Brussels may seem worlds away from a teenager’s band practice in a sheep shed on a Co Mayo island cliff edge, but it has been a seamless journey for Olof Gill.
From an early age, he lived between his mother Anna’s native city of Gothenburg – population 600,000 – and the family’s home on Clare Island, Co Mayo, which has a population of just 150.
Educated in both Sweden and Ireland, including Clare Island’s two-teacher primary school, and later at University College Cork, via an Erasmus year in Paris, rough seas were often his highway.
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Clearly, his experience of living on the edge has afforded him perspectives which he can take into his role as European Commission spokesman for Economic Security, Trade, Financial Services, Customs and EU-UK relations.
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“Spending my childhood years between two very different environments, whilst being brought up bilingually was very instructive in terms of my formative experiences,” says Gill.
Since his appointment last year, it has been extremely busy. The job has led him to be a well-known commentator in Irish media, particularly in light of the trade tariffs imposed by US president Donald Trump, but he loves nothing more than getting back to the island.
“I love going home to Clare Island for the obvious reasons of reconnecting with the soil and sea, seeing my family and friends, and tuning my brain back into the rhythms of island life.
“This is a welcome – and I think very healthy – antidote to the high-pressure arena of international politics I inhabit in my day job,” he says.
Indeed, Gill muses that working as a volunteer board member of the island’s local development company was “every bit as politically intense and challenging as fighting a trade war.
“I also really appreciate talking to fellow islanders about the work they do, and how it relates to the work I do. It gives me very useful perspectives and insights.
“If they perceive a weakness or error in any aspect of EU policy, they’ll challenge me on it. This forces me to think on my feet and reflect on how to effectively present the work the EU institutions do,” he says.
Gill is proud of the long history of islanders’ interest in politics – there was a so-called parliament on Clare Island in the early 20th century when a man known as The Spaker convened meetings about local, national and world affairs.
“Islanders tend to be very well informed and fully tuned into national and global news, and they always have interesting, challenging views on the interplay between peripheries and political centres.
“This gives me a functional understanding on how policies devised in Brussels meeting rooms impact lives and businesses on the ground,” says Gill.
In many ways, the microcosmic world of an island provides a perfect picture of the impact of EU policies on the sustainability of its peripheral communities.
“If you take a 20-minute walk from the pier on Clare Island, you will see EU funding and policies at work to support local community development: CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) support for farmers, rural development support for local business, regional funding for vital infrastructure and so on.
“But I’m not convinced the EU always succeeds in communicating this in an impactful, relatable way. This is something we should strive to improve on constantly,” he says.
Singing Jimi Hendrix, Cream and The Beatles songs with his island friends Rory and Niall McCabe was not the only childhood pastime which helped to develop his easy performance abilities. Singing sean-nós, as a Gaeilgeoir, dancing a half-set and playing Gaelic football also helped him with today’s professional challenges of daily press briefings and media grillings.
Of course, home life with his wife, Dublin native Lucy Moylan, and three small boys – Patrik (almost 4), Joey (2) and Henry (3 weeks) – is full of life lessons too.
“With a young family, we worry about the state of the world we’ll be sending them out into, so I am a true believer in the European integration project. The value of working across borders to maintain peace and prosperity was never more apparent than in this current time.
“I am proud that we are holding the line globally when it comes to democracy, institutions and liberal values,” he says.
Gill adds that he is very fortunate to be married to someone who has worked in frontline politics and understands the demands of the job.
“Lucy and I met while working for different Irish MEPs in the European Parliament, and we’ve also worked for Irish Government ministers at different times. This means I have a fantastic sounding board at home when I’m working on messaging,” says Gill.
The family loves holidaying on Clare Island, where the older boys paddle in rock pools, play hide-and-seek in their grandmother’s garden and listen to colourful stories from their grandfather, Peter.
As Gill returns to work in early July after paternity leave, he observes: “I’m returning to work as EU trade commissioner Maroš Sefcovic engages in crunch talks with the Trump administration in Washington DC to reach a deal on tariffs.
“These are crucial moments for the EU trade agenda, and it’ll be a case of all hands to the wheel to achieve an outcome that is acceptable to our member states and businesses.”
