By the age of one I had already lived in two countries; by 24 it was three (and two continents). Only one place smells like home to me.

I was nearly a year old when my parents decided we needed to leave Ireland for a better life. Ireland’s economy was suffering, while Canada’s was booming. A few weeks before my first birthday we arrived in Canada to start that new life.

We settled in the city of London, Ontario where I spent most of my childhood living on Bond Street. Unlike its UK counterpart, Ontario’s Bond Street is south of the Thames River, in a quiet residential suburb of modest detached homes. An area dubbed Chelsea Green is close by. Growing up, we used to call the English version of our city, ‘The Other London’.

Then, when I was 24, I visited ‘The Other London’, for the first time. I walked up and down ‘The Other Bond Street’ and took a boat down ‘The Other Thames River’. The concrete jungle framed by massive swathes of green parkland spoke to me and a year later I made the move permanently. My hometown 3,600 miles away became ‘The Other London’.

And yet I still feel that Ireland – a country I haven’t lived in for 28 years – is my true home. After moving to Canada we would visit family in Ireland every few years. I have fond memories of hot peat fires and long, winding country roads. I saw the house where my mother was born and the manor house where I got the scar on my eyebrow. Since moving to London I have had the chance to go back many times. I have met family I never knew, got to know my last living grandparent and explored much of the country.

So when people ask where home is, I always say it is a long story, but it all started in Ireland. For me, home isn’t bricks and mortar. To this day the aroma of burning peat makes me smile; it smells like home.

LB, London

Further information

What makes a house a home and why does it matter so much? Our new series, 'Moving Stories', inspired by Savills new advertising campaign, explores the complex relationship between home and home-owner with funny, sad and bittersweet reflections on moving out, moving in and moving on.

We invite you to submit your own Moving Stories and we will donate £50 to Dreams Come True for every one we publish on Savills UK Blog. We'll also make a donation for every story submitted for consideration.