Ireland - for beachpsalms
What a week to be writing about Ireland? Three people needlessly killed for this dreadful word once again in the North. It was like time-travelling back to my childood except that the news didn't wash over me as the then almost daily occurence did. And I felt a great, great anger at those people who gave me a childhood filled with reports of death and violence and stole so many other people's childhoods completely. It is hard to talk about Ireland, about my love for Ireland because the words and phrases one would use have been hijacked.
I'm with Martin Blank: nations are mostly public relations. I feel no nationalistic allegiance to the country and would probably not die for it but culturally I adore it. Things I love about Ireland are the sense of humour, the landscape, the vocabulary and the diversity (places and accents on this small island really are different to one another in my eyes). I love the high level of general knowledge our education system turns out, the strong sense of extended family that exists, the GAA, the rich theatre heritage, the generosity to charity the list goes on and on.
I suppose Ireland, like the Church, is something I love that is deeply flawed and I want to stay in and help fix what I think is broken.
I'm with Martin Blank: nations are mostly public relations. I feel no nationalistic allegiance to the country and would probably not die for it but culturally I adore it. Things I love about Ireland are the sense of humour, the landscape, the vocabulary and the diversity (places and accents on this small island really are different to one another in my eyes). I love the high level of general knowledge our education system turns out, the strong sense of extended family that exists, the GAA, the rich theatre heritage, the generosity to charity the list goes on and on.
I suppose Ireland, like the Church, is something I love that is deeply flawed and I want to stay in and help fix what I think is broken.