Fermanagh native on life in Malta

Since leaving this paper at East Bridge Street in Enniskillen, Diana's career has taken her to Belfast, London and now Malta, where she serves as the news editor of The Times of Malta.

Here she discusses what drew her to Malta, and the unexpected things that she misses about Fermanagh.

The flag of Malta.

Where are you currently based and have you been there since you left Fermanagh? Where else have you lived outside of the UK/Ireland?

When I met my Maltese-English husband, Mario, he told me of his long-term plan to retire to Malta one day and I thought, 'Why wait, when we can have an adventure now?'

We were both living in London and had great jobs with BBC News, but we decided to take the gamble of ditching our safe careers and giving life in the Mediterranean a go.

We moved to Malta in 2018, and fortunately that gamble paid off.

When did you leave Fermanagh and why did you originally leave?

I first left Fermanagh in 2001 to study in Dublin but returned a few years later to work as a journalist with The Impartial Reporter.

My career took me to Belfast, with The Irish News, and then London with BBC News.

What are you currently doing?

I’m the news editor of The Times of Malta, which is Malta’s main newspaper and news website.

At work as news editor for Times of Malta (Credit: Matthew Mirabelli)

What do you miss most about home?

I suspect most people have the same answer to this one – family.

My parents, Cyril and Christine Rusk, and my brothers, Adam and Richard and their families, still live on the Fermanagh-Monaghan border, while my eldest sister, Louise, and her family is in Belfast.

Then there are other, unexpected things that I miss. Ireland and Northern Ireland are known for their greenery and friendliness.

I didn’t pay much attention to either of these aspects until I left and realised just how green and how welcoming my home country is on each return.

Do you travel home often?

I travel home at least two to three times a year and I was lucky that I managed to do so even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

What has been a highlight of your time living abroad?

There are many things I love about Malta: the weather, the history and the proximity to Italy, which I love to explore.

But the highlight has probably been buying a home here. I’ve always been happy to rent, and enjoyed the freedom it gives, but I felt like we were putting down roots when we bought our traditional Maltese townhouse with its distinctive, colourful tiles, wooden balcony and a small garden with citrus trees.

Was it difficult settling into life in a new country?

It was much harder than I imagined – mostly because my husband and I had given up our careers to make the move, and I didn’t realise how difficult that might be.

I worked in marketing for almost a year before I joined The Times of Malta. Since then, I’ve really settled into life here.

Have you faced many challenges?

Shortly after I became news editor, the arrest of a prominent businessman over the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia plunged the country into a political crisis.

Navigating that was a professional challenge, but I was surrounded by a fantastic team of journalists and editors.

I’ve also set myself the challenge of learning Maltese, although it’s a famously tricky language, given its links to Arabic, Italian, English and even French.

Diana and Mario walking G?ajn Tuffie?a beach taken at Christmas 2020

Have you introduced any ‘Fermanagh slang’ to the country you are currently living in? If so, what words/phrases have people picked up?

I didn’t think I used many slang words, until I noticed my husband adopting the word ‘wee’.

How does the food where you live compare to food from home?

Malta is a small island, so many foods are imported. You won’t get fresh, locally-sourced beef or lamb easily, but I love some of the local dishes such as stewed rabbit, baked Lampuki fish, pastizzi (a pastry filled with peas, chicken or ricotta), and vegetable dishes like qarabaghli mimli (a sort of stuffed marrow).

Who do you miss most from home? How have you found communicating across different time zones?

Family and friends – but with WhatsApp, I feel constantly connected to them.

Do you think you will ever move back to Fermanagh?

I’m currently living in the sunniest country in the EU. I’d find it hard to swap that for rainy Fermanagh, no matter how green it is or how warm the people are!

But it certainly gets harder as I get older to say goodbye to my parents after each visit, so I would never say never. Nobody knows what life will bring.