An English perspective:
"For the great Gaels of Ireland
Are the men that God made mad,
For all their wars are merry,
And all their songs are sad."
The traditional Irish wedding toast reflects their worldview before the Potato Famine:
Health and long life to you,
Land without rent to you,
A child every year to you,
And death in old
2 comments:
Ah, me dear auld Mither was Irish, more than the half, HER Mother bein' a Coleman an' all. An' so I came up as it were in rather an Irish way.
They are a funny lot, we Irish!! I had an uncle who had been taunted with the monniker "Mick" as a youth, and, rather than fighting it he took up the name Mike. Imagine my surprise when I learned "Uncle Mike" was certainly not.... Mom's Grandmother was a great storyteller and an authoress. She actually published a short history of her family and its Irish roots. I've one of the very few copies extant of that amazing piece. And Mom herself wrote an expanded history, the emigrants, shipbuilders, sailors, weavers, farmers, fisherfolk, merchants, oh, and I can't leave out "the horse thief", an amazing tale of survival and escape from persecution. I've also been rather a student of traditional Irish music for many years, listening, collecting, playing, dancing to.... and their sense of humour is also rather amazing, and quite unique to that people. I've often thought it quite amusing that it was the Brits and their bent upon tyrannical rule over this people that led to so many of them fleeing "the auld Sod" for "Amerikay", most never again to see "Old Skibbereen". Truly an amazing people, and full of surprises.
From what I read, before 1847 Ireland was controlled by Protestant England and after the famine and the turmoil, the Catholics seized control, being also a minority (33%) and since there was violence and terrorism until recent years. It seems that Reformation came to Europe and one by one countries were won by Christians and now, in more recent years we're losing them one by one and there are specific dates and events that precipitate it. France fell in 1790s after the French Revolution, Ireland through famine, USA weakened during the Civil War, England, Germany and other states fell to their knees during WWII. US fell totally to Vatican Control during Reagan, when he signed a treaty with the POPE. Obama is a total flake and traitor, God have mercy on us!
Post a Comment