Yes, it's that time of the year where i hang my Irish flag in the front door, listen almost exclusively to Irish and Irish inspired music, and count down to the Dropkick Murphys shows.
Driving home from work listening to Damien Rice i was trying to justify to myself the nostalgia i have for my Irish roots. This is my reason for today:
That magical little island has been stormed by countless foreigners (well, you probably could count them all). Celts, Vikings, Spanish, English to name a few. Eventually each of these invaders came to appreciate the Irish way of life and became more Irish, rather than the Irish falling prey to their way of life. Tougher than any army, the Irish character (and partially Irish stubbornness) eventually wins everyone over.
i cannot think of another culture so successful against so many invaders. Our planet is rampant with stories of invaders destroying the culture of the invaded. As European settlers made their way over to the America's they almost successfully destroyed the native cultures. Our current society has very little resemblance to the indigenous people of this continent and the remnants of their culture have been forced onto 'Reservations'. A horrible example of invasion.
In more recent times the Chinese invaded Tibet. A large number of Tibetans, including many of their spiritual leaders, have become refugees in surrounding countries while their culture is slowly being eroded in their homeland. The very selection process for the Lamas is being compromised by the invading government. The future of their culture is uncertain as are hopes of returning to their homeland.
The stories of invasions are easily found in even the most misleading of history text books. In all of this the Irish culture and spirit has held up incredibly well. That is today's reason for the pride i have in my Irish roots. Erin Go Braugh!
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