Irish Lit is Lit

Coming to Ireland, I only knew the island for its drinking of Guinness and stories of deception and tales of the supernatural. Recently I adventured on the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl by accompanying three professional actors as they performed renditions of some of Ireland’s famous writers like James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan, Oscar Wilde, and many others.

This insightful tour gave me knowledge of past writer’s ideals through the portrayal of their famous works. I now can see the Irish for more than just the drinking I once believed was their talent. The voice and passion of the Irish now stand out most. Having both the intelligence and the charisma to produce such beautiful literature truly opened a different perspective to me.

Two actors performing "Waiting for Godot" at Dukes Pub

If the stories about the writers were not engaging enough for some, there was an added incentive to paying attention along the tour. When the pub crawl started at the Duke Pub in Dublin, the actors announced there would be a trivia challenge at the very end with two potential prizes to those who could answer the most correct answers about both the writers and their literary movements. Anyone with a competitive mindset was truly engaged after this point. After proclaiming the challenge, one actor then broke out into a famous interactive Irish song “Waxie’s Dargle.”

True Irish actor playing an Irish song in Dublin

The pub crawl then proceeds to tell more tales and famous songs of Irish history, most of which I was hearing for the first time. The most notable lectures tome where those by Oscar Wilde while we strolled through Trinity College. What we heard of his work through adversity was pervasive in a positive manor. His influence to me can be seen as having a voice and standing out even when others may not want to hear it. Wilde definitely had an impact of future writers.

The tour continued to go through M.J. O’Neill, then to The Old Stand, and finally concluding to Davy Byrnes. It was outside of this last pub where everyone regurgitated their brief trivial knowledge. Our class at IUSB worked semi-collectively to take one of the two prizes showing our commitment to excellence. Overall in regards to the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, I would definitely recommend everyone to indulge on this tour to not only see the city from an insider’s view, but to gain some knowledge on the people who helped shape literature in Ireland and made an impact on the city for the better. The tour has also received brilliant reviews! 

Pictured is myself, actor (I believe Finn was his name), my classmate David, and the other two awesome actors!

Special thanks to the three gentlemen actors that led our tour (whose names now escape me)…

Expectations of Ireland

It became apparent to me after the first class that, outside association with Guinness and Notre Dame, I did not have a clear expectation or impression of Irish culture. To be honest I had always taken these sources of Irish culture to be noting more than a part of their branding, so I had not related impressions of them back to the culture itself. For example, most of Notre Dame's impact on my life has revolved around their football games (American football). American football is not something I think of as being Irish, so once again the Irish ties seemed to be more of rallying cry for school spirit instead of a direct connection to Ireland itself.

Though we are only at the end of our third week in the class my expectations have already changed. From the stories and documents we have read from Ireland their culture seems to place considerable value in storytelling (this is something I was grateful to hear). At this moment I am most excited to see how prominent storytelling still is as part of their culture, specifically in the areas of film making and books. On the topic of storytelling I am curious to hear from others if they prefer films or books? Personally I feel that each form has its own benefits depending on the story, but overall I do prefer film.

Legend of Knockmany

What does it mean to be Irish?

On the first day of this class, " 'Everybody's Irish': Uncovering Plastic Paddys and 'Real' Irishmen", we looked at these two pictures and easily determined which was the "Plastic Paddy":

Plastic Paddy

Real Irishman

The green beer definitely gives the fake Irishman away! But, of course, truthfully the other picture is only one of many examples of a real Irishman--a concept that has changed over the years and differs by age, gender, part of Ireland, and many other factors.

For both the Irish and outsiders like us (as Americans), what it means to be Irish is influenced by media, history, literature, and personal experiences, and may never have an exact definition.

Yet we can begin to explore this idea through seeing what characteristics are commonly ascribed to the Irish (wit, deceit, hospitality/friendliness, loyalty, etc.), comparing them in insider and outsider accounts, and finding out how our own opinions and experiences also contribute to our understanding of modern Irish identity.

My thoughts have certainly evolved as I began growing up on Irish music and fairytales to seeing Ireland as a tourist after high school, then as a study abroad student from Notre Dame--home of the Fighting Irish, then living there for 5 years while completing my PhD at UCD, and finally visiting many times over the years after marrying a Leitrim man with 8 brothers and sisters.

As I help lead this inaugural IU South Bend study abroad trip to Dublin and Derry in just a few weeks, I look forward to hearing all about your first impressions of the Irish and seeing how they change as we read more about Ireland and see it up close. I'll be sharing my reflections along the way too, but this will mostly be a student space for sharing your thoughts about Ireland and the Irish.

With this in mind, let's get the conversation started--in a comment quickly explain what you're most looking forward to seeing/doing in Ireland and what you're thinking about doing on your free days. Feel free to ask any trip related questions here too.

Here's to a great trip...Slainte!