Ireland
All posts from Ireland
Introduction to Ireland
Posted 1 Aug 2007:The Us European project has taken off! I arrived in Ireland earlier today and am eager to find my first victims for an interview. Until today, I have known Ireland as the green and grey island of Guinness. Where the roads are narrow and the speed limits impossible to meet. I gratefully take the opportunity to add some more detail to my frame of knowledge with regards to Ireland and its culture.... Read more
Polish invasion
Posted 2 Aug 2007:Over the years, Ireland has had a tradition of emigration. Millions of Irish people fled the island over the years, most of them to the United States. Since the beginning of this decade, the trend has reversed and Ireland is attracting people rather than sending them out across the great big ocean. Most newcomers fly or bus in from Poland, taking advantage of the country`s EU membership and the increased freedom of travel.... Read more
Young mums
Posted 3 Aug 2007:Today`s article is about the many young mothers in Ireland. Do religious motives play an important role? Are young mothers so numerous because of the impossibility to undergo an abortion in Ireland? I have been trying to find out today about the social position of young mothers in Ireland, the choices they make and what people think about the issue in general.... Read more
Irish music
Posted 4 Aug 2007:My intention was to dedicate my article of the day to Irish music but the day was simply not as musical as expected. I did however hunt for stories and came up with the following.... Read more
Going to church
Posted 5 Aug 2007:Ireland legalised divorce only as short as 10 years ago. Religious leaders oftentimes make headlines through controversial statements about equally controversial topics: abortion, same-sex marriages and contraception. It`s Sunday in Ireland and I`m interested to find out about the role of the church in people`s daily lives.... Read more
Irish holidays
Posted 6 Aug 2007:Today is a bank holiday in Ireland. It`s one out of four days throughout the year during which banks are closed without any other reason than the bank holidays. This collective day off work does give me the opportunity to walk up to people and ask them: How do Irish people celebrate holidays?... Read more
Gaelic is back!
Posted 7 Aug 2007:With all these English speaking people around, I would have presumed that English is the main language in Ireland. The constitution thinks about it differently: Irish or Gaelic is the official national and first language of the country - English only comes second. Gaelic is a compulsory subject for any pupil in the age of 4 until 17. Still, most of the Irish you encounter as a visitor would be pub names and double names for cities. What is the use of Irish to the Irish? What do they use it for and why does it still exist? Does it leave any room for people to learn other foreign languages?... Read more
Irish sports
Posted 8 Aug 2007:Betting, sports and beer - a perfect Irish combination. I spent my second and last say in Sligo inquiring about Irish sports. I expected to hear about hurling, Gaelic football and rugby, but ended up attending the local horse races.... Read more
Seen by others
Posted 12 Aug 2007:After a quick Ausflug to Northern Ireland, I am now back in the Republic. In Dublin to be more precise. It is the first capital city on my trip and the number of people in the streets amazes me. Contrary to the rest of Ireland, I see people from all over the world. I wonder if their experience with the Irish is in any way similar to mine, leading me to the question: how do people from outside Ireland feel and think about the Irish? ... Read more
The Celtic Tiger
Posted 13 Aug 2007:Over the last 20 years, Ireland has transformed from one of the poorest countries in Western Europe into one of the richest. Most of Ireland`s history has been a story of poverty, with the Potato Famine of the 1840s as a memory which is still today kept alive by the numerous statues in Ireland`s harbour towns. Skinny metal people with sad faces remind people of what Ireland happened in those days. More than a tenth of the population died of hunger, and over a million people emigrated from the island; most of them to the United States. Today, Ireland leads the march in Europe. It is a modern, rich and booming country. The success is attributed to the Celtic Tiger. My question for today: how was the Celtic Tiger created and will it manage to stay around?... Read more
Irish working days
Posted 14 Aug 2007:Through previous interviews, it already became clear to me that working is not the favourite pastime of the Irish people. Most of them so it simply to earn money and that`s it. They have not got a lot to complain about: the economy is in good condition and anyone with a reasonable record had the luxury of even being picky when looking for a job. Or, as Tony (50) tells me with a smiling face: 'If you want to fight, you`ll get some. The same goes for work in today`s Ireland`. Since most of the recent industry boom has been realised by the professional services sector, I have been out on the streets again today to ask people about their experiences on the Irish work floor. That doesn`t seem to be the worst place in the world to hang out, as you can read below.... Read more
The smoking ban
Posted 15 Aug 2007:During the past two weeks, I have come to know the Irish as a people that is weary of rules. At most occasions, they will do whatever lies in their reach to avoid complying with them. I was expecting that they would also have their reserves about the smoking ban. Introduced in 2004, it made Ireland the first country worldwide where smoking was prohibited in public places, including pubs and restaurants. The law was not granted a very warm welcome. Smoking was socially acceptable in Ireland and it remains so in present times. But three years have past since the law was passed and the opinion seems to have turned around in favour of the smoking ban. With similar laws soon to be passed in the rest of Europe, I spent my last day in Ireland finding out about people`s thoughts and comments on the matter.... Read more
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