My Irish Experience- Chayil

I went to Ireland over the summer for a few weeks in May. One of the things I learned about Irish culture was the various ways in which the kindness of the Irish people has shown up, Irish hospitality some would call it. I had it in smaller ways, saying please and thank you, holding the door for a few extra people, but we’ve seen it in bigger ways: when Leo Vadakara allowed me to meet with him. The day when I am not met with hospitality will be when I leave because I’ll be at home.

I had seen Irish Hospitality in every form it can show up and it is something that has made the trip better than it ever could have been. This is not to say I didn’t have bad experiences, but overall, I was meet with hospitality in times of distress or confusion. I have experienced this, firsthand, when I would lose an item at a location, they were always willing to help me find it and often offered to look for it themselves. It’s this displayed kindness that has made this trip worthwhile.

Beyond the kindness they show tourists and visitors, they also show immense respect and kindness to their land; this is one of the biggest examples of kindness that I noticed about Irish culture. They show their respect of land in so many ways, their laws, signage, and so much more. On their signs regarding littering and throwing trash away, all exude various levels of sass on their discouraging others from not littering. They have immensely clean streets and highways and that can only be possible with the cooperation and lifestyle of the people.

Other than kindness to their land and others it was also shown that most of all they have an immense amount of respect for themselves. Taking care of themselves in regards to food was a major culture shock. Here we have more food that unhealthy and cheap than food that is healthy, but even more so the “healthier” the item or food, the more expensive it is. This idea being entirely reconstructed in Irish food culture due the laws put in place. They aren’t allowed to produce and sell food with all the “bad stuff” we have here in America, like artificial flavoring and food coloring, isn’t very big over there either.

The trip only showed me a glimpse of who the Irish people are, and what Ireland has a dominant culture and from what I learned amazing. From the cliffs of Moher to the rolling hills on small farms Ireland is beautiful. Its people not only respect it by showing kindness to their land but to the people who come visit and I was fortunate enough to have been able to visit. I felt apart of something bigger than myself when I was in Ireland, which is something that I have rarely felt here in America due to the enforced culture of individualism. The people of Ireland still have a very strong sense of self pride, but bigger than that is their pride for their country.-

Photo credit go to:

https://eu.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2018/12/31/stone-fences-ode-early-irish-immigrants/2452710002/.

Today we went to Doolin House of Music which at first sounded like a swanky music building with snobby artists, but it was the most fun and relatable music-related place I have ever been to. The Doolin House of Music had an almost nostalgic feeling to it even though I had never been there; centuries of appreciation for the music that came before it rested in the air of the home. The main reason for this feeling was the incredible ability the narrator of this experience gave us. His vivid imagery encapsulated my senses transporting me to a time that existed long before modern-day comforts, where people played for the people, they played for people to dance to. The passion they had for being a part of such a rich history of culture is conveyed through the vivid storytelling of the pictures on the wall of their living room. They were excited to tell us about the history of not only themselves but of Doolin itself and he had an art to incorporating several different locations and plot lines into a beautiful piece on how Doolin has been an integral place of music in Dublin.  Listening to the man who played the flute as well as people like Tom you really begin to learn that the Irish tend to tell these beautifully lit stories giving you passage not into their lives but the place in which their stories are alive.

Photo Credits go to : https://doolin.ie/doolin-music-house/

Yesterday we went to the Cliff’s of Moher and saw the most beautiful cliffs; they are a national landmark that people worldwide come to see. Before we got off the bus, Lori informed us that the land for the trials on the Cliffs of Moher was donated by the farmers who own the land. The creation of the wall as well as the path itself were both products of the farmers who donated the land. It was such an amazing thing to donate something to the world and help create a more safe and accessible version of it.

I walked on the trail myself and thought it was beautiful as well as well maintained. There were minimal to zero pieces of trash or littering on the trial. A large part of it may be because they have workers making sure that trash doesn’t stay there for too long if at all.  Another major part of that Is this continuing idea of respect for the land, especially historical landmarks. It’s like this idea that they as citizens have an obligation to help with the upkeep of their beautiful lands. Harboring a deep regard for keeping the lands to their best state Is something I don’t see too often in America, if at all.

Irish culture revolves around their deep respect for their history and as an extension of that, their land, and this is seen in how they treat places like historical monuments, roads, streets, highways, bus stops, and more.

While in Ireland I have been to several bars and clubs, and one of the things that I have noticed is the culture around drinking and imparticular what you wear to these places. Drinking is a huge part of Irelnads culture and by extension bars and clubs are a huge part of Irielnads culture.  I have been to the traditional Irish bars with wood floors and wood panel walls decorated with vintage ornaments clubs with blinding neon lights and a disco ball as a sitting area. As the legal drinking age is 18 in Ireland, so many of the people we encounter drinking at clubs like Electric for example mostly entertain a younger audience of ages 18-25.

For example, when we went to Electric people wore a lot nicer more put-together clothes, ‘no one looked a mess ‘ as my mother would say. Dresses, platform boots, mini skirts, jewelry, and white button-ups are some of the things you would see in a club like Club Electric; but at its counterpart, a traditional bar would have a lot more casual clothing: a shirt and a pair of jeans. What does this say about conventional bar culture?  Well, a lot actually, many of the older more traditional bars are big with anyone over the age of 30 while the newer clubs are more common with people under 30. It’s interesting to think that what I would wear to go to a bar would be wildly different than what I would wear to a different bar or club only because of age.

photo credits:

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-differences-between-Bars-Pubs-Clubs-Discos-and-Lounges.

Similar to my former topic about reparations for mothers and children. The church has previously had a huge part in the mistreatment of mothers and children in the assistive homes they ran in the 1900s. Today we learned that in 2012 the archbishop took a stand by handing over thousands of documents regarding the sexual abuse of children by priests over decades. This was so encouraging to hear as the numbers he reported that have been affected are virtually unreal to persist in silence.

It was also very encouraging to hear that people in the church realize that silence will not be tolerated, on either side. Enforcing rules like priests being forbidden to be alone with children and having an adult there helps not only increase the trust within the church but also the trust within the people to speak up about any abuse within the church. 

As we learned on Wednesday, Ireland had an awful history with the church abusing its power over women, children, and families in total during the 1900s within the mother and baby homes. So this was a major change and not only increased people’s trust within the church but also in themselves as people to speak up about any forms of abuse. The awful history as well as all the lives affected by decades of silent abuse has deteriorated the trust not only within the church but in the people themselves. This policy should help rebuild that trust.

This indicates that change is underway, and the era of silence is coming to an end. Encouraging people to speak up about any forms of abuse within the church will hopefully strengthen the trust within the church and the people themselves.

This is not uncommon for countries to have a dark stigma on their country but what’s interesting is how the countries react to their dark past. America has done it with several stains in its past, the most prominent example was the Japanese survivors of the camps that they were put in during World War Two and several decades later were given a formal apology from the US government and given out $20,000 in compensation to each surviving victim. Although this was one of the best examples, they have many more that they have yet to compensate for, for example, the awful treatment of the Indigenous people when the Europeans first arrived in America.

Yesterday we learned about the horrid treatment of children and mothers by the church in the ‘mother and baby homes‘. The state gave the children off to the church because they didn’t want to have to deal with the children that the church and society deemed unruly or unworthy. The church separated many mothers and children because the mothers had children out of wedlock. This was interesting as all countries have a dark past and areas they wish they could’ve done better.

Earlier this year, “the Mother and Baby Institution Payment Scheme opened for applications on Wednesday, the 20th of March 2024.” This speaks to Ireland’s regret and amending an awful past no matter the crime. As explained by a legal office, “The Act provides that any mother who spent time in a mother and baby institution in Ireland for any duration of time will be eligible for redress/compensation.“

What does it say about a country trying to make reparations to those they as a country have failed? What does it say about the citizens when they join together to make an effort to amend a wrong committed decades ago? Do reparations make a difference in the trust in the government?

Sources used :

https://colemanlegalpartners.ie/mother-and-baby-homes-redress-in-ireland/

Photo credits go to :

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54693159

One of the things I noticed yesterday while walking to town is that although the city of Galway is much smaller, it still is a walkable city. Things are much more spread out, but it’s still walkable at the end of the day. This is somewhat seen in the US but nowhere near as accommodating as in Galway. For example, in my neighborhood, I don’t even know how long it would take you to get to the nearest Walgreens because it’s just unrealistic that you would ever walk there. The idea of walking to places you don’t live in or are very close to the city is such a preposterous idea that it just makes no sense. Sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes are consistent accommodations made throughout Ireland. It’s a small thing, but it makes such a huge impact on the everyday citizen because even though it is a long walk from one place to the other, it’s still accommodating. The environment built in Ireland isn’t forcing you to get a car. This isn’t seen in most places in the US; realistically, if you don’t have a car and don’t live in the city, walking to places is just unattainable and unrealistic. Anywhere but places like cities and college towns simply aren’t built for people to walk or bike. Considering that much of America is living paycheck to paycheck and cars are not an option for many people, you’d think we have more accommodating ways of travel. It speaks to Irelnad for making their country a walkable place first rather than a driveable one.

The photo credits go to: https://irishcycle.com/2023/05/23/how-do-you-feel-about-zebra-crossings/.