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Published: December 5th 2007
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My friends and I made our way over the tarmac towards the plane. We all embarked, found our seats, not difficult as, in spite of my deepening premonitions, they were all on the same aeroplane. We buckled our belts and found a comfortable position to fall asleep for the next hour and a half. ‘Comfortable’ by plane standards basically means at least 20 minutes of sleep without losing the feeling in one’s hands, feet or buttocks. The flight was routine: the flight attendants were selling overpriced snacks & drinks and while my friends played cards I nodded in & out of sleep. Later, as we circled in on our destination I remember looking down through the mist upon the blurred landscape beneath me to see the city lights and surrounding cliffs. John Locke’s quote crossed my mind, “O Ireland isn't it grand you look--Like a bride in her rich adornin?”
Then a buzz kicked in. I had arrived in one of the literary centres of the world. This was the land of some the finest scribes that ever lived-Yeats, Heaney, Wilde, Beckett, Joyce, Shaw, Binchey, Stoker & Swift. And after spending five glorious days in Ireland it was easy to
understand why such great authors were produced in such a country. Ireland is inspirational, magical, dramatic, arresting. From its countryside & coastline to the corner pubs & historical sites- Ireland is knee deep in charm.
Oisin, an Irish exchange friend showed us around Dublin the night we arrived. He was adamant to show us the best of Dublin so he quickly directed us to the ‘party district’ of Dublin- Temple Bar. We frequented at least four bars within that district (the Stag’s Head & Grogan’s Castle Lounge being my favourite) before realizing that we’d had way too much to drink…
Our next day in Dublin consisted of hardcore sightseeing. We visited Dublin Castle, the National Museum of Ireland, Trinity College, St. Stephens Green, the Book of Kells, O’Connell street, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christchurch. We also signed up for a Pub Crawl- a “Dublin Literary Pub Crawl”. It was a pub crawl with a twist- beer and acting! It was a tour guided by Irish actors who performed extracts from Dublin’s best known writers. Highlights include the performance of a scene from Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ and standing in the middle of Trinity College (the alma mater of
many of Dublin’s well-renowned writers) while they performed Oscar Wilde. Other out-of-this-world experiences have to include having a beer where James Joyce wrote part of his classic Ulysses and having a glass of wine at the pub now named the Old Stand where the famous revolutionary Michael Collins used to carry out secret meetings. Newgrange was also intriguing- an ancient passage tomb that predates the pyramids by 1000 years. What was also fascinating was that it stood only 2 kilometres from the site of the famous ‘Battle of the Boyne’.
Our Irish adventure pushed us up to Northern Ireland into the arms of a very warm and generous Irish-Indian family. Once again, thanks Anne, Michael, Andrew, Tara, Sara & Declan for adopting Martine and me for the weekend! After being away from home for so long it was very comforting to be back in a “home atmosphere”, to eat some Indian curry and to have familiar faces keeping us company. We didn’t expect the treatment we received but we were taken in and treated as part of the family. They took us first to Belfast to see the murals which were very powerful & compelling. I saw murals tributing
Bobby Sands, Sinn Fein and the many separatist causes of the world including Catalonia, Basque Country and Palestine. We visited Belfast Castle, the beautiful coastline and saw Scotland from the coast of Ireland! We also went clubbing with my cousin Andrew in Lurgan (and I have now become accustomed to the phrase, London, Paris, Lurgan!). It was a fun night which consisted of hunting down as many red-heads as Martine and I could and introducing my cousin Andrew to “lick, slam and suck” (tequila). He then presented me with a very vile tasting alcoholic beverage. I’m presuming this was done purely in revenge. I enjoyed the Ulster fry that Michael cooked for us on a Saturday morning- potato bread, bacon, sausages & soda bread. In comparison to what I’m eating in Tilburg for breakfast, “Michael’s Fry” was a bloodie five-star banquet. Another thing definitely worth mentioning was Anne & Michael’s beautiful cottage that overlooks Lough Neagh- the largest body of freshwater in the British Isles. Anne informed us of its mythical history: the Lough was formed when a giant scooped up a portion of the land and tossed it at a Scottish rival. He missed, and the chunk of earth landed in the Irish Sea, thus creating the Isle of Man.
I think it’s safe to say that Ireland has been my favourite country so far. Part of me is yearning to claim some kind of Irish ancestry- Mum & Dad are you sure none of your ancestors were from Killarney or Cork? The myths & legends about the fairy rings and blackthorn bushes left me intrigued. Ireland’s beautiful blue-skies & green fields reminded me of home. After visiting so many cities in Europe Ireland’s countryside was a breath of fresh air (literally!). The Irish were jovial and kind- Oisin’s father is a politician and not only took us around Parliament but drove us to the airport & took us for lunch before we left Ireland. And I fell in love with Michael’s father- a sweet merry man who opened his door to us for tea and biscuits. The Irish-Indian-Australian (they’re still part-Aussie!) cousins were fun to hang out with. I loved listening to their accents & watching them ‘Irish dance’ (Thanks for being patient while Martine and I fumbled to dance the Irish jig). And Ireland’s rich history left me wanting to pack up and move to Ireland so I could immerse myself in it (and somehow become an honorary Irishwoman).
I can’t wait till Ashwathi moves into her new home in Ireland in the next few months. I think I might be her first visitor. Is early July okay for you, Ash?
Love Natalia, xox.
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