N'rn Ir'nd

Word of the day: wee
Everything is a wee bit more relaxed and pleasurable in Ireland.

Place of the day: Giant's Causeway, on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. Irish Giant Finn McCool built it to fight his Scottish foe:


One Country, Two Nations
Northern Ireland is refreshing because it seems much more untapped as a tourist destination than what I hear other parts of Ireland are like. It is also rich in history -- both of crumbling castles and recent turmoil.

Upon first talking to the Irish I wasn't sure what to expect -- is Northern Ireland part of Ireland? Do they consider themselves Irish? The answers from the many locals I got to speak with -- most of them university students like my friend Erin I was visiting -- were of course diverse. This was unsurprising, as when I arrived in Belfast I was struck by the dichotomy. On a bus tour, we went through the area most affected by the Troubles (or the fights between Republicans and Loyalists). First we went down a street overflowing with Union Jacks (British flags). I was amazed! I knew I didn't need my passport to enter Northern Ireland, but I wasn't expecting such British patriotism. But round the corner and go through the wall that once separated the Protestants from the Catholics (but did not stop bombs from scaling the heights), and there is a totally different view. The Irish flags fluttered everywhere in the wind.

A mural commemorating UVF (a Loyalist group) members that died. Murals are everywhere in the area where many of the Troubles occurred to commemorate losses on both sides.

One of many Irish flags on the Catholic/Republican side of town.

The incredible part is that this division is a way of life. A way of life that somehow brings peace in a way to the young people I met who have both Catholic and Protestant friends. They joke and jab at one other for their different religious/political views (religion in Ireland is largely sectarian). Some nationalists/Republicans do not seem bothered that they are not a part of the UK -- for many of them they recognize that they are clearly Irish and it doesn't really matter what government they operate under. One Protestant I met told me while he wants Northern Ireland to remain in the UK, he does not consider it to be culturally different than the rest of the Ireland. When asked whether he considers himself Irish or British, he answered: "Northern Irish."

When Irish Eyes are Smiling...
I can't deny that somehow my heart fluttered for the nationalists. The British flags were kind of searing. While I know that the Troubles were not between the Irish and the English but rather a civil war, I can't help but remember that British rule of the past is what caused Ireland to split in the first place. Even though my ancestry is both British and Irish, the love of the Irish and the knowledge of their oppression runs really deep in my blood.

By the way, why do I feel such pride when I am only a quarter Irish? This is a common American condition I examined over the weekend. Maybe it was all of the folk songs growing up or the Guinness that flowed on St. Paddy's Day (also my Grandma's birthday!). The Irish laugh at how all Americans claim to be Irish. Not that it bothers the Irish that people like me love claiming Irish culture as our own. In fact, nothing seems to bother the Irish, as they are the most genuinely easygoing and friendly people I ever met.

But it is true, I am 100% American, and yet I feel so tied to Ireland (evidenced by my shamrock tattoo). For many families -- such as my mother and her eight siblings -- the Irish tradition is what we know. We've only been in the U.S. for 150 years for heaven's sake. The way I explain it, America is just such a baby country with barely any history (as Europeans remind us all the time!). And yet just like any country we celebrate traditions handed down. Why is my mother's family so proud to be Irish? Well if they weren't, I think it'd be rather flaky that they threw away their heritage so quickly! Gradually these traditions are morphing into their own American version. And perhaps I will dillute my children further from being Irish until there is barely any percentage left, but they will still know what it means to come from Ireland. I think I owe that to my poor farming ancestors who came over on the boat to find a better life!

Enniskillen, Northern Ireland