of the year to visit her bricklayer father.
"I just know they'll hit it off," she smiles. "They both love rugby and they're both fairly
laid-back, so I just know they'll like each other.
For Katrina, the pilgrimage will give her a chance to show Blair a side of her country rarely
portrayed in headlines dominated by news of IRA bombings.
"It's not like that at all", says the young actress. Violence is not a part of every-day life like
the newspapers would have you believe. "The only time my family was ever witness to
violence was after the Omagh bombing last year. My aunt helped people in the streets who
were missing limbs."
The August 15 car bomb outside the Omagh courthouse killed 29 people and injured 370
others and has gone down in history as the worst-ever terrorist attack in Northern Ireland.
"The British are responsible for as much violence as the IRA," says Katrina. "But because
New Zealand is part of the British Commonwealth we don't hear that side of the story."
The blonde beauty says that every year the people of Northern Ireland hope for a
resolution to their dispute with England and for peace.
"We hope England will give Northern Ireland back," she says. "I don't know why they want
it anyway. Can't they just be happy with what they have?"
"I really hope that one day there will be peace in Northern Ireland because violence doesn't
solve anything."
Story by Sandra Roberts
I am Irrrish," says the actress who plays Minnie, rolling her R's with an
almost musical lilt.
I'm a permanent resident of New Zealand but I'm fiercely proud of being a citizen of
Northern Ireland. We came out here to visit relatives when I was six years old and Mum
and Dad fell in love with the place. We moved here not long after.
Katrina admits to being desperately homesick for the first couple of years, but eventually
came to love this country as much as her parents Thomas and Geraldine did.
She has never stopped being Irish though. As a girl she got jiggy with it, learning the art of
Irish dancing made famous by Lord of the Dance legend Michael Flatley. Her family joined
the burgeoning ranks of Auckland's Irish community to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with
vigour every year. And petite Katrina even dabbled in the wild sport of Gaelic football!
"I hate Guinness, though," she laughs. "But I'm quite fond of Bailey's. And I've given away
wearing green - It just doesn't suit me any more!"
Katrina says that one year she became so carried away with the
March 17 festivities she had a shamrock painted on her cheek. And
as she kicked up her heels this St. Patrick's Day along with the
hundreds of thousands of Irish living in New Zealand. She knew her
father would be doing exactly the same thing back in his native
Northern Ireland, where he returned several years ago.
Katrina, who last visited Ireland in 1997, is so fond of her birthplace she intends taking
love-of-her-life Blair, 26, there at the end of the year to visit her bricklayer father.
"I just know they'll hit it off," she smiles. "They both love rugby and they're both fairly
laid-back, so I just know they'll like each other.
For Katrina, the pilgrimage will give her a chance to show Blair a side of her country rarely
portrayed in headlines dominated by news of IRA bombings.
"It's not like that at all", says the young actress. Violence is not a part of every-day life like
the newspapers would have you believe. "The only time my family was ever witness to
violence was after the Omagh bombing last year. My aunt helped people in the streets who
were missing limbs."
The August 15 car bomb outside the Omagh courthouse killed 29 people and injured 370
others and has gone down in history as the worst-ever terrorist attack in Northern Ireland.
"The British are responsible for as much violence as the IRA," says Katrina. "But because
New Zealand is part of the British Commonwealth we don't hear that side of the story."
The blonde beauty says that every year the people of Northern Ireland hope for a
resolution to their dispute with England and for peace.
"We hope England will give Northern Ireland back," she says. "I don't know why they want
it anyway. Can't they just be happy with what they have?"
"I really hope that one day there will be peace in Northern Ireland because violence doesn't
solve anything."
Story by Sandra Roberts
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| A site dedicated to beautiful New Zealand actress Katrina Devine |
ticket if you know she already has one!
ticket if you know she already has one!
Her luck, however, is no coincidence - It's genetic. The 18-year-old
was blessed with all the luck of the Irish, having been born in the
Northern Ireland town of Plumbridge.
ticket if you know she already has one!
Her luck, however, is no coincidence - It's genetic. The 18-year-old
was blessed with all the luck of the Irish, having been born in the
Northern Ireland town of Plumbridge.
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