Who we are
and why we exist.
Babylon is an independent online media platform and community resource based in Ireland, dedicated to helping expatriates and immigrants build their lives abroad through guides, community, events, and more.
+ Join the Team
Our Mission
At Babylon, our team is comprised of people from all over the world. Many of us have firsthand experience with the challenges of moving to a new country, which is why we are uniquely equipped to help you integrate into your new life, in 4 different parts.
Content that resonates
Editorially driven content across web, radio, video, and social. Relevant to the real lives of people navigating a new country.
Where people belong
Events, meetups, and a marketplace that bring international communities together. Turning strangers in a new city into a real network.
Stories worth telling
Interviews, features, and partnerships rooted in the experiences of people building new lives abroad. Amplifying voices that rarely get a platform.
Scaling with purpose
Starting from Ireland, Babylon is expanding into cities across Europe. Building a platform designed to grow with every community it serves.
Hi, I'm Dearan-Seamus
I founded Babylon to help people integrate smoothly to their new country. I was an immigrant myself in Spain and Australia, and found that it wasn't easy to integrate.
I was also a teacher, helping students with questions about Ireland. I was happy to help them with all I knew, and what I didn't know, I researched for them. But I discovered a lot of the information was hard to find, so I thought, if it's difficult for me, as a native, it must be much more difficult for them. In classes, people would often tell me that I was the only person they spoke English to, because they would stay with their own nationality. I wanted to solve this problem and I thought, whatever country you come from, or whatever language you speak, music is a universal language that can bring people together.
So, I decided to create a resource to remove the uncertainty, stress, doubts and barriers about moving country, in 4 different parts.
BABYLON
Why “Babylon”?
One day as I was walking down Dame Street, I heard about 12 languages being spoken. It reminded me of the story of the town of Babylon, which is a story in the bible that describes the people of the world attempting to build a tower that would reach to heaven. In the story, God destroyed the tower and gave all the people different languages so that they could no longer understand and communicate with each other, meaning they could not build the tower. That's one of the reasons why I decided to call it Babylon.
The other was because Babylon was an ancient city located in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) from the 18th to the 6th centuries BCE. It was the first truly multicultural city in the world due to its location on the corner of Africa, Asia and Europe. It was known for its impressive architecture, including the Hanging Gardens, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Babylon was also known for its law code, and its cultural achievements in astronomy, mathematics and art.
What people think of us
Clara
“I love the Radio, playing music from all around the world as music is a universal language.”
Selem
“All the information you need about living here, like work, education, health, law and more. Also about visiting here and things to do. Translated into 6 different languages.”
João
“Fresh articles, featuring what's on, culture, current affairs, lifestyle and news.”
Fabiana
“Events with multicultural bands and DJs bring people together from different countries to help make friends and create real relationships.”