Scotch-Irish-L Archives

Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1999-07 > 0931581562


From: linda Merle <>
Subject: Re: Irishmen soldiering for other countries
Date: Fri, 09 Jul 1999 21:39:22 -0700


Hi Charles,

>The real problem can arise, of course, when someone who has been away
>goes back and tries to fit into what has become a very narrow and
>stereotyped society, much more, I suspect, than used to be the case.

Boy, is that the truth. On my first visit over I was quite amazed. In Dublin
I felt like I was in Boston, only with highlands of Paris (Trinity). I seemed to
fit in. In fact after going to lunch with an American friend who was living in
Dundalk and an Irish friend of hers, and bsing for an hour, her friend thought
I was Irish who had lived in the US for a while. My mother always did dress
me Irish, though I didn't realize it till that trip. However then a few days
later I found myself heading North carrying a book on fairies, wearing
celtic jewelry with a pennywhistle. Soon as I crossed the border, it wasn't me
any longer. I then became a Prod. I didn't want to be seen with the fairy
book. I was nervous about playing the pennywhistle. I wanted to send out
Prod signals because I just felt very alien to the Irish up there. I felt like a
Prod. They were clear too I was a Prod. A guy asked me in a store --
"Are you over doing family research?" "Yes", says I "Ulster Scots", says
he. Yes.... And worse... when I went shopping in Holywood I found the
place I had been looking for the whole time. It had all the things I really
wanted to buy and hadn't found in sufficient quantity. Flowered tea cups,
sachet, dried flowers, teas, jellies, etc. then I learned.... our culture wasn't
very Irish. It was rather Anglo Irish. Buy me anything in Holywood and I'll
love it. (though I prefer violets<grin>). As a friend explained "Holywood has
always been a garrison town...."

Also I have a couple young Protestant friends from the North. They wanted
to escape the Usual during the Twelfth, so they went to the South, where
they can have a good time without a problem. They can fit in there, they
find.

The weird ethnic divisions in Northern Ireland are really weird.

Linda Merle

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