Every so often, Ireland is referred to as the ‘auld’ country.
For a lot of people, especially those residing in America or Australia, it is the land of their ancestors who emigrated during the Great famine.
The Irish potato famine, at its severest from 1845 to 1851, killed one million people and led to the emigration of a million others, and almost every town remembers its lost souls. There are statues in Dublin commemorating them while on the Ring of Kerry there’s the Bog Village that has recreated the difficult life of people during the famine. Almost 1/4th of its population was swept away during those times; the damage to the population has still not been repaired.
The melancholy seeps in their music too. Sure, they have the foot-tapping ‘diddley’ tunes and Galway girl plays from every pub with live music in Galway at least five times a night, but their melodies can be poignant too. While on a musical tour in Dublin, we were told that the single most popular subject in Irish music is emigration. The wave of people leaving in the country in search of greener pastures started by the famine is yet to recede.
It remains the biggest single tragedy in the history of the island, but this old, old country, once ruled by the Celts, has had a few many.
Tucked on the east coast is the town of Cobh, which was the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic. A memorial stands for the passengers at the heart of the town. One of the most haunting sights on the island, is the woman ‘Waiting on the Shore’ at Rosses Point near Sligo. With her arms outstretched, the flowing dress and sad eyes carved into stone, it speaks of longing of the families destroyed when their men were lost at sea.
Then there are horrors of the war and Ireland’s quest for independence from the British. The city of Derry is alive with wounds of the struggle in Northern Ireland, a Catholic Ireland trying to wrest control over it against the Protestant forces of England. The strains of Bloody Sunday still find a resonance in this walled city.
In the countryside, big Celtic crosses rise from the mounds and ancient churches lie in ruin. The old houses and castles that dot the landscape in Ireland, lack the opulence of some of the European counterparts, but make up with a weight of history. Made out of grey stone they talk of difficult times, lovers torn apart, treachery or human courage. These are places where myth and mystery, and if some are to be believed, ghosts, dwell.
The wet weather in Ireland means there’s almost always a cloud hanging over you, and a mist perpetually hangs in the air. When seen against hills and rivers, it brings to life a mystical, almost eerie feeling. It’s a perfect environment for legends to grow. And for cunning leprechauns to take cover!
For a lot of people, especially those residing in America or Australia, it is the land of their ancestors who emigrated during the Great famine.
The Irish potato famine, at its severest from 1845 to 1851, killed one million people and led to the emigration of a million others, and almost every town remembers its lost souls. There are statues in Dublin commemorating them while on the Ring of Kerry there’s the Bog Village that has recreated the difficult life of people during the famine. Almost 1/4th of its population was swept away during those times; the damage to the population has still not been repaired.
The melancholy seeps in their music too. Sure, they have the foot-tapping ‘diddley’ tunes and Galway girl plays from every pub with live music in Galway at least five times a night, but their melodies can be poignant too. While on a musical tour in Dublin, we were told that the single most popular subject in Irish music is emigration. The wave of people leaving in the country in search of greener pastures started by the famine is yet to recede.
It remains the biggest single tragedy in the history of the island, but this old, old country, once ruled by the Celts, has had a few many.
Tucked on the east coast is the town of Cobh, which was the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic. A memorial stands for the passengers at the heart of the town. One of the most haunting sights on the island, is the woman ‘Waiting on the Shore’ at Rosses Point near Sligo. With her arms outstretched, the flowing dress and sad eyes carved into stone, it speaks of longing of the families destroyed when their men were lost at sea.
Then there are horrors of the war and Ireland’s quest for independence from the British. The city of Derry is alive with wounds of the struggle in Northern Ireland, a Catholic Ireland trying to wrest control over it against the Protestant forces of England. The strains of Bloody Sunday still find a resonance in this walled city.
In the countryside, big Celtic crosses rise from the mounds and ancient churches lie in ruin. The old houses and castles that dot the landscape in Ireland, lack the opulence of some of the European counterparts, but make up with a weight of history. Made out of grey stone they talk of difficult times, lovers torn apart, treachery or human courage. These are places where myth and mystery, and if some are to be believed, ghosts, dwell.
The wet weather in Ireland means there’s almost always a cloud hanging over you, and a mist perpetually hangs in the air. When seen against hills and rivers, it brings to life a mystical, almost eerie feeling. It’s a perfect environment for legends to grow. And for cunning leprechauns to take cover!
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