I must confess, both John and I were predisposed to like Ireland. After all, we both have (to the best of our knowledge) a considerable amount of Irish blood rushing through our veins. But I don't think either of us were prepared to absolutely fall in love with this island and the people.
While our days in Dublin were filled with visits to museums,churches and attractions (pour the perfect Pint at Guinness) it was the unexpected that filled our hearts.
Whether dropping into a pub to discover a Traditional Music Jam session (ok that Was in Dublin), staying for a week in a thatched roof cottage outside of Tipperary or walking with the sheep on hills above a beach along the Ring of Kerry, the beauty of both the land and the people truly stole our hearts away. The history of the people, their struggles for freedom and for life itself were hard to hear; they were after all, our family histories. But no matter the past, we constantly heard the questions-Are you enjoying your trip? Is everything good?,Are we treating you well? And of course,(with a twinkle in the eye) Are we friendly? The answer was always a resounding YES.
From Dingle to Donegal and everywhere in between, be it town, castle, cathedral or pub, we heard the stories of a people who would bend but not break. This in spite of the actions of a variety of government leaders,specifically Henry VIII and Oliver Cromwell. The documented abuses the Irish faced seem insurmountable yet the people have managed to rise above, to embrace their future while acknowledging their past. There's not a bitterness or resentfulness but a hopefulness that fills the people and reflects in the overwhelming natural beauty of the land.
As the song says, we heard the Angels sing..
No comments:
Post a Comment