A Nation Once Again

One thing very notable about the Irish: the importance of their music. (In fact, starting Monday I will be taking an Irish Folklore course called Music and Words). Tonight my suitemates and I went to the Student Union Pub, partly because it was time for a pint, and partly because the Wolfe Tones (an important Irish band, according to Rebecca) were performing. Incidentally, Will Ferrell was also performing/ speaking at UCD tonight, recieving the James Joyce Award (?). Alas, I couldn't get tickets, but thats a whole 'nother story. So, we enter the very crowded pub, and after waiting half an hour at the bar before finally getting our Beamish, I begin to regret the 2 Euro cover we paid to get in. But as we made our way towards the stage and got into the concert-mindset, it all changed. This wasn't just a night down the pub, it was a cultural experience. The Wolfe Tones are a sort of trad band, but much more rock-infused than the kind of trad you hear in regular pubs. They're one of the more well-known 'Irish rebel bands', (and will, coincidentally, be touring the US in March with a stop in our very own West Orange, NJ). The music was, of course, wonderful, but it was the audience that really made it. I've been to a fair amount of concerts, but never with audience participation like that. Myself and the few Americans I was with (we met up with more people there) seeemed to be the only ones in the dense crowd that didn't know the words to every song, the only ones who didn't know the proper dances or the stories behind the songs. The crowd moved and sang as one, breaking into jigs and yelling along. We have no songs like that at home (that I can think of). No bands we would all flock to see so we could sing nationalistic songs together (country music doesn't count, nor does Yankee Doodle). Some kids even hoisted the Irish flag as they sang along (they came equipped with their flags!). It was indescribable, and wonderful. As we were preparing to leave outside the pub, a drunken Irish student offered to sing us any song we desired. Since we didn't know any traditional Irish songs (much to his disappointment), he decided on Irish Rover, then proceeded to serenade us (if you can call it that - i had to clap to keep him on beat) with the entire song. Until he got distracted by someone with a cigarette, of course. By God, do I love the Irish.

But, as with all things Irish, this all wasn't as cheerful as it seemed. One kid tried to explain to me the significance of the Wolfe Tones performing at UCD, which is in Dublin 4 (one of many sections of Dublin, but I'm sure you could figure that out). Apparently D4 is historically a very British, and thus Protestant, section of Dublin. And the Wolfe Tones, and the traditional songs they were singing, are very Republican and nationalistic. Many of the songs are about, or at least allude to, the IRA and whom they consider heroes of the Irish Republic. And so manyof the the defining events of the Troubles were within the last two or three decades, making it all very fresh. While taking a breathing break outside the pub while the show was still going on, we saw another side to the flag-waving, sing-along enthusiasm inside. A kid we met told us that though he liked one song the band sang, he couldn't stand the IRA nonsense most of it was about. Though for the most part you can't see any sort of divide between the Irish-Irish and the Anglo-Irish (in my so far very limited experience, at least), it is certainly there. Well, this weekend is our homestay in County Galway, where I'm sure we'll experience an entirely new kind of Ireland. I am beyond excited to see the rolling hills, eat lots of home-cooked potatoes, and live with a real live Irish family. Along with all these preconceived notions, I'll be bringing my book of Yeats poetry. Whheeeee!

Ps. Heath Ledger?!?