Ireland

Ireland

As with people, it is impossible to know a place unless you know something about its history. Ireland and the Irish have suffered at the hands of outsiders like few others can claim. Throughout their time in Ireland, the Gaels (who would later become the Celts), have had to battle outside forces, and each other, to survive. The Romans were never able to subdue the ancient people there and the ferocity their warriors displayed is legendary. The strictly disciplined Roman soldiers were terrified by the naked, howling mobs of men who would charge their armored enemy with fearless abandon. Many battles were won by intimidation alone, as the Romans would break ranks and flee at the terrible sight and sound of the onrushing enemy. The island was thickly strewn with warrior clans and was never wholly conquered by force alone. Centuries after the romans threw up there hands in frustration and walked away the most powerful chieftains were bribed into submission by King Henry VIII and deeded lands and titles in exchange for helping the crown keep the Irish rabble at bay. And there began a long period of institutionalized privation and cruelty that has shaped the mood and perception of Ireland today.

Ireland has seen famine, poverty, scorn, a steady stream of people leaving, and yet they survived with a sense of fatalistic resolve. The Irish have embraced melancholy and tragedy and made them their own. G. K. Chesterton wrote of the Irish, "For the great Gaels of Ireland/Are the men that God made mad/For all their wars are merry/And all their songs are sad." After the assassination of JFK, Daniel Moynihan said that to be Irish is to know that in the end, the world will break your heart.

The land has changed little over the years. The weather is still harsh, the ground is ridiculously rocky and the landscape verdant and breathtaking. The roads are narrow and winding and passing a bus going the opposite direction is...thrilling, shall we say? A young girl in a bookstore told me that blue sky in Galway is as if she'd awakened on another planet. She said she actually forgets the sky is blue sometimes because it almost never is.

Anyway, the last thing I'd like to say before the show starts here is this: I have been in Galway, Ireland for only three days as I sit and type this. I am staying with an ex-pat friend of mine who is a professor at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He is one of my dearest friends and one of the kindest people, and most interesting, entertaining conversationalists I've ever had the pleasure to kick things around with, so I knew his friends here would be interesting and sincere. The Irish have been portrayed, most often by their own playwrites and authors, as a morose and melancholy people. Well, I'd just like to say this about that...I have made some true friends in my short time here. The perception of sad people with broken spirits is utter bullshit. The women here are beautiful in every way, the men are friendly and welcoming and the country is absolutely wonderful. I will introduce you to a couple of these amazing people in later postings and you can judge for yourself if I'm exaggerating, but I assure you it will be praise heartfelt and facts not in question. I have stumbled over my spirit and fallen into my own heart here, and it has been transforming. I am madly in love with Ireland and its people.

So, here are some pictures and short stories for you, my loyal audience. Please feel free to leave comments and questions and to tell your friends about my ramblings if you think they merit a larger audience. Blogging is sort of like being a modern day busker. You set up on a street corner along the information superhighway and try to draw a crowd. So elbow your way to the front and check it out. Much love, and see you again here soon.

Galway

I rolled into Galway after a five-hour flight to New York City, a four-hour layover at JFK, a six-hour flight to Dublin and a three-hour bus ride into Galway. From the time I got out of bed that morning until I stepped out of the bus was about twenty-one hours. I had managed to sneak in a couple of catnaps along the way, but nothing even remotely resembling real sleep. I was tired. Kevin met me at the bus station, we cabbed it over to his place and dropped off my stuff. His residence is right next to the university where his lab is located, so we took a quick walking tour of the area to get me oriented a little bit, he want back to work and I went on my way. After a little exploring, I found a small market, picked up a few things and went back to his pad and crashed. That night we stayed in to give the jet lag a chance to kick my ass in peace and called it a day. Day one, done.

Day two Kevin had to go to work and I struck out on foot to do some serious exploring. Here's what I found:

The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas

This is the view from the couch where I'm staying. I was drinking my morning cup o' Joe when I snapped this. The cathedral is very new by European standards, having been completed in 1965. It's a damned ugly building, but the light was interesting and it made a nice picture. So there you go.

There is a river that runs right through the heart of Galway called the River Corrib. It runs from Lake Corrib, which is HUGE, and into Galway Bay. There is a very picturesque walkway along the river and I followed it into the City Center that morning.

The River Corrib as it passes through Galway

The River Corrib

The River Corrib as it empties into Galway Bay

Quay Street leading into City Center from the river's edge

I had been to the City Center only briefly the day before on my way to Kevin's from the bus station. It was about eleven o'clock by the time I got there and things were pretty quiet. If you come down here at two in the morning it will be crowded and bustling with people of all ages having a grand time, but in the daytime, not so much.

Even though it was early and foot traffic light, there were still some street musicians out plying their trade. It seems that almost everyone here, young and old alike, plays an instrument at least passably well. I also heard some great singing voices out on the street. Music is a big part of the culture here, and it's easy to find.

Oh yeah, even though it's been sunny here the whole time, it is freaking COLD!! Highs in the 30's and 40's, lows in the 20's. For an old SoCal boy just let me say, "brrrr, indeed!"

Salmon fishing in the River Corrib

As I was walking back home, I passed this old boy out in the river fishing for salmon. He was putting on a pretty good show, so I stopped and snapped a couple of pictures. I didn't see him catch anything, but it certainly wasn't for lack of effort...

Casting a line

OK, anyone who knows me at all knows I'm a birdwatcher. My commitment falls a little short of avid, but I am always on the lookout for birds I've never seen before. While bussing on down to Galway, I kept seeing these birds out the window that had the same flight patterns as pigeons, they were shaped like pigeons, and even though I never saw one up close, they appeared to have pigeon-like markings. Now I had racing pigeons as a kid, so I'm pretty good on pigeons. The problem with these particular birds was, and what had me scratching my head, was the fact that they were HUGE. Crow sized. Gigantic. So I figured I was tripping (the 70's were tough, man) and would keep my eyes peeled when I got on the ground in Galway. Well, as I'm watching dude fly fish, this bird flies down to the river's edge for a quick drink, and damn if it wasn't the biggest friggin' pigeon I've ever seen. Beautiful, as big as a small chicken and a very powerful flyer. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Wood Pigeon.

Wood Pigeon

Alright, kids. That's all for today. Due to jet lag I didn't spend much time out and about on this day. The next post things will start to liven up a little. I'll try to get one out tomorrow, but there is just SOOOO much Guiness in this this town and I have so little time. Keep your eyes peeled.

Until next time...

Ado