Went to Rî Ra at Mandalay Bay last evening to celebrate St. Patricks Day to my great disappointment. Food was mediocre, service mediocre, plastic paddies getting drunk. When I was waiting in valet parking for my truck I run into a young man from Ireland who made my day and knew what the true love of Ireland is. When I asked where he was from he said, Dublin. I replied, oh, Baile atha Cliah.....using the Irish name for Dublin. He was a bit surprised and asked how I knew that. Told him I had been there and tried to study the language on my own. We talked and I told him my ancestors were from County Roscommon. He replies, thats IRA territory. I said, I know. The west shall rise! And then taking a chance, I say, tiocfaidh ár lá He looks a little surprised at me and repeats in a quiet voice, Tiocfaidh ár lá. (Motto of Sinn Féin and the IRA.) He then tells me his grandfather was killed by the Brits. I tell him, Fuir siad bás ar son saoirse na hÉireann! (They died for Irelands freedom). He just states at me. We talk a bit and wish each other, Slàn abhaile! Basically, Safe journey home. After all the plastic Paddies, it absolutely made my day. Dont get me wrong, there are many ways to celebrate. Some of us have to sometimes touch something of more substance. In the words of T S Elliott, A terrible beauty is born. And from the Irish ballard,The Patriot Game, The love of Ireland is a terrible thing. The great poet and Scotsman Robert Burns wrote, Ireland is a country of happy wars and sad love songs. The love of Ireland is indeed, A terrible thing, It is also a most beautiful thing of a rich, beautiful, and also tragic history. A land of Saints and scholars, poets and writers, and artisans with masterful use of language. Ireland suffered attempted cultural genocide under British rule where even teaching the language was illegal. They rose in rebellion six times between 1798 and 1916. A weak, impoverished people with little resources but will and determination and a desire for freedom, territorial integrity and preservation of their language and culture. Rising and fighting, almost hopelessly against the most military and economic power at the time of repeated risings. The time is well overdue for Brits to quit their colonial remnant in Ireland and return territorial integrity to Ireland after 942 years.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 11:03:11 +0000
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