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 :)

Dublin

Hey all,

Dublin has been a blast so far. I can't really think of one particular thing to write about so I'll just write about my general experiences so far. Trinity college was beautiful. The pavements are made out of old cobblestones and the student population seems exciting. The beer here is unbelievable. Even if you don't like beer you would find an Irish beer here that you would enjoy. I've noticed that any tour that we go on the tour guides end up telling you the same things that you're tour guide from another tour just told you. Dublin is surprisingly a very ethnically diverse city. Before I came to Dublin I pictured it as a primarily Irish/Anglo city with only sprinklings of indo-pakistanis and asians. Turns out that their are a lot of different ethnicities living in Dublin. Also, we saw deer in Phoniex park that were the same species as the baby deer that came to lloyd. Thought that was pretty cool.

Joy's Adventures of her First 2 Days

When I first arrived in Dublin I was a bit nervous, since I was alone, but it turned out to be just fine. I met a girl from Canada named Aviva, and we wandered around the city. We saw Christchurch, St. Patrick's, St. Paul's, St. Catherine's, and St. Augustine's cathedrals. We did not go inside them all, as that would be quite expensive, but we took lots of pictures. These churches are also in very different parts of the city, so we got to see a lot of the area, which helped today because I knew where I was at all times. The nice thing about the churches here is that they are the tallest buildings in the area and can be seen several streets away. That helps with directions a lot. In order to fight the jet lag, Aviva and I also strolled down the Liffey River and around the Temple Bar area. We had a nice dinner at a Chinese restaurant before falling asleep in the hostel.

Today I woke up, had leftover Chinese for breakfast, and walked to the apartments everyone is staying in for the trip. Upon returning, I checked out, got into a conversation with the man at the front desk at the hostel, and somehow ended up pointing out the location of the apartments on a map of the city and how to get there so that he could visit his parents when they stay there in a few weeks. Less than five minutes later I was horribly lost. I took a wrong turn on Dame Street and ended up walking with my duffel bag through a deserted residential area of town. I was wandering around for about a mile when I spotted St. Augustine's Cathedral, which I knew was very close to the St. Augustine Apartments. The only problem was that when I turned on to a street I thought would take me there it ended up winding away from the cathedral. Some minutes later I found myself on a street with some interesting graffiti, and then a taxi pulled up and asked me if I wanted a ride somewhere. Then, I looked around the corner and saw the street that the apartments were on, politely declined the taxi driver's offer, and finally made my way to the apartments.

After finding out that check in was not for a while, I decided to walk around the city some more. I walked by St. Aoudin's Cathedral and noticed that it was free admission, so I walked in. When I was looking around the church a nice old Irish woman asked me if I would like a tour. She assumed that the other girl lookning around the church at the same time was with me, so she told us about how it was the oldest church in Ireland (about 800 years old), about its importance in the community, and about all the symbolism found on the monuments. When the tour guide left to get us maps, Roberta introduced herself and we decided to walk around together. Next, we went to Trinity College, down Grafton Street, and around Stephen's Green. She wanted to know all about America, and she told me about Italy as well. Then we went to Temple Bar and shared a pot of Irish tea. After that I met up with the rest of the group, had an orientation, and went back out into the city with them. I'm pretty excited for eggs tomorrow for breakfast, which we got at the supermarket while we were out. We also went to the Brazen Head, which is a pretty old pub and enjoyed a pint of Guinness while the Norwegian choir at the next few tables entertained us with drunken singing (which was still way better than I could ever hope to sing). We saw the Norwegian choir again at a hotel pub later on that featured Irish music and dancing. All in all it has been an interesting experience so far, and I look forward to tomorrow's tour, which features the book of Kells.

we're here!

Hi everyone--

We've just arrived safely into Dublin. Look for daily postings.

"If God Will Send His Angels" Scene

Finally...I finished my scene for my "Across The U2niverse" concept.

Here's the background of the scene:

The protagonist, David (that guy who looks strangely like me) just got done having a conversation with his best friend, Jess. They both kind of have a romantic interest in each other but neither has said anything to the other about it. Both are seniors in high school and Jess gets upset when David puts off making any sort of decision for what he is going to do the next year (Jess mostly wants him to come to the same school as her). He has applied to colleges but half of him does not even want to do. Jess accuses him of living only in his own technological retreat-world. This scene depicts David trying to make sense of things as he deals with what to make of the technological world that he is ever becoming more fascinated with--it's 1997, he has just gotten a laptop (a supreme rarity at that time for a high school student), and he is discovering the wonders of the Internet, AIM, and other related phenomena.

I have a feeling the idea makes a lot more sense in my own head...I hope this video at least communicates something that relates to what I just described.

Irish Music at the Ark

What I remember most about the performance, and it seems most people in the class agree, was how young the performers were. Before the show, I was looking around at the audience, and almost everyone was over the age of 50. That told me that 1) This was going to be a boring show and 2) I probably wouldn't like it. Thankfully, neither of those things turned out to be true.

My past history with "real" Irish music doesn't go very far beyond PBS specials that my parents and grandparents made me watch, and all of these shows emphasized on the historical side, and how Irish music was. What I really loved about this performance is the large emphasis that the group placed on how Irish music is.

Sure, there were old songs, and historical background to accompany them, but there were also a lot of innovations, crossovers, etc. and I really think that the group's desire to perform this music authentically and well shone through, making for a great performance and a great reflection of what Irish music is.

Fintan and Irish Dance

Sorry for the late post! I wanted to explore why Irish dance has made such an impact in America. Fintan talked about how traditional Irish dance wasn’t extremely popular in Ireland, but became a success in the US. America is such a diverse, heterogeneous culture; a true hodge-podge of different cultures and traditions. As such, I think many Americans seek out characteristics/customs of their unique heritage in an attempt to identify with their native culture. In a sense, I believe this is some of the appeal of traditional Irish dance in America. Irish-Americans may feel more connected to their native land by watching Irish dance. They may think of Irish dance as “authentic,” because the tradition is originated directly from Ireland. Fintan also describes the dance as an expression of displacement, which speaks to the offspring of Irish immigrants. For native Irish people, this form of dance may not seem as novel, and probably seems rather archaic. For Irish Americans, it is a mode for connecting with their ancestry and heritage. I know this rings true for my family and home community. The people in my community practice Irish customs, such as traditional dance and involvement in the Catholic Church, to feel connected to Ireland and to their heritage.

Irish Bands

After Sara played the Dropkick Murphy's song, "Shipping up to Boston," I've been listening to it constantly for the past two days and trying to analyze the lyrics. Besides the Irish melodies of this band and their associations with Boston (which is one of the most Irish cities in America) their isn't anything particularly Irish about them that I can find. The lyrics to "Shipping up to Boston" seem to have no Irish meaning (or even any meaning in general) that I can find. So what makes this band so Irish and what draws people to them? The only explanation that I can think of to this question is the sound of the band. The dropkick murphy's have a distinct Irish sound to them that reminds me of Irish folk music. Now, most people are no longer interested in Irish folk music so why would so many people be drawn to this band? The answer to this question is the murphy's new twist on Irish folk music, turning it from a soft sounding music to a loud and metal like music that is more appealable to music audiences today.

Stealing My Own Thunder

Not that anyone's going to read this by the time I give my presentation in a few hours...but I'm kind of giving away part of my presentation...Bah! Oh well...

U2 has, in a way, always had the idea that they do not want to sound quite like anyone else. That's why they've reinvented themselves about a dozen times in thirty years. More on this in a bit...;)

Seriously, though, U2's real roots are themselves. Their inspiration is whatever they want it to be. It's not predetermined. U2 is very particular about what music they put out--they have hundreds of songs basically stuck in the archives that leak out here and there that are really good but that they don't want to release because they are not about fulfilling a set profile on each album--they are about forging into new territory.

Traditional Irish bands are rooted strongly in being Irish. It's what they fall back on. In one sense it's just as wonderful as U2's desire to always be changing, this being strongly rooted in tradition. It's hard to find something as rich as a tradition like that on your own. It's resting on the shoulders of a giant--whatever way you want to take that.

I feel like I more or less said what Natalie said...but that's basically what it is.

The Night My Social Interaction Skills Were Shattered

Like others have mentioned, our night at the Ark was a wonderful experience. I, along with most other people, have been exposed to Irish music before, be it on Pandora radio, St. Patrick's Day inspired car commercials, or my friend's dance recitals. Hearing it live, however, proved to be completely different, and soaking up the musicians' energy was an exhilarating feeling.

That said, the musicians themselves were probably the most surprising part of the night. As I said in class, I didn't expect them to be Irish. I know, the idea of a traditional Irish band made up of Americans seems ludicrous now, but it made sense at the time. It was probably some of the themes we've talked about in class that made me feel this way, like not fully relating to a culture because one grows up with it or Ireland's insecurities. To me, it made more sense for a group of rugged, elderly American men to be playing the music, nostalgic for the "good old days" in a country they've most likely never been to. The fact that young, energetic Irish musicians are genuinely excited to play their country's music was shocking but almost refreshing; it's rare, after all, to find young Americans playing traditional music with so much enthusiasm. I mean, these musicians travel the world playing their music, songs they've probably grown up with. I, on the other hand, have come to loathe certain songs I felt were forced upon me as a kid. If anything, the concert made me feel less touristy and romantic for being interested in traditional Irish music and culture. If it's still relevant to the youth of the country, it must not just be a tourist trap.

It's late and I'm rambling, so I won't get into one of the most embarrassing moments of my life that took place after the music. I won't mention making extended akward eye contact with the cool Chicago piper or blushing obviously while being introduced to the cool Irish musicians. No, I'm not going to swallow my pride that much tonight. For the record, though, I still feel socially awkward.

Celtic Crossroads: Awkward Encounter/Awesome Night

Despite our incredibly awkward  picture-taking experience with Celtic Crossroads after the show, I still had a fabulous time. I think something that particularly surprised me was that we were actually nervous to take a picture with the band afterwards...because they were awesome. They were young and hip and immensely talented. They were also very, very proud of their culture. One of the things we discussed in class on Wednesday was how they were almost apologetic for the one band members who were from Chicago and Denmark. But at the same time, I felt that had these members not fully embraced the Irish culture and learned everything possible about the instruments they played, and had both deep passion and deep respect for traditional Irish music, they would have never been in the band. You could tell by watching these guys that passion was a must. They were young and energetic but they were committed to these instruments and what it meant to the culture. 

I think something else that surprised me was how deeply moved I was by the music. I’m not Irish and have no explicit connection to the music in any way shape or form, and yet I could feel the power behind the instruments. The harp solo especially—I closed my eyes during it and could picture images of Ireland, images of a land that wasn’t mine, but, as possessed through their powerful music, was most definitely theirs.

I also thought it was amazing how versatile they all were. They all played at least two different instruments, a couple of them did some outrageously amazing dance moves, and it seemed as though there was nothing the lead singer couldn’t do. They also seemed to understand that their audience may not have the same connection as they do with the music, but they were more than willing to help us make some kind of connection with it and enjoy it both for its beautiful sound and its deeper meaning. 

Celtic Crossroads

I really enjoyed the Celtic Crossroads performance. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I agree with what was said in class about the age of the musicians surprising me; I didn't expect them all to be so young. Their multiple talents were very impressive as well, everyone playing at least two instruments, some singing, some dancing. They seemed like a fun, exciting bunch of people. I guess I wasn't really expecting that, but like I said, I didn't really put a whole lot of thought into what to expect from the group.

I thought their song choices were interesting. They played a good mix of traditional and modern music. They described the modern songs as influenced by other regions of Europe. Hungary stands out to me as one they mentioned because one of the songs they played sounded very Hungarian, using Irish instruments. I thought it was interesting that the newer music is sort of a combination of musical styles from different regions. I was also interested by the fact that they played an American song. I can see why they did so, since they were in America and they were appealing to the audience, but I didn't really think it was necessary. They're an Irish music group, so the people coming to see them should be expecting Irish music, right? They shouldn't have to play an American song to cater to the audience. I mostly bring this up because it seemed like Cotton Eyed Joe was one of the most enjoyed songs of the concert. Everyone in the Ark seemed to really enjoy it--I include myself in that--some even considering it a favorite part of the concert. Even though I enjoyed it, in my mind it should have secondary importance to the more authentic music they played. But I find myself wondering if I'm making way too big a deal out of it. That's entirely possible. I think it does tie in, though, to what we discussed in class about the apologetic nature of the group when it came to their non-Irish members. There was this assumption that everyone had to be Irish to be in the group and that their music was supposed to be Irish, and I seem to be perpetuating the latter. The presence of non-Irish musicians certainly doesn't detract from their performance, but does it detract from their authenticity? I'm not sure.

The Irish Dance

First, I am not really surprised that such a great dance was born out a sort of oppression. Fintan says “that dancing was about avoiding communication, but instead became a way of escape”, which many forms of expression are. If we look at writers such as Emily Dickerson or someone like Sylvia Plath and even Maya Angelou, who all are great poets, they all have been through such great tribulations in their life and it shows in their poetry. Also, Fintan talks about how the dance was not really popular in Ireland but when it got over in American it was a hit. This is something else that doesn’t surprise. An “Irish Dance” will not be necessarily popular in its own land, simply because no one has approved it. For example, if an artist wants to really be known as a great artist, they will have to expand beyond their city and their region, and go outside of the United States, and that is how you know that you’ve made it. So, by the dance expanding outside of Ireland, it is a sign that the dance has been approved. I think it seems to be popular among Irish immigrants simply because the dancing is a part of their heritage and in the United States they get to express it. Finlan states that when the government banned the dancing, immigration increased. Now that these immigrants are in the United States, they finally get to express it.

Celtic Crossroads

The Ark is a great place, but it is not popular among college students because it tends to tailor its shows toward the older generations. That is why I was surprised that a group like Celtic Crossroads was featured there. The musicians and dancers were much younger than I expected, not because young people do not play Irish music, but because of where they were playing and who they were playing for. The majority of the audience had the gray hair and wrinkles of older parents and grandparents, who often listen to music from when they were young. Perhaps I am wrong to stereotype though. I also enjoyed the modern twist they put in their music. Looking back, I should not have been so surprised that the audience liked it too, even though they were older. Clearly they can recognize talent no matter what kind of music it plays. I was expecting something a bit more traditional, but it was very interesting how they incorporated a wide range of styles into their show.

I also noticed that Celtic Crossroads kept to the theme of loss in their lyrics, which has been a common motif throughout the class. Even the American song they chose to perform was about loss. The lyrics are “If it hadn’t been for Cottoneyed Joe, I would’ve been married a long time ago. Where did you come from? Where did you go? Where did you come from Cottoneyed Joe?” The suffering and loss in this song, as well as one of the others they sang, is masked by upbeat music and a joking tone, as if they are laughing at themselves to keep from feeling sad. This is an interesting way of dealing with one’s feelings, and it is uncommon for Americans to deal with their feelings in this way. Perhaps some of our music would be less whiny and annoying if our artists used this technique.

Tradtional Music and Irish Bands

Sorry for the late entry, apparently it never posted. But anyways, I wanted to discuss the Celtic Crossroads performance which I found way more entertaining than I expected it to be. I had envision a group of older men playing older traditional Irish music. I did not expect as much energy from the group, nor did I think that they would be so young. Everyone in the group was I'm guessing only in their 20's and though the music was traditional, they put their own twist on it to make it more mainstream. This could be related to their relatively young age, which I guess could make them more relatable to younger crowds. I also found it interesting that almost everyone in the group played multiple instruments, sang, and danced.
I was trying to relate this performance in some way to my final project, so that I could maybe incorporate it into my research. This idea of the traditional band like the Celtic Crossroads relates my idea as to why Irish traditional music has become so mainstream and accepted in society. However, this band has not been as widely recognized as those of The Pogues or Flogging Molly, for example. This could be due to the fact that they have not yet had enough coverage, or gained a large enough loyal following. But it could also be related to the fact that their music has maintained almost complete traditionalist sound, while other bands have incorporated more of an rock/punk sound into their music which may make them more relatable to both Irish and American culture.

Celtic Crossroads

Celtic Crossroads was really amazing! There were great songs, great rhythm, and a surprising outfit changes by the lead singer! As said in class, i was surprised by the group dynamic and their age. I didn't expect them all to be in their mid-twenties. From my little experience with Irish dancing and music, i expected a family of eight, all varying in different heights and talents. 

I thought it was interesting that the lead singer said more than once, that Ireland is just a small dot in the Atlantic/ just a small country compared to america. They reiterated over and over again about their rich culture, coming from such a small land. They seemed to be defending their title and reputation, but in the end, the music (and dancing!) was very enjoyable!

Celtic Crossroads: Crossing Barriers

The first thing that surprised me about Celtic Crossroads was that it was a group of young, lively, charismatic youth. They were very knowledgeable, seemingly, about American culture and they had a way of creating comfort and ease while trying to cross barriers that often stand in between American and Irish culture. The speakers, particularly the girl who played the bag pipe had a very laid back air about her, as if she was so comfortable with the culture that she was presently surrounded by and she had a way of making the audience feel at home and gain a sense of familiarity with the Irish culture.
The musicians in themselves were very, very talented. Even if one didn't like the style of music, you could not deny that mastery of skill that these musicians possessed. They played good music, and they seemed to have the basic knowledge of what creates a good show regardless of genre or audience. I was also surprised to see an older crowd packed into the small room to see this young, hip, Irish music playing group. The group seemed as though it would pull in a particular crowd, one that is younger and more appreciative of pop culture. However, I was impressed that they played songs that people of all ages and cultures could relate to. Not to mention their personalities were very down to earth and they were seemingly a bit mature for their age.
It surprised me a bit that the girl in particular seemed to embrace some of the most typical stereo types of the Irish culture, such as drinking, dancing on tables, and just knowing how to "have a good time". Because I always viewed these stereotypes as something that Americans ignorantly imposed on the Irish, I somewhat expected to see natives that tried to dispel the stereotypes and who genuinely did not fit them. I have a greater respect for the music aspect of Irish culture after seeing the band play such a wide array of music because I recognize the Irish influence in a wide variety of American music. I've always had a fascination with Irish dance, and now that I've seen it up close I have the impression that all Irish people dance really well. I suppose I just want a reason to believe that it's not as hard as it looks after all, if the entire people of a culture can do it!

Irish Music and Dance

I'd like you to think and write about your response to Irish music and dance, which we're talking about this week. Here are some prompts--feel free to think of your own.

* Comment on CELTIC CROSSROADS. What were your impressions of music, the musicians, the choice of songs, the venue, the audience? Was it what you expected? Did you hear or consider it differently given some themes we've talked about in class?

* Compare what you know about traditional Irish music with a band like U2. What do you think are the band's "roots"? Why do you think they have such broad appeal?

* Discuss your impressions of Irish dance, particularly in relation to the arguments made by Fintan O'Toole in his essay "Unsuitables from a Distance: The Politics of Riverdance".

St. Patty's Day

Whenever I think of St. Patrick's Day, I think of wearing green, drinking green beer, and eating corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. And being Irish, I've always had a strong desire to celebrate and go along with the norm. However, I've never really thought as to why these are the types of things people do on March 17th. Why do we wear green? Why does almost everyone (even those who aren't Irish) celebrate in some way? And why does everyone have a strong desire to binge drink all day?

After our discussion in class and my observations of (and participation in) this past Wednesday's campus events, I believe that St. Patrick's Day has ultimately become an excuse to drink for Americans. What else would you call waking up at 7am to start drinking then bar hop the rest of the day, maybe go to class in between bar stops, taking a quick nap after a corned beef sandwich, then going out again as if it was a Friday or Saturday night? Someone in class had a good point when they compared St. Pat's Day to both Halloween and a football Saturday; the only difference being that people wear crazy green outfits rather than a costume or maize and blue. Plus, it's even celebrated the weekend before if the 17th doesn't fall on a Saturday.

I believe that all the craziness of the day relates to Irish stereotypes in some way, but why has it become so huge? What is the actual history of St. Patrick's Day and how was it celebrated in the past? How is it actually celebrated in Ireland? And why does the Americanized version revolve around all day drinking? These are many questions I will explore in my project.

Even though there's no rhyme or reason why Americans deck themselves out in green and drink as much Guinness and whiskey as possible in 24 hours, and many people find these actions cliche; it is definitely more fun to join in on the celebration. Afterall, everyone is Irish on March 17th.

St. Patrick's Day

I think it's easy to be overwhelmed by the images of people getting incredibly drunk on St. Patrick's Day. And that's a fair assessment, because so many people do observe this holiday that way. But I also feel like, even on a college campus, there's another layer to the day for many people.

For example, I was at a friend's house, and while most people were sitting around drinking, one person was in the kitchen, checking on a meal of corned beef and cabbage that he had been cooking all day. He then talked about how his mom always made this meal for them on St. Patrick's Day, and we all talked about how we had celebrated the holiday at home.

And I'm sure this happened in various ways all over campus. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the hundreds of people stumbling all over State Street, but I also think that there is another dimension to the day, even for college students, that's not hard to get to.

A not very Irish...but still fun St. Patts Day

I finished all my necessary academic obligations at 3:30 on Wednesday and it was around that time that I decided to explore the festivities around campus. On South University and State Street, all the bars were certainly filled to capacity; and they all emitted that 12:30 A.M. on Saturday aroma of smoke, booze, and crowds. Everyone was dressed casually in green and full of holiday cheer. Although one out of three people had a shamrock somewhere on his or her wardrobe, no one seemed to make much mention of being Irish, or Irishness. People were simply celebrating and talking about the weather.

I headed further down South University to my fraternity's house. I'm a pledge at Triangle this semester. I was greeted by quite a nice surprise, some friends of mine had set up a few amplifyers on the roof. In all there were three guitars and one bass, and we had quite a good jam session. Below us, some people set up furniture on the lawn and enjoyed the sun and free flowing liquor. Again, everyone was in some shade of green, but no one made any comments about St. Patrick himself, or the loss of traditional blue dress on March 17th; they just talked about what plans were for the evening and how nice the weather was.

The equinox is five days after March 17th. This of course marks the changing of seasons from winter to spring. While meditating on the meaning of St. Patrick's day after class I remembered a lecture on Celtic festivals I listened to last term as part of a class I took on Norse and Celtic mythology. My professor talked about a harvest festival that used to happen in Iron Age Ireland (pre-Roman conquest), where feasts and dances were held, all the celebrating was meant to try and impart fertility on to the land and to celebrate the changing of seasons. When the Romans conquered Ireland, they brought with them Chistianity and (like is done with many holidays, including Christmas) they changed the meaning of this harvest festival to a day about a saint. And through the years the holiday has been adopted in turn to celebrate that saint, or Ireland, or Irishness. But on Wednesday the 17th I celebrated spring and the shift from whipping winds to gentle breezes, darkness at 5:30 to long hours of daylight, and grey to green for godsakes.

The best part of my St. Patricks day was by far a long walk around campus, and a poorly planned picnic that ended very nicely before it even started with a girl whose eyes get a bit greener when the seasons change.

St. Pattys

I woke up at 9am on St. Patty's morning to booming rap beats emanating from the various frat houses down State Street. Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" blasted outside as I threw on clothes, grabbed my backpack, and begrudgingly headed out the door for class. As I walked to my bus stop near the IM building, clusters of kids were already outside on their balconies, drinking green beer and heckling passersby who weren't wearing green. I had obligations all day, so I was jealous of those who took the day off to celebrate. My second class was probably the most interesting event of the day. The class started at 1:30 and I had a presentation to give. Only half the class showed up, and many of those who were there were fairly drunk. A couple of girls in the class (who are in the same sorority) had on shot glass necklaces, which might have been slightly inappropriate for class. I didn't get to celebrate St. Patty's day until later because I had to work till 9pm. That night, I went to a friend's house party, which was the same as all house parties, except with a color theme. St. Patty's Day on a college campus seems to lose most cultural, religious and political meaning. However, it is a celebration of warmer weather and approaching summer. Like everyone else said, there was a definite sense of unity and vitality on campus. 

St. Pattys Day

I definitely agree with Brand and Natalie that St. Patrick's Day has created as revitalization of our campus community that we have not seen since the football games. Something about walking up early and drinking just brings this campus together I guess. I did not partake in the St. Patty's day festivities during the day due to a large amount of homework but I did go out at night. After drinking quite a bit of Guinness in my friends dorm in Oxford, we headed over to my friend's fraternity ZBT. Surprisingly the party was relatively low key (for a ZBT party) and not that many people were dancing. I think the main reason why no one was dancing was because they were so worn out from a day of drinking that they just couldn't exert themselves anymore. There something to be sad about the emphasis on drinking endurance on St. patty's day that is not present in any other holiday. For instance, no one starts drinking at 8 am on christmas day. But on St. patty's day we start partying on the weekend prior to St. patty's during to "practice" or as other call it "St. Practice Day." I even saw an event invitation on facebook for the day after St. Patty's titled, "Continue your Irish Festivities." What I would like to know is why do we drink so much over such long periods of time on St. Patrick's Day. Yes, the Irish are notorious for their drinking but I think even the most seasoned Irish drinkers don't wake up at 8 am and start drinking.

After determining that Saint Patrick's Day is little more than an excuse to get drunk before noon and remain that way until March 18, yesterday's festivities weren't as fun as I had expected them to be. Don't get me wrong. I like drinking myself into a colma at 9am as much as the next person, but it just seemed so artificial after our discussion. I tried to give the campus traditions a chance as I walked by the State Street frat houses, but the commotion just wasn't something I could get into. Instead, I worked out in an eerily empty CCRB and watched a girl dressed in green stare at her table in Mojo table before falling asleep, right there in the middle of the dining hall.

To kind of go off what has been said by other people, though, I admired the sense of unity felt on campus yesterday. Even if it was achieved through chugging green beer before pm classes and wearing ridiculous clothing, everyone was thinking about and celebrating the same thing. It may be true that no one knows exactly what it is they're celebrating, but maybe that's far from the actual point. We might just need celebrate for the sake of celebration, for everyone to be happy and carefree for an entire day. It seems like a shame that we can't be as blissful on any other weekday without appearing irresponsible and out of control, but at least there's March 17.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is an interesting experience in a city like Ann Arbor. A friend and I took a trip to Main street to witness the festivities.

The one thing everyone had in common was they were all wearing green. Whether they were actually Irish or not, they had to sport the color, and some took it one step further. There were Shamrock necklaces, giant, oversized hats and tiny hats, green suspenders, and some people were even dressed completely as leprechauns. It was funny to walk past a bar and see so many outrageous outfits on a day that was not Halloween.

While walking along Main Street, we happened to pass by a bagpiper (dressed in full Scottish attire, of course) at the same time as a group of drunken merrymakers. They called out to him to play them a song, and he asked them what he should play. They couldn’t speak very coherently, so he asked if there were any Michigan fans. Of course they were all students, and the alcohol changed them into die-hard fans, so he played “Hail to the Victors” on the bagpipes. It was one of the most interesting renditions of that song that I have ever heard. Only in Ann Arbor would someone just be walking around with a set of bagpipes in full costume.

Another interesting encounter was with the legendary dancing Spiderman, but this time Spiderman brought a friend. We will call him Orange Guy because he was wearing an orange bodysuit with a green shirt. Spiderman and Orange Guy decided to have a fabulous time dancing along State Street, carrying an old-school boom box on their shoulders. They were trying to get people to dance with them, but most people passing by had to concentrate on more important things, like remaining in an upright position and walking. However, people were very responsive verbally. They got many cheers from passersby. All in all, there is never a dull moment on St. Patrick's Day in Ann Arbor.

St. Fratty's Day

I saw more than one status on my facebook news feed yesterday with the above title prominently displayed with all caps and countless exclamation points. St. Patrick's Day is beloved by college students the world over because it provides them with an(other) excuse to be drunk all day. I had a packed schedule on Wednesday, so I didn't get to go out and about too much. Interestingly enough, it was in one of my classes, restricted from the outdoors, that I encountered my best St. Patty's Day story to date. A girl came to my Spanish class drunk. I didn't think people really did that. I mean, I can barely make it to class on insufficient sleep. Going intoxicated seems completely out of the question. But for this girl, it clearly wasn't. When she came in and sat down, one of the guys in my class noticed her green sunglasses and told her to put them on. So she did...sideways. When she took them off, they revealed what can only be described as drunk eyes. She then attempted to talk to our class in Spanish, slurring her words. If you've never heard a drunk person try to speak a foreign language before, I highly recommend it. Our class was in stitches. Mind you, this was all before the professor arrived, luckily for her (although I think it would have been hilarious if he were there; my prof is a pretty cool dude and he often jokes with us about going to the bars). When he walked in, we were all still laughing at the situation, leading to his confusion. He kept asking us why we were laughing, what he missed. Nobody gave him a response, we just kept laughing, so he finally dropped it and put on the movie we were going to be watching. At one point I looked back at my drunken classmate and she appeared to be sleeping. Then, halfway through class, she got up and left the room. And she didn't come back. I guess the film (which was in English) was too much for her to handle in her state.

Beyond that, nothing too exciting came my way on March 17th. Today I did hear someone describing her day, which consisted of visiting about 5 frats and taking a nap all before 7:30 PM when she started her homework. While these experiences have caused me to consider St. Patrick's Day more heavily than I have in the past, they haven't brought me any more clarity. Why does this massive all-day party occur on this particular day? Why has a holiday originating in Ireland become more celebrated in America, in part by people who aren't even Irish? No other holiday that I can think of inspires the same kind of day-long festivity and copious alcohol (the closest comparison to me is a football Saturday). Sure, most college students will take any excuse to get wasted, but why St. Patrick's Day? And what does it mean beyond this setting with which we are all so familiar? I don't know. What I do know is that the weather was wonderful, the beer was green, and the people were happy.

Playing Culture

In class, we were talking about who actually get's to celebrate St. Patricks Day. Though the answer seems to be everybody and anybody who is able to get their hands on a can (or even a keg of beg) of beer. After class, as I was walking to my next class, two gentlemen were having a very intriguing conversation:

"what the fuck is a saint's patrick's day?"

"I think its about religion and God"

"so why the fuck do we drink?"

"I think St. Patrick created beer or something"

"That does not make sense, man, I think its for the Irish Immigrants"

"My family is not Irish, we celebrate every year"

"Yeah, I know what you mean, shit, we're Polish"

This conversation intrigued me because it seemed that no one is quite sure what St. Patty's day is for or who is St. Patrick. Both of the guys admitted not being Irish but their families have continued to celebrate the day.

Earlier on St. Patricks day I posted a facebook status saying "I'm about to celebrate the .00012 percent me that is Irish". I can factually say that I am fully African-American and I do not have a trait of Irish blood in me. My ancestors came from the west of Africa and dwelt their almost a century before the slave trade ever happened. I felt that I needed to claim Irish lineage to celebrate in the Irish festive. Someone commented on my status saying: "Everyone is Irish on March 17". Again, this is someone else saying that one need not to be Irish to celebrate. Two of my residents commented that they are "Irewish"(combining Jewish and Irish) every March 17. Everywhere I went over the city, people of different backgrounds, and no affiliation to Irish lineage were celebrating a holiday that they did not understand, but only a holiday that meant wear green, drink green(beer).

Later on th same day, I spoke to someone who claimed to be nearly full Irish. He did not have on a green shirt or dressed like a Leprechaun. He did not wear beads or even looked as if he was going to go out. I asked him where was his green shirt or his beads. He answered back saying: I'm Irish all year around. And he continued: Being Irish is something that you live, daily.

Now, in retrospect, it seems that what America calls St. Patricks day, has been Americanize to fit their picture of what Ireland is. All the drinking, and customs, and all other matter. St. Patty day does not mean being Irish, but in America it seems to mean playing culture. It is what we do to holidays that are not of America, and transform it into what we believe that culture is.

St. Patty's Day

Notable quotables from St. Patrick's Day 2010:

"So before we begin, I just want to clarify something: Please raise your hand if you are actually sober. *majority of people raise hands* Oh, good! More than 85%! That's excellent news." -my English professor (1:00 class) 

"I was a lot drunker when I got to work, but I'm sobering up now. That's what I'm going to go fix." -Random student, (4:00 pm)

"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!! ERIN GO BRAGH!!" -Facebook status of one of my extremely Irish friends. 

St. Patrick's Day is fun. It's just a really fun day to observe on college campuses. I actually didn't get to see much of the night action, although I have a pretty clear indication in my head of what went down. But I enjoyed walking around campus after my classes around 4:00. The campus was exploding with spirit. People were doing Irish jigs in the Diag. People were singing. I saw one dude wearing an Irish flag (and possibly nothing else?) Green was everywhere. The weather was fantastic. There was just an overall cheerful vibe in the atmosphere. I couldn't help smile when I saw people walking around going nuts. I sat on the field of the Diag while people did jigs and thought that this is pretty much an advertisement for "the college experience." It's what people expect from college every day. This lively atmosphere where everyone's happy and dancing and singing. So in that respect, it's really nice to walk around and be part of it. 

But walking around campus doesn't really tell me anything about what the holiday actually means. The best I can grasp from it is what I've learned from my best friend, who is by far the most Irish person I know, and who knows anything and everything about Ireland and Irish culture. It's a huge deal for her household, and they always have corn-beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread, ( I've had the Irish Soda Bread made by her Irish grandmother....knocks Mojo's out of the park, although Mojo's was pretty solid). Before her, I really never paid any attention whatsoever to St. Patrick's Day, because I have no Irish ties at all. But for her, it's a statement of her culture and I think for her and others it transcends what college has made it into, and yet I still don't know exactly what it means for them.  

I think it could go either way in terms of evaluating what it means for college students to celebrate a holiday most of them know very little about. It could be seen as embracing a culture and making it into a community event, or it could be seen as kind of ignorantly making something more meaningful into a day for nothing but drinking. Either way, I think St. Patrick's Day is definitely an interesting 'holiday,' and I really appreciate all the great quotes it provided me with throughout the day. 

St. Patty's Day

Well naturally yesterday was a good day for me because the weather was so beautiful and people seemed a little merrier than usual, I'm assuming from all the holiday festivities. I still don't find it particularly enticing to become involved in any specific St. Patrick's Day celebrations, I guess that's just not my cup of tea. However it was fun/amusing to see everyone dress in ridiculous green apparel and to listen to intoxicated students march indignantly down the sidewalk from my window. The Holiday still doesn't hold much significance for me, and it probably holds a little less for me now than before we read the article and discussed it in class. The reason behind this is probably that there are many other American holidays that I don't really pay attention to because they don't hold much meaning for me, and I wouldn't expect St. Patricks Day to be any different. I'm not opposed to anyone who wishes to celebrate it, however. To each his own. So in essence, yesterday was very much a regular day for me.

St. Patty's Extravaganza

My St. Patrick's Day began at approximately 8:45am on my walk to my 9am discussion section. Unfortunately, I had class until 4pm, including and exam at 12 and then another exam to study for, so I wasn't able to enjoy the festivities. I walked down state street around 1pm and saw the insanity that is Greek life and I witnessed the college version of the "pinch" you get when not wearing green. Green Beer poured over thee head. Enough said. I was just glad it was not me.


Seeing this insanity so early in the morning I do find it funny that any other day it would be nearly impossible to get thousands of college students out of bed before 8am, but for some reason the green beer, crazy green costumes, and the idea of drinking all day is something of a wake up call. Some people say the crazy partying was because of the weather, however, I don't really think a rainy day would've stopped the majority of these celebrations from occurring.

The reason's for celebrating St. Patrick's Day are unknown to me, but I did know that it was a pretty important holiday to celebrate at college before coming here. At home we had dinner at Grandma's house the Sunday before and we ate Corned-beef and cabbage which was not my favorite meal, but seemed to be a favorite of many of my relatives. I never really understood that tradition either, I think it is some sort of Irish meal. Anyways, for me college St. Patrick's Day celebrations are much different than those at home. I guess it could just be another excuse to party?

The aftermath of St. Patty's

When i woke up today, March 18th, to this gorgeous day i though St. Patrick's day was over... though from what i saw today, it doesn't seem that way. I still saw a handful of people dressed from head to toe in green. One of these people was an elderly lady who looked like she worked in an office. Another was a student, who had a fake shamrock tattoo on her shoulder, perhaps showing off her muscles. She was also wearing green eye shadow.... I think she was just a day late in realizing it was St. Patrick's Day. Lastly, after classes today, i went to Pancheros on South U, and when i asked for a burrito, they threw a green tortilla on the plate! I thought that was really exciting, in fact all these encounters were really exciting. How a secretary pulled off a fully green outfit, and still looked professional, that's beyond me... Also, to be the sole girl in my lecture to go all out in tattoos, green ribbons, and green eye shadow for god sakes, takes boldness (especially if it's the day after St. Patrick's day)!

I am not really sure what to take from the leprechaun secretary, or the green tortillas, other than that this has really become a national holiday allowing everyone, from all walks of life, to celebrate one way or another. There's nothing wrong with that, in fact, reiterating what Brad and Natalie said, it unifies a community when everyone is wearing green, or wear shirts that say, "Kiss me im Irish" or "Im not Irish, but kiss me anyways". I found it kind of odd that most of the girls i saw around campus were trying to put on that "cute-look-at-me-im-wearing-a-four-leave-clover-sticker-on-my-cheek" look... but i guess some enjoy dressing up that way.  Anyways, i think it's a great day, because everyone is so enthusiastic and happy to celebrate St Patricks Day which can be celebrated by wearing ridiculously green make-up, or by dying tortillas, it's all fun!

The Day of St. Patrick

I agree quite a bit with Natalie, I felt like yesterday I was more a part of a community and everything felt more lively. Naturally this had something to do with the weather and the fact that it feels like there are 20,000 more people at this University when the weather is good because everybody's out on the grass...but it was really cool to see people dancing on the Diag, as well as two people dressed in superhero costumes dancing randomly between the Diag and North U.

I went out a little later riding my bike around by South University, and pretty much saw what I expected--people waiting in lines to get in bars and generally acting somewhat ridiculous. I did have one humorous encounter when I tried to squeeze by walking my bike past the line to Good Time Charley's--I lifted my bike a little bit to get through, and as I did so a man standing in line was looking at me and kept going, "Hey hey man" with an excited look on his face like I was pulling off some amazing feat.

Two other humorous things I saw: a girl with a fake moustache/glasses/nose combination (what this has to do with St. Patrick's day or Ireland or anything, I don't know, but it was cool) and a guy in the dining hall with a full-body neon green nylon suit thing.

Oh yeah, and the soda bread in Mojo was delicious.

St Party's Day

Yesterday, St Patrick's day, I had four classes and a test so I was unable to engage in the celebratory festivities. However, with walking to and from campus, I got to see what everyone was up to. In all honesty, at first I really silently condemned St Patrick's celebrations here-to me, it really seemed like a ridiculous excuse for non-Irish students to get drunk on a weekday. However, my observations surprised me. I dont know if it was the warm weather or the holiday, but people were playing frizbee, laying out, and just all around having a good time. It really did give me a great feeling of camaraderie with the other students, even if I wasn't engaging in the fun. I feel like with the cold weather we students lose our greater sense of community, and yesterday I feel I regained mine. Maybe THAT'S what St. Patrick's day is about...but who really knows, anyway?

St. Patrick's Day Observations

What is it like out there? Give us your observations of St. Patrick's Day. What did you see, who did you talk to? Are you any closer to figuring out what it means?

Oh, and watch this before the day is finished.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFM7Ty1EEvs

The Locket

It may be strange, but I was drawn to this poem because of the title since I wear my grandma's locket everyday and am extremely attached to it. However, while my locket brings back fond memories of my grandma, John Montague's poem "The Locket" is quite different. While the poem is also reminiscing about someone from his past, it is a compilation of very sad memories of his mother. The first stanza begins the somber tone of the poem since it seems to be speaking of his mother's passing when the opening lines say, "Sing a last song for the lady who has gone." The next stanza continues the sad tone as it begins to explain his mother's ill feelings towards him as a child since he was "coming out both the wrong sex and the wrong way around," which was "Not readily forgiven." I thought the lines in the next stanza "'when poverty comes through the door love flies up the chimney' your favourite saying" were also extremely sad and showed the poor mother-son relationship Montague had.
The opening line in the fourth stanza, "Then you gave me away," addresses the theme of emigration. I found it very interesting that Montague experienced the reversal of what most Irish immigrants did since he was born in the US, but was then sent back to his parent's homeland of Ireland. Doing further research about Montague, I learned that his story becomes sadder because at the age of four he was sent back to Ireland to live with his two aunts since his parents could not afford to keep him and his brothers in the US during the Great Depression. The fact that he went to live with his two aunts reminded my of both Joyce's The Dead and The Cripple of Inishmann.
The final stanza in the poem finally explains the significance of a locket to Montague; "you wore an oval locket with a old picture in it, of a child in Brooklyn." It seems to add a happy tone and ending to the poem and Montague's relationship with his mother since it suggests that while his mother sent him away to Ireland, she always loved him but had a difficult time showing it. Even though I thought this poem was sad, I enjoyed reading it and it was my favorite out of the other poems.

The Locket

I was touched by “The Locket” by John Montague in its harsh depiction of a mother-child relationship. The poem was one of the easiest to read in terms of telling the reader what is happening in the poem, but it was packed with many of the poet's complicated emotions towards his mother. The poem opens at Montague’s mother’s death when he says “sing a last song for the lady who has gone.” The language is powerful, specifically when Montague states that his mother considered his gender and his birth a “double blunder.” Further, he says he was “not readily forgiven.” Both of these lines suggest his mother is resentful towards her son’s existence and birth. Lines such as “You never nursed me” and “then you gave me away” tell the reader that the mother was extremely distant woman and did not play much of a role in Montague’s life. The poet touches on his mother’s happier youth when he talks about her “young wild days, which didn’t last long for you, lovely Molly, the belle of your small town.” He contrasts his mother’s youth with her adulthood when he talks of her “cocoon of pain.” The poem concludes sadly, when the poet realizes that his mother wore a locket with a picture of him around her neck, which is the strongest image in the poem. The locket suggests that despite her many flaws, Montague’s mother was still attached to her son in some way. 

The Cage

When I was reading "The Cage" I kept thinking about one of our first days of class when we talked about Irish stereotypes and how everyone was a little bit hesitant to mention drinking. And I think this poem is definitely the opposite, blatantly making the connection between a "traditional Irishman" and drinking "until he reached the only element he felt at home in".

I also thought it was interesting how he makes drunkenness a place, an even further, a cage. He makes it seem as though Brooklyn is such an unhappy place, at least for his father, that he would rather put himself in a cage than actually just "be" alive there. I thought that was really interesting, especially in regards to how we have been dealing with the concept of place thus far in the semester.

Fond Memory

This poem is about a young boy who fighting to retain his Irish culture in a world dominated by anglo ways. He knows that he would be better off if he just accepted the anglo culture and became one of them, but he always seems to hold onto to his original culture and fight off the powers of conformity.

In this poem a number of things figuratively represent the conformity of English culture. The woolen clothing and rationed food all represent the conformity of English culture. The most significant example of English conformity in this poem is when Boland speaks of the magna carta and the Hanoverians. The Magna Carta was an agreement between the English monarchy and the English aristocracy limiting the powers of each respected branch. It was meant to keep the English crown from becoming to powerful. The Hanoverians were the house of English Monarchs who ruled from the 18th century to the early 20th century. They were extremely powerful and extended colonial english rule throughout the world. The juxtaposition of these two historical references in the poem implies that the English crown gives false promises to its subjects and ultimately the power of monarchs and injustice in general will out itself in English culture.

While there are example of English conformity in this poem, there are also examples of the survival of Irish culture. When the protagonist goes home and listens to his father sing the hymns of the famous Irish poet Thomas Moore while intoxicated, this represents the survival of Irish culture. But there is also a hidden warning at the end of the poem to all Irishmen who yearn for independence from England. The last stanza speaks of the collective pain that Irishmen share and the power of this collective pain to unite Irishmen. He states at the end of the poem that Irishmen must do more than feel sorry for themselves in order to gain independence from England, they must better themselves.

Westering

Seamus Heaney's "Westering" begins with a detailed description of a map of the moon, comparing its color to that of a frog's skin and its craters to pores, giving it a human quality. The speaker, initially narrating in present tense, then reminisces on his last night in Donegal, not giving us any more information than that, as though the reader is supposed to know where Donegal is and what its significance could be. He then speaks in past tense of an ambiguous "her," describing his shadow on a nameless woman's skin. I took this to most likely be a lover, the way he mentioned his shadow falling across her "bony shine," conjuring images of the two lying beside one another in the moonlight, hearkening back to the opening image of the map. The fourth stanza tells us that "summer had been a free fall / ending there," perhaps referring to their relationship running its course during the summer and ending that last night in Donegal. The next two stanzas show us the two walking, then driving through the town, eventually reaching a church where they constitute only "a dwindling interruption," illustrating their insignificance in lieu of the goings-on at the congregation. Here the poem takes a turn into the religious, referring to the "studded crucifix" and ending by equating the moon with Jesus, giving it "stigmata" and describing "Christ weighing it by his hands" on the moon, the "it" referring either to the "untroubled dust" or the "loosening gravity," or both, in the preceding lines. The present tense also comes back, with the reader saying "I imagine untroubled dust" rather than "imagined."

The unifying symbol of the poem is that of the moon. In the beginning, it is given to us in the form of a map, then the moonlight is employed in the description of the speaker and the woman in Donegal, ending with the moon as a religious symbol, perhaps representative of Jesus himself. The religious tones are more apparent upon the second or third time reading the poem. It starts out with the speaker looking up at the moon and in doing so, presumably looking toward heaven. The moon blankets the speaker and his woman on their last night together, further emphasizing the significance of their connection, as though they were being watched over by God. Good Friday is mentioned, an obvious reference to Christianity as it is a religious holiday. When he refers to the two of them as that "dwindling interruption," it gives the inconsequential feeling associated with being compared to the vastness of the universe, both in a religious and a celestial sense. And finally, Heaney ends with the clear connection between the moon and Christ, cementing it as a religious figure.

The title of the poem is important to consider as well, and how the poem fits into a group of works about emigration. "Westering" implies a move westward, both physically and internally. The speaker refers in the fourth stanza to "the empty amphitheatre / of the west," taking the speaker to another place. If we assume that Donegal is in Ireland, Heaney is discussing the summer he spent there with this woman and how it had to end upon arriving at this amphitheater (as we western Americans would spell it) in the west. But from then on, the poem is still describing the couple--as signified by the use of past tense--and how they went around the town and encountered this religious happening. To me, this could signify the religious turmoil in Ireland, perhaps implying that the speaker left Ireland to escape it. The change in tense, particularly at the end when he returns to present, could signify that the speaker is now in the west, away from Ireland, reflecting on everything that he left there, invoking the image of Christ as another tie-in to the theme of religion.

These Poems Are A Bit Odd

None of these poems really struck me the first time through, but after a little more examination, there are two in particular to which I kept coming back.

"The Locket" is a very peculiar poem to me because it kind of goes against what I was expecting to find in this category of "emigrant" poems--I was expecting to hear something along the lines of a James Joyce/Bono "let's find somewhere else besides Ireland to dazzle us" kind of attitude, but in this poem, John Montague seems to express a deep respect and love for his mother, despite the fact that she did not give him the love that a good mother would give. (I assume that his mother is a native of Ireland, thus associating his respect for his mother with a respect for his Irish heritage, and I gather that he was born in Brooklyn from the poem.)

What's particularly interesting/potentially on the verge of disturbing is the way he seems to romanticize/eroticize his mother with lines about how he came back to court her and about "teasingly untying [her] apron." It's almost as if, because Montague didn't receive motherly love, he doesn't know the way a relationship between one and one's mother should be, and so he tries the best he can to express his love to her.

It's possible that the lines with romantic/erotic connotations are supposed to be symbols of something, but I don't really understand why he would choose to use those kinds of symbols.

The other poem that resonated more with me as I reread it was "Fond Memory." What I gather from the poem is that Boland is speaking of a certain sense he gathered during his childhood (I presume in Ireland?) that, although there has been a great deal of suffering and striving in the past to work out the kinks of human civilization, everything is pretty much smooth-running now, we've pretty much got it figured out. Thus the children cried for the death of the British King, because the king is a part of a system that is good now, when, actually, as Boland finds out later at the end of the poem, he was wrong, there's a lot of conflict that is still ongoing.

This, at least, was how I perceived the poem, because I feel like this was my attitude for a great deal of my childhood, learning about people like Martin Luther King Jr. and thinking that after all of the amazing things done through the movement he led and inspired that racism was like ancient history, only to grow up and realize that race issues are still all over the place.

I could be completely off on a lot of the stuff I said and assumed...so don't hold me to any of it..ha ha!

A Sons' Love

The thing that struck me the most after reading this poem is the fact that Montague does not once question his mother about her actions or show any sign of resentment towards her. The tone of the poem is very melancholy, but instead of wallowing in the pain that his mother presumably caused, he gives us the sense of understanding that he has towards his mother's plight. He does not criticize her decisions, but has more of a deep compassion for what she herself was forced to endure and the difficulty of the choices she was forced to make.

The poem is a story, in 2nd person, of his mother's life as an immigrant and how her relationship with him reflected the impact that relocation had on her internally. He describes what ultimately happens to his family when he says "when poverty comes through the door love flies up the chimney". At first glance I think that it would be very easy to assume that poverty caused Molly's attention to shift from loving her son to her desperate situation. However I think the point being made is a lot more complex than that. Montague reveals at the end of the poem that his mom really did love him and think of him, to the point where she wanted to carry him with her. "I never knew until you were gone, that always around your neck you wore an oval locket with an old picture in it, of a child in Brooklyn.

Perhaps Molly's love for her son is not shown in the fact that she gave up her child, but in the fact that she loved him so much that she gave him up because she knew she didn't have much to give him. She had to force herself to ignore her innate feelings of love for her child, "I start to get fond of you John, and then you are gone". This suggests that for some reason she felt as though she didn't have the option of becoming attached to her son; as a child probably because she was too poor to care for him, and when he grew up because she was "resigned to being alone". Montague describes her as a "mysterious blessing". I believe that his approach to the situation is the ultimate expression of love. He does not blame her for what she did, he is not discouraged by the fact that she didn't want him when he was born, and he makes the decision to seek her even with the threat of possible rejection. He looks past the things about her that are negative and finds something positive to say, "lovely Molly, the belle of your small town". His love for his mother never wavered, and it turns out that her love for him did not waver either.

The Locket

This poem takes a look at immigrant life in America. The poet's mother seems to have had a fun life in Ireland which she trades for a life of poverty in Brooklyn. She regrets the way her husband treats her, and the fact that her child came out "both the wrong sex/and the wrong way around." All of these things make her grow cold and distant, she seems to forget her family and even her own sun. Molly attributes this to her new impoverished life in America claiming that "when poverty comes through the door/love flies up the chimney."

The poet seems to regret his lack of closeness with his mother, and makes an effort to "court" her. He is rebuffed in his advances, because, he claims, his mother has reisgned herself "to being alone." ALthough, at the very end of the poem it is revealed that Molly always wears a locket around her neck that contains a picture of a baby boy from the Brooklyn (presumably the poet).

As I said earlier, this poem depicts the America met by new immigrants. Newcomers to this country have a difficult time finding steady work and suitable living arrangments. Many end up living in slums not far from where they entered the country. This is likely the case with the poets family as most Irish immigrants stayed in New York. Once deep American povery has taken its toll on the family unit, the family falls apart. The poet's father turns to drinking (see "The Cage") while the mother becomes dispondant and isolates herself from her children. The poet seems to feel the pain of this isolation and makes an effort to seek out his mother's approval by listening to her stories of the old country and trying to emphatize with her.

Unfortunately he is pushed away. But I beleive that he is able to make some sort of peace with his mother by recegnizing the locket that hangs around her neck. This suggests that somewhere within her she cares about her child and may have the desire/capacity to act as a more suitable mother figure in a different enviornment. I beleive the locket allows the poet to see this and enables him to understand that his mother has treated him as she has not necessarely because of who she is but because of the poverty and harships she faced upon entering America.

Making the Move

This poem struck me because of its allusion to Homer’s classic tale, The Odyssey. The narrator walks along his bookshelf, analyzing his own life through his descriptions.

There is a daydreaming tone in this poem. The narrator remembers some of his favorite stories, wishing that his life contained the adventure and excitement that he read about in them. He feels that his life is lacking the romance that Lord Byron wrote about or that he has not made a great contribution to society like Blaise Pascal. He feels that his own life seems meaningless and uninteresting in comparison with these literary and scientific giants.

The narrator returns to reality in stanzas five and six when his wife comes to mind. He still longs for another life, but his bookshelf full of classics suggest that he is well-read, which also indicates that he has been successful in life, at least financially. A common theme in this semester’s readings has been dissatisfaction with life accompanied by an inability to leave; this poem also describes the narrator as being tied to the place he has made his home even though he wants something more from life. He does not have a clear goal in mind, which is why he refers to the greatness of others, as opposed to presenting his own dreams. The narrator then becomes critical of Ulysses’s decision to keep his ties to his homeland and wife. Where Ulysses left his bow with his wife, the narrator would have taken it with him. This says that if the narrator had the chance to leave, he feels that he would have broken all ties with his former life.