Part of my family emigrated from Derry and Dublin, or should I say fled after the Fenian uprising and post free state civil war. I saw the AOH sashes, my great grandfather's huge Webley and grew up with the typical irish american mythology. After my parents bitter divorce I was enrolled in an anglican private school in the 4-6 elementary grades. Come Saint Patricks Day I showed up in green for morning chapel. Every other soul was in orange. Then father Murphy entered, 6'6" with steel grey hair and the build of a former Rugby champion. He walked up and casually plucked me along to serve as his assistant. Later we had a chat about history and at his insistance I studied every book available, from Guerilla Days In Ireland to the 'scots-irish' in america. On graduation day I got a hug and the simple parting word " remember it's our country too and we love it." Years later I was serving in San Francisco and got tangled up with the irish community there. One pub in SF was provo and the other in Berkeley stickie. I think the same dummy hand grenade was wired to each's entrance so many times the exasperated police wanted to substitute live ones. I even got invited to a house party to raise funds. I've got these lace curtain matrons craftilly- casually asking which parish I was in and who the priest was. I explained I was an Anglican and they almost fainted crossing themselves until some drunk playing uillean pipes, greatfull for my Player Navy Cut cigarettes mumbled I was old green. Old Green? and what would that be? Hes an effing druid, a pagan heathen. They all backed off even further until this living, pink skined near-corpse 102 y/o IRA veteran said he served with my great granddad. Then I hear this rediculous plot to harrass the sight seeing crew of HMS Arc Royal on a port visit. It was almost hollywood. I'm actually wearing a Burberry trenchcoat in the fog, slipping away from this roving gang of irish american idiots armed with hurling and blackthorn sticks to warn the Tars walking en mass with souveniers for the missus or mum. I flash my Coast Guard I.D. to the OIC and explain whats around the corner. He was all for a mixup, but we agreed a feint down a side alley and into the gay district was wiser, if not more colourfull :tw:. My great granddad said " those who fight dragons to long, become dragons." on Saint Pat's day I wear brown.
My encounter with the "Irish Question"
- Thread starter ChrisKavanaugh
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Hi Chris,
Your story just highlights something that comes up alot all do I am not sure I able to put into words. But here goes (this might take a while)
It's a kin to the felling I get any time I visit the it's small world after all ride in Disney. Something I am sure everyone that has ever taken this ride that is above the age of five.
It's a lack of understanding about were Ireland is now and that it is a world apart from 1916.
Here is a story of mine regarding the "Irish Question" .
In 1991 I had the previlage of attending the World Scout Jamboree in Korea. At 16 you can imagine what that was like. There were scouts from all over the world and our little contingent of 40 or so were there to represented Ireland.
One day while doing a walk about through the vast campsite I was stopped by an American scout leader who patted me on the head and ask to have a photo taken nothing to wrong with that you might think.
But he then turned around and said I must be pretty proud of myself and had the UN paid from us to visit the camp as a rest from the shooting and bombing.
I asked what he ment that I never heard a shoot nor had I been bombed in my short life?
It took me an hour to explain to him that Ireland was not a third world war torn country and that when he gave money at Republican fund raisers it was not going to straving childern.
This is an example of how one person can be miss lead by stupid propaganda and misinformation as does your story and I am glad that they are only the minority. The media too has a lot to do it in portraing the negative as in stead off of the positive parts of being Irish in Ireland and the "Irish Question" as a whole.
It is important that we all known are history and our background but it should be remebered that that is what it is history and should be left in the books and not relived on the streets were inosence get hurt.
Well rant over and Chris you keep wearing brown on Paddy's here it is nothing more then a day off to spend in the pub which is not a bad thing either. Except for the sore head the next day.
James
PS this my opinon and my story it is not ment to offend but if it offends the Please fell free to remove it.
Your story just highlights something that comes up alot all do I am not sure I able to put into words. But here goes (this might take a while)
It's a kin to the felling I get any time I visit the it's small world after all ride in Disney. Something I am sure everyone that has ever taken this ride that is above the age of five.
It's a lack of understanding about were Ireland is now and that it is a world apart from 1916.
Here is a story of mine regarding the "Irish Question" .
In 1991 I had the previlage of attending the World Scout Jamboree in Korea. At 16 you can imagine what that was like. There were scouts from all over the world and our little contingent of 40 or so were there to represented Ireland.
One day while doing a walk about through the vast campsite I was stopped by an American scout leader who patted me on the head and ask to have a photo taken nothing to wrong with that you might think.
But he then turned around and said I must be pretty proud of myself and had the UN paid from us to visit the camp as a rest from the shooting and bombing.
I asked what he ment that I never heard a shoot nor had I been bombed in my short life?
It took me an hour to explain to him that Ireland was not a third world war torn country and that when he gave money at Republican fund raisers it was not going to straving childern.
This is an example of how one person can be miss lead by stupid propaganda and misinformation as does your story and I am glad that they are only the minority. The media too has a lot to do it in portraing the negative as in stead off of the positive parts of being Irish in Ireland and the "Irish Question" as a whole.
It is important that we all known are history and our background but it should be remebered that that is what it is history and should be left in the books and not relived on the streets were inosence get hurt.
Well rant over and Chris you keep wearing brown on Paddy's here it is nothing more then a day off to spend in the pub which is not a bad thing either. Except for the sore head the next day.
James
PS this my opinon and my story it is not ment to offend but if it offends the Please fell free to remove it.
James, I intended to post this as a response to the old soldiers thread. It's sad, knowing people suffer over issues almost lost in the mist of history. I don't know which is worse; extreme prejudice or it's ugly sister extreme ethnicity. Americans carry their ancestral roots literally like a badge of honour with all that poisonous baggage. They forget our people came here for a reason. Hopefully, the web will serve to bring people closer with greater understanding. Of course, only 20 % of americans even hold passports, leading to ignorance such as this. I worked with a girl who immigrated from Cobh. Dierdre had an accent thicker than porridge and only I could understand half what she said at first. We were sitting on a break and some guy tried to make some points with her. He asked where she was from and how long she had been here. Then he said "Wow, you sure speak good english! " Dee and I looked lovingly at each other and I said he was an idiot in gaelic. She laughed, and then he noticed our claddagh rings and thought we were married ( I should be so lucky.)
This has been my only encounter with this miss understanding off what is to me Irish which is something we will be deciding on to a point this Friday but thats politics and not for here.
I am seriously jealous Chris you speak gealic and I have not got word of it. It's something I aim to rectify this summer. At I will try.
Thanks for responding.
James
I am seriously jealous Chris you speak gealic and I have not got word of it. It's something I aim to rectify this summer. At I will try.
Thanks for responding.
James
S'odd My other half, who's a Dub, is fluent. Yatters away to her family and friends no problem. But, she can't understand a word an Irish speaker from Belfast says... And vice versa.
I am afraid it has alot to do with the attitude I had towards the language when I was younger. 
I had a teacher in primer school that was from one of the west Islands and here dialect was totaly different from the standard Irish and so she though us her's and not what was in the book.
When I got to secondary school it was greek to me and as I don't have a great ear for langauges as it is and my attitude to what i considered a a dead language i opted out of and refused to learn it.
I have grown OLDER and wiser and see the error of my ways.
like many of the skills we discuss here we learn them so they are not forgotten and so i see as another part of my bushcraft training.
James
PS interesting story during WW1 my Great Granddad was in the Merchant Navy on a ship in German harbour when the war broke out. He and his crew mates were put in a prison camp which had a commanding officer that had live in Galway for many years. When the war started he returned to Germany. We thought it was a disgrace that many of the men from Rush and Skerries were unable to speak their on language and so he started classes they all had to attend.
My father recalls my Granddad often writing long letter in Irish and reading Irish papers and books but could not read the english papers. It's strange somtimes that from the most unexpected places you can find your roots.
I had a teacher in primer school that was from one of the west Islands and here dialect was totaly different from the standard Irish and so she though us her's and not what was in the book.
When I got to secondary school it was greek to me and as I don't have a great ear for langauges as it is and my attitude to what i considered a a dead language i opted out of and refused to learn it.
I have grown OLDER and wiser and see the error of my ways.
like many of the skills we discuss here we learn them so they are not forgotten and so i see as another part of my bushcraft training.
James
PS interesting story during WW1 my Great Granddad was in the Merchant Navy on a ship in German harbour when the war broke out. He and his crew mates were put in a prison camp which had a commanding officer that had live in Galway for many years. When the war started he returned to Germany. We thought it was a disgrace that many of the men from Rush and Skerries were unable to speak their on language and so he started classes they all had to attend.
My father recalls my Granddad often writing long letter in Irish and reading Irish papers and books but could not read the english papers. It's strange somtimes that from the most unexpected places you can find your roots.
Read The POOR MOUTH by Flann O'Brian ( aka Miles na' Gopaleen aka Brian O'Nolan) It's hilarious story of the linguist recording the gaelic in a dark pub puts it all into perspective. Gaelic has experienced a wierd revival among the young wiccan born again witches. This can be bemusing in it's own right. While at uni, the official campus witch invited me to some gathering observing some solstice or equinox. I'm in the back seat of a VW BUG with some redhaired creature trying to dislocate my arm in her cleavage while plying me with questions on gaelic and "if you take me to ireland I can be verrrrry friendly.' being whispered in my ear in between swabbing it with her tonque. At the party site there was this clumsy wickerman cobbled together from rattan baskets from the phillipines and full of flowers. Our hereditary witch had just watched the old movie by that name and added it to her "ancient wisdom." I objected, stating it was only mentioned once by Caeser, and that in Gaul. up goes this burnt offering in black smoke. The Fire Department pulled up and promptly hit it with a hose. I'm dragging myself away with big red still clamped firmly to my elbow. I finally looked deep into her eyes and confessed to being a Anglican with a Persian jew for a Girlfriend.
