Ireland and Immigration

I can't believe it has already been a week since we left Ireland! I felt like it was yesterday---I was so sad to return to the States! For my project, I decided to focus on immigration. During my time in Ireland, I befriended both native Irish as well as immigrants to Ireland. In speaking to both groups of people, I found that the subject of immigration was an important and highly contentious issue. Traditionally, Ireland has been a land of emigrants, in which the country's citizens have left the land for a chance of a better life. This issue was most apparent during the Great Potato Famine, which touched off mass emigration from Ireland. The Famine began in 1845 and lasted nearly 5 years. It eliminated the sole subsistence of millions of Irish, forcing many peasants to starve or emigrate to other countries. Overall, almost 3.5 million Irishmen entered the U.S. between 1820 and 1880; nearly half the Irish population at that time. However, in the last several decades, Ireland has become a country of immigration. As Ireland has grown economically (specifically with the "Celtic Tiger, " 1995-2007), Ireland has become a land of opportunity for those living in poorer countries. This huge contrast has created many cultural and political rifts in Ireland.
Overall, Ireland has a much smaller immigrant population than other countries in the UK. Although the number of immigrants in Ireland is comparably small to other European countries, the issue of immigration is emphasized due to Ireland's small size, as well as their unique history and strong traditions. Ireland has historically been a homogenous population; solely white and Irish. Further, Ireland has unique traditions include the Irish language Gaelic and step dance. Some feel that these unique traditions could be threatened by the increasing influx of immigrant populations, who bring different traditions and languages to Ireland.
Speaking with native Irish gave me an idea of the resistance and hostility some Irish feel concerning the immigrant population. Of the many people I spoke with, these are a select few. I spoke with a student from UCD named Thomas O'Mally, who seemed incredibly resistant to the influx of Irish immigrants. His father had recently lost work as a furniture maker, and he felt that the immigrant workforce had prevented his father from finding another job. On the other hand, many immigrants felt positively about coming to Ireland. I met PJ, a jewelry maker from Argentina, in the Galway street market. He said that life was far better in Ireland than in Argentina . Although he held one of the most lowly jobs in Irish society, PJ felt he lived a more comfortable life in Ireland and was able to better support his family. I also spoke with Babu, who was a service worker at the Jury's Inn at Croak Park, where my mom and I stayed for a night. Babu was from India, and was studying at Trinity. He was only allotted a visa to study in Ireland, instead of citizenship. However, Babu was working to obtain citizenship from the Irish government, and said he wanted to bring his family over from India.
Overall, I felt the contentious issue of immigration in Ireland mirrored that in America. In America, the immigration controversy is more concrete, as Arizona just passed immigration laws essentially based on one's appearance. This law is considered by many, including myself, to be incredibly discriminatory and an unreliable form of keeping immigrants out. During my presentation, we spoke about the Economist's take on immigration in America, in which America would let all immigrants in. However, there seems to be no way that this concept will be acceptable in the near future in either Ireland or America, as there is so much resistance to the immigrant population. Finally, American issues with immigration seem to be heavily divided on party lines; the Democrats generally want to loosen or uphold current immigration regulation, while the Republicans want to tighten immigration laws. However, immigration does not seem to be divided along party lines in Ireland. Rather, the issue is divided between native Irish and the immigrant population. The native Irish resistance to immigrants seems fairly widespread and pervasive in the country. Overall, I learned so much in Ireland. I miss it already!

Ireland Love

When I was wandering about Dublin and meeting so many new and interesting people, I realized I was trying so hard not to be the one thing I was; a tourist. When I visit a new country or place I don't want to be "that girl" who's taking pictures and asking for directions. The most important thing is to blend in. I don't really know why we often do this, or why it seems so important for us to make sure we aren't fulfilling that image of the annoying tourist complete with the overly large camera, fanny pack, and of course a tacky button up shirt. Obviously most tourists do not look like this, but every time I decide to snap a picture I can't help but wonder what the native Irish people are thinking. Maybe this tourist phobia is partially a result of where I work during the summer which is a place completely filled with with these tourists who drive all of us employees crazy most days. They all move a little bit slower than everyone else, I think they often forget that people actually live and work on this island. However, as much as we loath their ridiculous questions, their tendency to stop and stand in the middle of the road, and their awkward photo-ops, we wouldn't have a job without them.

When I brought up this question of avoiding "touristy" behaviors during the presentations I got a few answers. I remember one in particular dealing with the fact that we may be embarrassed by our country. I thought about this for a few days and I realized that this may be the root of this issue. I personally am slightly embarrassed by my country's actions in the past few years, however, I can't say for sure that this is the sole reason I hate being an "American tourist". I don't hate my country, I just think there's a lot of things that could have been done differently, which may be why I'm so attracted to foreign countries and their cultures. To me, they often are much more appealing than my own. I did notice though that Irish people do seem to like Americans. I didn't really meet anyone who had a negative opinion towards us when they found out where we were from. Though, at the same time I think its possible that America's lack of cultural cohesiveness might appeal to a country who seems to have maintained a one culture mentality.

While in Ireland, I noticed a extreme importance with the last name, certain last names have a differing levels of importance. The people who seemed most adamant about telling us their "second names" had some of the more common names I associated with Ireland, such as O'Mally and O'Sullivan. When I told some of the nice young gentleman we met that my family's Irish name was King they pretty much laughed in my face. Apparently it wasn't "Irish" enough. Whatever that means. I found that in the past, Irish last names had something to do with the way land was distributed and where people lived. I think some last names were associated in with a higher ranking than others, which has seemed to continue through today, though it is not as apparent. I found this interesting when thinking about American culture because when we ask each other who we are or where we are from we often have multiple countries and cultures we list. But, in Ireland, when you ask where someone is from they might give you their last name and tell you a part of Ireland where their family name originated. It was interesting to see how different American really is from other cultures. It would be weird to only have one place of origin rather than four or five. Overall, I found the experience in Ireland amazing, especially learning about the Irish culture. I would love to go back. Cheers! :)

Ireland and America Connection

Ireland and America: The American connection

Over my short stay in Ireland I’ve noticed a strong connection between the Irish people and America that is peculiar to most European countries. From my experiences with other Europeans, they feel somewhat connected to America threw obvious things like movies and fast food but besides these few things their connection with America is minimal. On the other hand, the Irish people appear to have a connection to America that is much stronger than their fellow Europeans. Explanations for this strong cultural bond are obvious; Irish people have been emigrating to the U.S. for almost 200 years now and many of them have family in the states.

Furthermore, the Irish people seem to have a strong aversion to anything European and dislike their membership in the European Union. Part of this animosity towards the European Union can be explained by the economic crisis happening right now, but after talking with many Irishmen I’ve found that many of them feel like Ireland “sold out” when they joined the EU. When the Irishmen talk about traveling they never speak of their journeys to the European continent, they talk about their travels in the U.S. They always talk about moving to the United States as if its their secondary place of residence—no transition, they can simply move their and become an American. This is very unusual for most people. Despite strong Irish patriotism, they will easily give up their life in Ireland for an American one.

Ireland Old and New

Ireland has an interesting blend of old and new, which is not found in American culture. On the island Inis Meain everyone, young and old, not only embraced traditions, but integrated the traditions into their everyday lives alongside new-age pop culture. At the pub, the adults were teaching the children the Irish style of dancing in Gaelic, and everyone was enjoying it. In America the little boys would not have wanted to learn how to dance because it is considered too girly, but that is not the case in this culture. Then, during the dance lesson one girl started texting. It was interesting to see someone embracing the past and present at the same time because that does not often happen in the U.S. One of the groups of people in our country who embrace traditions is the Amish, but they hold on to the past in exclusion of the present. Most Americans are opposite, in that they discontinue many “old country” practices, like language and other aspects of their former culture in favor of the greater American culture. It was refreshing to see a people who maintain their respect for the old ways while also accepting newer ones.

Irish traditions were such an integral part of life on Inis Meain that they also seemed to be part of the landscape. The most prominent example of this is the ancient fort on the island. It is called dún chonchúir, and it dates back to pre-Christian times. Evidence suggests that it was in use through the Medieval Ages, so it witnessed around 2000 years of island history, yet the people use it and the surrounding land for cow pastures. In the States, a monument with that kind of history would be protected and sealed off from the rest of the world, and the government would charge people to see it. On Inis Meain, however, I was free to roam around and even climb the walls. It may seem to some that the people do not care about their history if they let cows do their business on it, but the people keep traditions like dancing and language very much alive. Perhaps the parts of their culture that can be brought with them are maintained, while other parts, like buildings that stay put, are left behind.

The West of Ireland

We visited Galway and the Isle of Innismann these past couple of days. I was actually really resistant to leave Dublin because I have fallen in love with the city. I feel like I can navigate Dublin pretty well by now (maaaaybe thats a stretch) and feel pretty connected to it. Overall, Galway was beautiful and much more urban than I imagined. The city was really busy when we arrived and was bustling with activity. The crowd looked really young (college aged) in general, and the public park in the center of the city was packed with people enjoying the warmth and sunshine. I especially loved the market on Galway's main strip. I bartered with a man from Argentina for a silver ring. I talked to him for a bit and he said he came to Ireland to find work. He missed home, but he said he had a much better life in Ireland. Immigration seems to be a really controversial topic in Ireland; some native Irish seem to think that the immigrant population is eroding traditional Irish culture. In ways, this predicament mirrors America's own political and cultural tensions with immigration. However, the problem is magnified because Ireland is such a small country and they have had such strong national traditions with ancient history.
The Isle of Innismann was entirely rustic. Exploring was most fun when we were able to interact with the local people. It seemed that many people left this teeny island in their young adult years, and returned in their older age. Specifically, Sara and I saw a couple of middle aged alcoholic men at the island's only bar. It was sad to see, but rather telling, because there isn't much to do in the form of entertainment on the island. The island was mostly what I expected after seeing a movie about the Aran Islands in class. The stone fences covering the entire island were amazing. They looked like they wouldve taken hundreds of years to make. It was wild to see the sacrifices the people of Innisman made to made the land livable.

If I have ever told any of you what I plan on doing with my life, please discredit everything I said. Going to grad school at Northwestern, living in Chicago with my sister, working for some kind of newspaper, magazine, or other publication-- all of it. What I'm actually going to do with the rest of my life is live in a small, sleepy seaside town in Ireland, just outside of Dublin. There I will spend all of my euros in adorable cafes and write books at the top of my own tower overlooking the water. I'll travel by bike during the day and take a bus into the city by night, and maybe even jump off the rocky shore into freezing water to swim. Yes, life will be perfect.

That said, my favorite part of the week so far has been our short trip to one of the suburbs of Dublin near the sea. We visited Joyce's tower and walked down the shore, which was cold but beautiful. Definitely a great break from the city. Everything seemed so relaxed and quiet there, unlike the crowded streets in Dublin. And while part of me felt like a huge creep for looking at a wax mold of Joyce's head made shortly after his death, seeing his tower was fantastic. It's just unreal being that close to one of the most important writers the world has known. I mean, we even saw his vest and bed!

Don't get me wrong, I love Dublin, but having a short change of pace was refreshing. I'm hoping our weekend trip west will feel the same way. And, considering the girls received a noise violation the other night, maybe a soothing adventure is exactly what we need.

So I guess the most important things to take away from this post are:

a) I'm going to live in Ireland.
b) Charming sea towns > huge cities
c) I'm a creep. Stalking James Joyce was great and Seamus Heaney is next.

Terty Tree

I decided to rewrite this blog, as my original post was written a little to early in the trip for me to really write something accurate about Ireland. First of all, I LOVE Dublin and Galway, so much so that I think might actually want to live and/or study there sometime in the future. I'm a city girl for sure, but the cities I've been to in American haven't really seemed to capture my interest as well as those in Dublin. I'm not sure exactly what it is that makes them so appealing, it might be the people who are amazing to talk to and they are very welcoming. It was interesting getting to know the people, we met a few..well I guess more than a few Irish boys, who seemed very interested in teaching American girls the "ways of Ireland".
Dublin is a pretty big city, but I was surprised how easy it was to find your way around...at least it was for me. There are a lot of art museums, churches, and other touristy attractions that we were able to visit. I really enjoyed seeing Kilmainham Jail, it was interesting to learn about the history and the fact that it was still standing after hundreds of years Galway is kind of like Dublin, but it's more condensed which was a nice change from the huge city. We went on a Saturday, so there was this cute little street market that I loved. It was fun chatting with some of the local people, however, it appeared that a lot of people were tourists. I was also surprised at how much the girls dressed up to go out to the pubs. I mean girls dress up in America, but this was a little extensive. I don't remember seeing a girl who wasn't in a dress or a skirt, besides Lainey and I. ha. so we felt a little out of place. The guys even dress up, very fashionable men on the other side of the pond. :)
But anyways, I'm definitely seriously considering spending a large amount of time in Ireland so I can see more of the country, and experience more the city life on my own. The Irish people are very proud of their country and it's traditions, however, they are very cohesive and the blending of new traditions through immigration doesn't seem to be as accepted throughout the country. We came across a few immigrants which actually surprised me, I wasn't expecting to see people from Asia, South America, and Africa in a place that I thought was mostly a single culture. I'll talk more about this in my little paper. Cheers :)