DETROIT’S “HOLYDAY’ OF OBLIGATION…Tponetom
DETROIT’S “HOLYDAY’ OF OBLIGATION…Tponetom
[[Purple for the Reverential and Green for the Irish.)
I am taking a sabbatical from my “swan song” status, like Lazarus.
March 13, 1010. 1:30 PM. Saturday [[5 days to go.[[
My Detroit association of 81 years, jerks me back to “rememories.”
March 17, to be precise. That date swells, multi folds, the total of Irish celebrants that will flood the streets, bars, restaurants and many other venues in Detroit. The “temporary” Irish will be as welcome to the party as a potato plant or a pregnant mother or Old Bushmill. God bless them, one and all. [[I have never, in all of my life, ate a potato that I did not love. Growing them was a hobby of mine for many years.
I am going to post some previous musings about our Ireland Trip and hope that I can stay within the 10,000 character limitation. I don’t want the bean counters to reprimand me. Here goes:
EPILOGUE
AUTUMN, 1997:
In reviewing all my notes, I realize that I have belabored a few themes and I think I should clarify my attitudes toward those themes.
1. The highways and driving conditions. As much as I seem to harp on those subjects, I don’t believe too much emphasis can be placed on them, especially to people my age. Younger people would not be quite so intimidated. There is one small qualification to my remarks. If I had been aware of the driving conditions or had had some experience on those roads it would have made driving a bit easier.
2. Stone fences and limited vision. If anything I understated the omnipresence of stone fences. For verification, if you get a chance to view the Movie, “Ryan’s Daughter,” there are at least four scenes vividly illustrating stone fences and if you look very closely, you will note that the workmanship is quite outstanding.
3. The misery of Irish history. What can I say? There is no way to minimize it.
I will comment further on this subject .
4. Bed and Breakfast lodgings. Yes, I did carry on a bit. The comfort, the cleanliness, the service and friendship and yes, the minimal cost, all of these qualities comprised the lion’s share of our enjoyment of Ireland. Castles and Cathedrals and other wondrous sites are exciting to behold. However, you are going to spend at least 50 % of each and every day in your lodgings.
5. Lack of Energy, tiredness, weariness? In retrospect, I think I was crying ‘wolf,” because I did not factor in the obvious. That being, that we had made one hell of a journey in 22 days. It took two weeks of being at home to regain our normal perspective. During those two weeks I kept thinking, never again, never again. But that was the fatigue responding. Today, I have no doubts that we could do it again and do it better. There would be no hesitancy or apprehension of the unknown.
Those three weeks evolved as much into an emotional experience as a frivolous tourist experience. Perhaps a few atavistic genes have kicked in and tempered the tourist experience after being confronted with the sad and tormented past of all the homogenous generations that comprises what is known as, the Irish.
This country and by default this nationality has not just survived, it has thrived with a verve peculiar or unique to itself. It seems that adversity is not an obstacle but rather, a honing stone on which to whet their appetite for their fierce pride of nationalism. Small wonder that anyone with a modicum of Irish blood wants to be allied, if only vicariously, with such a dedicated heritage. Funk & Wagnalls definition of verve?:
verve, Excitement of imagination and feeling attending artistic
production; artistic enthusiasm.
Note: I wrote the above two paragraphs on Nov. 1, 1997. I laid them aside until today, Nov. 14. 1997.
Thirteen years ago, Ireland was in an economic “boom” status. And today? Not so good.
Note to GAZHEKWE. Everything that goes around,,,,,,,
