I mentioned here that Sigur Rós had provided the soundtrack to the trip up North. Their new album, full of dramatic, orchestral soundscapes, was perfect for the moody mountains of Western Ireland, for the sunshine on the Manx hills against the dark, thundery clouds, and as an antidote to the frankly ridiculously busy London streets.
And the latest release, Andrá, is among my favourite tracks on there. But this is more than just a music post, and that is more than a music video.
“I wished to show how Sigur Rós is the soundtrack of our lives through happiness, pain, hope, grief, and love. The short documentary, Andrá, celebrates the way in which Sigur Rós captures and channels the humanity that unites us all.” —Katya Gimro
Brilliantly, the official video is a mini-documentary of the song fitting into people’s live, by tapping into and reflecting whatever emotions they may currently be feeling. I know that you don’t have 10 minutes to spare, but if you do, use them here. And if you only have 5, then start here and just watch.
And there is so much joy and sadness in this one song, you can absolutely see how it can – like a wily mind-reader – find the right answers no matter the subject. The people above are hearing the song for the first time, and their differing reactions are amazing.
Ireland is known the world over for being one of the most welcoming places in existence and regularly tops the list of the most friendly countries. The Irish themselves are considered unique in their ability to find fun no matter how bleak the occasion may appear to be.
The modern interpretation of the popular phrase, “the luck of the Irish”, suggests that the Irish are blessed with a particular kind of luck from birth. However, following some research, we can see that the meaning of this phrase has transitioned through time. So, let’s take a closer look at where this popular phrase originates from as well as what it has come to represent…
The Origin
Ironically, Ireland is not a country with a history that could be described as lucky. As a result of the Great Famine – or the Irish Potato Famine as it is often referred to outside of Ireland – more than 1.5 million adults and children left Ireland to seek refuge in America. Upon arrival to the East Coast, the Irish were not treated to the friendliest of welcomes, with many establishments refusing to hire those native to the Emerald Isle.
For those who were able to make the harrowing trip to California – either by getting back on a ship in order to sail around the tip of South America, potentially stopping in Panama before hiking through the jungle, or journeying across the entire transcontinental America – there was the possibility of a job in a gold mine at the other side.
It is clear that those able to complete this challenging trip would have incredible will power and an intense drive to succeed at any cost. This work ethic proved to be the catalyst for the phrase, due to the fact that the harder you try when digging and panning for gold, the more likely you are to find it.
The arrival of large numbers of hard working Irish, coinciding with the California Gold Rush, led to their success being put down to “the luck of the Irish”. However, this was not a term of admiration, but rather an insult, meaning that it could only be down to luck and not brains that the Irish were finding so much gold.
Global Contribution
Despite how the term originated, the global reputation the Irish have earned in the years since has led to the term becoming a playful tribute to their success.
This reputation is best illustrated by the fact that Ireland was considered the best country in the world in terms of contributions to humanity and the planet in 2014.
A Thriving Culture
One of Ireland’s greatest contributions comes in the form of culture, with some of the world’s best writers, architects, musicians and athletes calling Ireland their home.
Ireland’s connection to sport is one the shining lights on the island, with it having an impact on the daily lives of locals up and down the land. It is perhaps the sport of horse racing for which Ireland is most famous in the global context, and it is where many hope this Irish luck comes into play. Horse Racing has always been a sport with a connection to betting and Ireland’s relationship with gambling has spread from horse racing to almost every other sport and game.
The rise of the internet and the transition of the once separate world into a global village now means that anyone from anywhere can embrace this phrase, so whether you are picking a winning horse, attempting to climb a mountain in Asia or trying your Irish Luck in South Africa, remember the origin of the phrase, and you will remember that anything is possible.
Good people unearth these evil truths, but the church always survives.
This astonishing column by Emer O’Toole in the Guardian raises far more questions than it gives answers, but – perhaps even more so because of that fact – it’s well worth a read.
For those of you unfamiliar with how, until the 1990s, Ireland dealt with unmarried mothers and their children, here it is: the women were incarcerated in state-funded, church-run institutions called mother and baby homes or Magdalene asylums, where they worked to atone for their sins. Their children were taken from them.
The power that Catholicism held (holds?) over the Irish people and Government is evident from the horrific atrocities that the church was able to get away with in Ireland for so long.
Ireland knows all this. We know about the abuse women and children suffered at the hands of the clergy, abuse funded by a theocratic Irish state. What we didn’t know is that they threw dead children into unmarked mass graves. But we’re inured to these revelations by now.
When I saw the headlines about the mass grave, I was intrigued, but I figured it must be a Stone Age or Medieval thing. When I discovered that some of these children died as recently as 1961, I was incredulous. The story is horrendous, yet makes for compelling reading.
The situation screams out for answers and demands explanations, but given the lack of visible public outrage and the Catholic church’s apathetic response to the discovery of 796 children’s bodies in a mass grave within disused septic tank, perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems that nothing has changed.
