We have just returned from a fortnight in Ireland,
the land of Saints and Scholars, as well as the home of many of our
ancestors. It has been thirteen years
since our last visit. In that time
Ireland has joined the European Union, the Celtic Tiger was subdued by the
Great Recession, and the population of the island has experienced a great
influx of immigrants—from Eastern Europe and Africa.
In this and the next blog submission I will share
our experiences. Most memorable was a
visit with some of my cousins in County Kerry and County Limerick. Time and schedule did not permit visits with
others, nor were we able to see my husband’s family in County Mayo. The warm friendships we have forged over
several decades survive the changes and are stronger than ever. I am lucky to be “double cousins” with
several of my Irish family. My
grandfather’s brother married my grandmother’s sister in Ireland. An across-the-Atlantic effort to fill in a
family genealogy has resulted in a shared enthusiasm and many hours of
discussion coupled with hard work. We are making good progress.
Ireland remains the land of Scholars who are
universally respected and officially supported.
During our stay we were able to visit a boys’ school and share some time
with eager ten-year-olds and their teacher.
It was a church run school, although there are no religious directly
involved with teaching or administration, and admission was competitive.
The boys prepared a program about the history and
symbols of Ireland as well as a biographical program on Seamus Heaney who died
while we were in Ireland. I was very
impressed with the teacher’s classroom control, the courtesy and attention of
the boys, and the toughness of the curricula.
The class of about 28 boys included three Africans and two Eastern
Europeans. The church owned schools are
not co-educational and all students wear uniforms.
Students were lively and bright, answering questions
in a thorough, charming, respectful, and interesting manner. They were as passionate about their learning
as they were over their sport teams. The
Irish student “does what is expected” and there are few behavior problems. Although the school had only a few days to
prepare the lesson was well planned and presented. The boys had some questions of their own for
the visiting senior citizens. I’m glad
to say that we acquitted ourselves well.
The Irish respect learning and have a deep love of
their culture. I mentioned that Seamus
Heaney had died. Where else would the first five pages of the country’s premier
newspaper be devoted to Mr. Heaney, his life and works? The papers and television were full of
tributes to Ireland’s Noble laureate; his funeral was nationally
televised. The entire country mourned
his loss. In the August 31-September 1 edition of The
Irish Times Weekend, Fintan O’Toole wrote:
“Like
all great poets Seamus Heaney was an alchemist.
He turned our
disgrace
into grace, our petty hatreds into epic generosity…He lacked the
arrogance
to tell us who we are – much more importantly, he told us WHAT
we
are. He reminded us that Ireland is a
culture before it is an economy.
And
in the extraordinary way he bore himself, the dignity and decency and
the
mellow delight that shone from him, he gave us self-respect…”
Yes, in many ways Ireland has changed. The culture
unique to the Irish identity persists, but times are hard today. The country was one of the first in Europe to
be brought to its knees by the Great Recession.
Once again circumstances diminish opportunities for the well-educated,
highly motivated Irish young adult who is forced to immigrate to far flung
places like Australia. The United States
should capitalize on this talent pool and welcome more of them into the
country. They have strong values, a good work ethic, and marketable skills.
The Irish are survivors but a pervasive feeling of
despair is seeping into the Irish soul.
This country has survived centuries of subjugation and repression, war,
terrorism, and economic deprivation.
They have not forgotten “WHAT they are” through the trials of famine,
fight or faith. However, inclusion in
the European Union (EU) is effecting a subtle, yet essential, change in
Ireland. More than one Irishman asks how a country that finally overcame more
than 800 years of brutal occupation could cavalierly cede much of its
sovereignty to the EU.
There is a cold uniformity and almost automatous
acquiescence to the dictates of Brussels and Berlin apparent in Ireland today. Of course there are economic benefits
incumbent upon the Union but with Ireland’s financial collapse ECB imposed Spartan
austerity on the country. It has been a
long, painful, and difficult haul, but Ireland has towed the line and is trying
to recover. Unfortunately the foreclosures are only just beginning. Despair over family survival bubbles just
below the surface as years of unemployment, underemployment and underwater
mortgages begin to boil over. Many are
fearful of what tomorrow will bring—each expecting to be scorched as it
evolves.
Immigration into Ireland has not helped the
financial situation. When things were
good, people came by the tens of thousands.
Assimilation was slow, but the Irish are a welcoming race and encourage
those who wish to make their future in Erin. Today many immigrants hold the service jobs
that were once filled by the Irish. Some
newcomers are gaming the generous social welfare system. However, “Ireland is a
culture before it is an economy.” I
imagine that in the future the newcomers and their children will enrich that culture
in distinctive ways. After all, “the next great Irish writer may just be a
Pole,” writer Maurice Fitzpatrick once noted!
The Irish are survivors, but they do not necessarily
flourish. I fear the culture will not
come through today’s troubles unchanged and unscathed. The modern world is less forgiving than in
ages past. These are good, caring,
talented people. They deserve to
maintain the “self-respect” reflected in Mr. Heaney’s art.
Go
Mayo! In the all-Ireland Gaelic Football
Championship game this Sunday.
