Ireland -- On the Road

My first wish in going to the Emerald Isle was to see how green it really was. Traveling in our bus from Belfast to Dublin provided us a good look at the very green landscape. The reason it is so green is that it rains--at different times and in different amounts--but it rains every day. And compared to England, it is also a little bit warmer in the winter and a little bit cooler in the summer due to the Gulf Stream. There are also fewer flowering plants, which augments the intensity of the green.

These photos were taken in a moving bus, and so they are a bit blurred. Nevertheless, they capture the rich green of the many pastures and landscapes of eastern Ireland. And like England and Scotland, the pastures are neatly and beautifully separated with rock walls or hedges and trees.

 

 

Ireland was a much-anticipated visit by most of the people in our group. Probably because it is so familiar through its stories, its music, its wit. Many Americans know about the Potato Famine in 1845-52 that prompted thousands of Irish people to flee their lands because the poverty was too much to bear. A lot of Americans are familiar with Frank McCourt's 1996 memoir about his very poor childhood in Angela's Ashes. And most Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day--March 17--a day where everybody is Irish and the beer and Chicago River turn green. 

But Ireland is so much more. It has a rich history of the struggle for independence and freedom as well as a pride of country that is lived out in its culture, its spirit, and in various people's characterizations of what it means to look and be Irish. Our time spent in Ireland was quick, but it was fun. And I think it lived up to many of its stereotypes. 

Black Irish

Many Irish are red-haired and light-skinned, but there are also people with jet-black hair and creamy, white skin. These are known as black Irish. It's not about race, but rather, the color of their hair and eyes. Many times their eyes are a radiant blue. I couldn't take my eyes off of these people when I encountered, but couldn't stop and ask for a photo. So here are some famous black Irish people who have the look.

                                                                                       

                 

        

Famous Irish People

 

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays as well as his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.

James Joyce (1882-1941) was an novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century. Joyce's novel Ulysses (1922) is a landmark work in which the episodes of Homer's Odyssey are paralleled in a variety of literary styles, particularly stream of consciousness. Other well-known works are the short-story collection Dubliners (1914), and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939).

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish literary establishment who helped to found the Abbey Theatre.

Samuel Beckett (1906-89) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic experiences of life, often coupled with black comedy and nonsense. It became increasingly minimalist as his career progressed, involving more aesthetic and linguistic experimentation, with techniques of repetition and self-reference. He is considered one of the last modernist writers, and one of the key figures in the Theatre of the Absurd. 

 

 

Resources

Andrew Speed, guide of CostSaver Travel Company

Black Irish --  https://ireland-calling.com/black-irish/

 

Northern Ireland -- Belfast

 

We didn't spend much time in Belfast, N. Ireland, except to see the docks of the Titanic, its museum, and a wee bit of the downtown. Our tour went there because Belfast was the most direct route from Glasgow to Dublin across the Irish Sea.

We did have time to stop for a pint of "the black stuff", Guiness that is. Our guide suggested that we go to The Crown, a famous pub on the main street. This pub was a great choice because it was dark and had lots of varnished and sculpted wood, mosaic tiled floors, and stained glass. Cozy, little compartments (called snugs) were available for small groups with a bell for service and a formerly much-used metal bar tacked to the wall to strike matches.The snugs were for more reserved customers during the more repressed Victorian era.

The Crown was originally opened as a Victorian gin palace in 1826. In the 1880s, a Catholic husband and a Protestant wife bought it and refurbished it. The husband saw it as a way to both placate his wife who wanted to own it and to have his customers step on a mosaic crown at the front door.

In 1978 the National Trust, a UK heritage conservation group, purchased the property to restore it to its original Victorian state. A recognizable landmark, The Crown has been featured in several film and TV productions.

The Crown offers its chief brew, Guiness, which has a different taste from other cities. It is all about the water. Guiness is produced here but doesn't travel well as a beer, thus the difference in taste. A pint costs 5.5 pounds and a half pint is 2.8 pounds.

The pub's Victorian ambience is attractive and pleasing to its patrons as a relaxing place to be, as members of our group illustrate.

This pub also offered us a little taste of Northern Ireland's sordid history during "The Troubles" when Catholics and Protestants were at war with each other.  A plaque on the wall says:  "This mirror was installed in c. 1898. It was damaged in a bomb explosion in 1993, subsequently restored, and reinstated in 1999." 

Even a short visit to Belfast allowed us to see a little of its difficult past. 

"The Troubles" began in the late 1960s and ended with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. During that time some 3600 people were killed and 30,000 were injured.

 

A Little History

Belfast is really an ancient city that has been occupied since the Bronze Age (3300-1200 BCE). It remained a small settlement in the Middle Ages and the Normans may have built a castle there in the late 12th century. Belfast was established as a town in 1613 and predominantly Catholic. A few English settled there, but it was the Scottish Presbyterians who grew the town into a major port--and became the majority population. Together with the French Huguenot refugees Belfast became a linen-producing city that stretched to the Americas. The industrial revolution then drew landless Irish peasants to Belfast to work in the factories, especially the shipyards. It was at this time that the Protestants began to take control over the city, and tensions arose. However, although it appears that religion separated people, it was really their origins.

The Troubles

The Troubles date back to centuries warfare between Ireland (mostly Catholic) and England (mostly Protestant). In 1921, the Republic of Ireland broke free as an independent state, however, Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom of England. Catholics in Belfast and Derry complained of police discrimination and unfair government treatment in housing, jobs, gerrymandering of political districts. Most of the farms and businesses were owned by the Protestants and Catholics were unable to penetrate them. The country held a siege mentality and suspicion and mistrust reigned. Then, in the 1960s, young Catholic nationalists attempted to right this situation by modeling their movement on the U.S. Civil Rights movement.

On October 5, 1968, a protest march against discrimination took place in Derry and police put it down with violence. On January 1, 1969, nationalist activists organized a march (similar to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s march on Selma) from Belfast to Derry. Police escorted the marchers until they reached Burntollet Bridge outside of Derry. Then police put on their riot gear in anticipation of a problem. A loyalst mob of Protestants started throwing rocks and then wielded iron bars and clubs on the protesters. 

On August 13, 1969, another riot broke out in Derry during a loyalst parade to commemorate Protestant military victories of the 17th century. The parade passed through a Catholic section known as the Bogside. This provoked what is now called "The Battle of Bogside", which lasted three days. The British government sent in troops to quell the disorder. 

On January 30, 1972, Catholic nationalists organized a protest march against British internment policies. Troops were called in to disperse the crowds, first with rubber bullets and then with live ammunition. Thirteen protesters were killed and 17 were wounded. This incident was called "Bloody Sunday". 

For the next 30 years, skirmishes provoked by one side or the other persisted until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. The agreement created a framework for political power-sharing and an end to the violence.

Today, Belfast is a thriving city. Peace and unity have allowed the economy to explode. The BBC opened new studios here and the film industry and other businesses have been started. Today, Belfast is a cultural mecca with art galleries, theatre, and sports contests. 

 

 

Belfast was and still is a shipbuilding city. Harland & Wolff, established in 1861, dominates the industry, as can be seen with its numerous yellow cranes--the largest in the world. The company built the majority of ships for the White Star Line including the Titanic, Olympic, and Britannic.

 

 

 

 

Titanic was built here in Belfast before it launched its ill-fated maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. This museum, reputedly one of the best, is located near the shipyards with a dramatic form reminiscent of the great ship's size and dominance. It is just another reason to return to Belfast!

A quick run-through the downtown provided some interesting sights of this thriving and busy town. 

 

 

The Art House

 

 

St. Patrick's Catholic Church

 

 

 

The Europa Hotel provides accommodations for the world's diplomats. American presidents stayed here, too. During The Troubles, it had the reputation of being the most bombed hotel in the world.

 

The Titantic Hotel, yet another reminder of the city's past.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resources

 Andrew Speed, guide for Costsaver Company

 How the Troubles Began in Northern Ireland -- https://www.history.com/news/the-troubles-northern-ireland 

The Crown Liquor Saloon -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Liquor_Saloon

Belfast -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast#Early_settlements

Crossing the Irish Sea

This little stretch of the Irish Sea between Britain and Ireland became an important conduit to Ireland's history over the past 2,000 years.

This area was a region for trade that was even expanded to the Mediterranean Sea. Because the Romans did not penetrate Ireland, trade flourished without fear of their invasions. The Vikings did invade Ireland, however. The massive network of Ireland's rivers and streams made it perfect for the seafaring Vikings to establish settlements, which grew into towns and cities. The Vikings inter-married with the native Irish, which made the island a friendly and relatively peaceful place--until the 12th century, the source of all Ireland's struggles that would last well into the 21st century. 

These struggles began in 1170, about one hundred years after the Normans conquered England in 1066. The English began carve up Ireland to serve as gifts of land ownership to their loyal subjects. A patchwork of kingdoms emerged, and the Council of Kings was established. 

Rory O'Connor, the landless king of Lancaster, attended the wedding of O'Rourke, king of the Griffin Kingdom. At the banquet after the wedding ceremony, the eyes of Rory and the newly-wed wife of O'Rourke met and they instantly fell in love. They started a passionate love affair until one night the new bride climbed out of the castle window and ran off to England with Rory. O'Rourke was aware of what had happened, and he asked the English king to help him bring back his wife without success. 

Meanwhile, Rory wanted to earn the favor of the English king and regain the lands his father had lost in Ireland. He conquered several small kingdoms in Ireland, which he gave to the English king. For his reward, the king made Rory a member of the Irish aristocracy and gave him land. The English king also took control of Ireland. 

When the Vikings established settlements, they wanted to create towns and cities. They were never in the countryside. Two different cultures emerged as a result: the Anglo city people and the Gaelic rural people. Moreover, when the Irish crossed into England, their language changed from Gaelic to English. 

The Gaelic tribes never yielded to English rule or the language. When came the Protestant Reformation arrived, the towns and cities became Protestant while the people in the rural areas remained Catholic. Animosity between these two groups continued through the centuries until the 1919 when the home rule movement pressured England to grant Ireland independence. In 1922, the Republic of Ireland was established. Northern Ireland has remained a part of the United Kingdom, which also comprises England, Scotland, and Wales. 

 

Two societies emerged in Ireland: the rural Gaelic and the city people. (The zone buffering these two societies was called "the pale", which is the origin of the expression "going beyond the pale".) The landed gentry descended from the Gaelic kings. 

The 1700s and early 1800s was a very prosperous time for the Irish, and they had many modern amenities like gas lamps before most other countries did. Since the 1800s, Ireland has had the smallest of populations. When it joined the European Union in 1973, it became prosperous again and the fastest-growing country in Europe. Today, it welcomes immigrants, including the Ukrainians. The government is giving them work permits so they can get their lives back together. 

Two thirds of the drivers in Ireland don't have licenses to drive. They never took a test; they just picked up driving. 

Everyone here knows someone who knows someone.

 Sailing the Irish Sea

The most dramatic part of our journey across the Irish Sea was the ferry boat ride from Scotland to Belfast, Northern Ireland. The huge boat accommodated our bus, cars, campers, and semi-trucks. Amazing! Passengers went to the top two decks to relax, watch movies, take a coffee, or order a meal or snack.

                                             

I spent the first hour of our two-hour ride with Caroline, a woman from Perth, Australia. We sat at the front of the boat and enjoyed the smooth ride across the sea. Then we split up and toured the boat on our own. I met some jolly young people who worked in the cafeteria, and we took some photos.

The seating area and the brightly-colored stairway make travel comfortable. Directions to the decks is easy and color-coded. A playroom for kids sported a giant screen for writing messages.

 

Driving in Scotland to the Ferry Boat

The drive from our hotel in Glasgow to the ferry boat was interesting in that we not only made tracks, but we saw how people lived. Their houses are close together and their front yard consists of a parking lot (dirt, gravel, or pavement) and maybe a small garden or a patch of lawn. The houses were simple, one-story houses. Various renditions of this design were apparent in Ireland, Wales, and England as well.

We followed the western coast of Scotland, which would have been more interesting had the fog not blocked our vision. However, we passed through some small villages with a little history.  Many of these villages were founded by the Vikings and dotted with many castles.

 

Prestwick, for example,  is the only town in the UK Elvis ever set foot on. He was in the U.S. Army and his plane landed there for a brief layover.  

 

Robert Burns (1759-96) was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is one of the first to write in the Scottish language, however, he wrote his political commentaries in English.

We passed his birthplace in Alloway (just south of Ayr), a cottage that his father built. He was the oldest of seven children. There is a small museum there on him and his life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burns is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement. Celebration of his life and work became almost a national cult during the 19th and 20th centuries and a cultural icon in Scotland and Scots throughout the world. In 2009 he was chosen as the greatest Scot by the Scottish public in a vote run by the Scottish television channel STV. He is seen to have been a major contributor to the Scottish identity.

 

Girvan has a reputation as the most miserable town in all of Scotland, according to a government survey. It was a fishing town that lost its industry through treaty arrangements with the formation of the European Union. Different countries could specialize in different industries. France, for example, specializes in farming. The Brits lost their fishing industry. Meanwhile, the Greeks and other European fishermen, came to the UK waters and fished out the seas.

Girvan also lost its place as a vacation resort once people realized that Spain had warm, sunny weather as opposed to Girvan's rainy weather. The town has been dying for years and it continues through massive unemployment.

 

Trump Golf Course stands right on the shore of the Firth of Clyde. The clubhouse is a big white structure. Even though no one on the bus reacted to this news, our guide informed us that the golf course has employed a lot of people who were once part of the fishing industry. Trump's mother comes from this area.

Ailsa Craig is an island in the Firth of Clyde that sticks out even in the fog. Its shape is like a current bun, but its really a volcanic plug. Ailsa Craig (meaning “Fairy Rock” in Gaelic) is a place of history, folklore and legend with “sea monsters, smugglers, prisoners, dragons, cannibals."

At one time Ailsa Craig was a haven for smugglers of silk, spirits, and tobacco in the deep caves of its western side. Evidence also suggests that the Romans were here as well as the Catholic Spaniards who sought to invade Protestant Scotland. A three-story castle was built in the 1400s to ward them off, the ruins of which can still be seen today. The best granite stones come from here, granite stones for the sport of curling. Winston Churchill plotted the D-Day landing on the island, and General Dwight D. Eisenhower was given the top floor of the castle in gratitude for his leadership during World War II. No one lives on the island these days, but people are allowed to visit it.

Russian War Memorial to the crews lost on Russian convoys during World War I.

 

 

 The Scottish Highlands

Big hills dominate the western coast of Scotland. The slopes are filled with little terraces. There are a lot of sheep (as there are everywhere we go on this tour) and hairy cows on green, green pastures. The houses and towns are built with rock. The brush hedges are orange-red at this time of year They grow in clumps like broccoli with green and yellow tops. Small streams of white water descends the hills and cliffs.

 

The hairy cows are called Highland Cattle. It is a hardy breed, able to withstand the intemperate conditions in the region. They are reared primarily for beef, and have been exported to several other countries.

 

 

The Scottish black-faced sheep are everywhere as well. They are bred principally for meat production. The wool is very coarse, with a fiber diameter of 28–38 μm and a staple length of about 250–350 mm. It is used for mattresses, for carpets, or to make tweed.

 

 

Resources

Andrew Speed, guide of CostSaver Travel Company

Robert Burns -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns#Alloway

Ailsa Craig -- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/ayrshire/the-scottish-island-you-never-thought-to-visit-but-really-should/ 

 

Scotland -- Stirling Castle

 

 

We were treated to a "Burns Supper", a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns (1759-96), the author of many Scottish poems. (These suppers are usually celebrated on the poet's birthday, January 25, but they can be celebrated at any time of the year, too.) The supper was modified for our group but below is a general outline of the way the supper is conducted.

Robert Burns (1759-96) was and still is a celebrated Scottish poet and lyricist. He is one of the first to write in the Scottish language, however, he wrote his political commentaries in English. Burns is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement. Recognition of his life and work became a national cult during the 19th and 20th centuries and he remains a cultural icon in Scotland and among Scots throughout the world. In 2009 he was chosen as the greatest Scot by the Scottish public in a vote run by the Scottish television channel STV.  

The first Burns Supper was held in memoriam at Burns Cottage in Ayrshire by Burns's friends, on July 21, 1801, the fifth anniversary of his death. It has been celebrated ever since. Burns suppers may be formal or informal. Both typically include haggis (a traditional Scottish dish celebrated by Burns in Address to a Haggis), Scotch whisky, and the recitation of Burns's poetry.

A bagpiper generally greets the guests and serves as the host for the evening. We met ours at the statue of another great Scot, Robert the Bruce. Our host gave us a little history about Robert the Bruce before he led us to the supper--in the dark.

Robert I (1274-1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce, was King of Scots from 1306-1329. He was one of the most renowned warriors of his generation who eventually led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully during his reign to regain Scotland's place as an independent kingdom. Today, he is revered in Scotland as a national hero. 

 

Once we were seated at our tables, our host said a few words of welcome and the reason for our gathering.

 

The supper starts with the soup course. Normally a Scottish soup, such as Scotch broth, potato soup, cullen skink, or cock-a-leekie, is served.

 

 

 

 

The next course was a ceremonial "bringing in of the haggis", similar to the photos below. A poem by Robert Burns about the haggis is read (see below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haggis is a savory pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach.

Although the name "hagws" or "hagese" was first recorded in England c. 1430, the dish is considered traditionally of Scottish origin. It is even the national dish, as a result of Scots poet Robert Burns' poem "Address to a Haggis" of 1786.  

Nice seeing your honest, chubby face,

Great chieftain of the sausage race!
Above them all you take your place,
Belly, tripe, or links:
Well are you worthy of a grace
As long as my arm.

The groaning platter there you fill,
Your buttocks like a distant hill,
Your pin would help to mend a mill
In time of need,
While through your pores the dews distill
Like amber bead.  

His knife see rustic Labour sharpen,
And cut you up with practiced skill,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like any ditch;
And then, Oh what a glorious sight,
Warm-steaming, rich! 

When, spoon for spoon, they stretch and strive:
Devil take the hindmost, on they drive,
'Til all their well-swollen bellies soon
Are tight as drums;
Then old Master, most likely to burst,
'Thanks Be' hums.  

Is there one, that over his French ragout,
Or olio that would give pause to a sow,
Or fricassee that would make her spew
With perfect loathing,
Looks down with sneering, scornful view
On such a dinner? 

Poor devil! See him over his trash,
As feeble as a withered rush,
His spindly leg a good whip-lash,
His fist a nit:
Through bloody flood or field to dash,
Oh how unfit!  

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his sturdy fist a blade,
He'll make it whistle;
And legs and arms, and heads will cut,
Like tops of thistle. 

You Pow'rs, that make mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill of fare,
Old Scotland wants no watery ware
That slops in bowls:
But, if You wish her grateful prayer,
Give her a Haggis!

 At the line His knife see rustic Labour dicht, the speaker normally draws and sharpens a knife. At the line An' cut you up wi' ready slicht, he plunges it into the haggis and cuts it open from end to end. Then the host presents the haggis, as our host did below.

                                         

At the end of the poem, a whisky toast is proposed to the haggis, and the company sits down to the meal. The haggis is traditionally served with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed swede turnip (neeps). We each received a small sample of the haggis on our plates. (Mine did not suit me as there was too much of a liver taste.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the meal is finished and its time for coffee, various speeches and toasts are given. Usually some Robert Burns poetry is recited or some aspect of his life is remembered. Our host played some songs on the bagpipes and explained how the instrument worked. 

                                                     

At the end, the host calls on one of the guests to give the vote of thanks, and finally everyone is asked to stand, join hands, and sing "Auld Lang Syne", a poem written by Robert Burns. 

We did not see either the inside or the outside of Stirling Castle because it was night time and we were in a rural area without much light. We had our meal in a restaurant down the hill from the castle. However, the Burns Supper was a delightful experience of Scottish culture and the food (except for the haggis) and entertainment were superb. It's part of what made Scotland fun and memorable.

For more information about Stirling Castle and its history, click here.

 

Resources

Stirling Castle -- https://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/stirling_castle.html

Robert the Bruce -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Bruce

Haggis -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis

Burns Supper -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burns_supper#%22Address_to_a_Haggis%22