Ireland
June 2022
On a misty morning on the Dingle Peninsula, we piled into a small van with a local archaeologist for an exploration into the past. Earlier, as I enjoyed a warm and delicious Irish breakfast, I decided to challenge myself to keep the attitude I had observed in Ireland, and of the Irish people top-of-mind on our excursion.
A few of the traits of this attitude are; a willingness to meet, talk and share stories with new acquaintances, a keen sense of humor, a matter-of-fact engagement with imagination and wonder, an ease of laughter, and high esteem for a good time! We had the pleasure of meeting a few dozen folks at this juncture of our travels!
Off we traveled into the day with adults and children from various countries to explore the ancient sites. The sites we visited dated from the 4th- 12th century AD. Our small group of enthusiastic explorers visited and learned the meaning of ancient stone remains of long ago, early ecclesiastical sites, holy wells, neolithic rock art, stone circles, ringforts with souterrains (underground passages), clochán or beehive huts, a medieval church- Kilmaldedar, in Gaelic which is quite beautiful this would be written as Cill Maoilchéadair.
Our brief visit left us hungry for more knowledge and understanding of the history. Though it was a drop in the bucket of history, we read voraciously prior to departure, and learned more along the way. A current book entitled, “We Don’t Know Ourselves- A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958,” by Fintan O’toole was an excellent companion during our travels to consider recent Irish history.
The resilience of a collective group of people is a concept that continually entered my mind in Ireland. Pondering the psychological consequences of cultural conflict with cultural identity was rich territory for me throughout our trip. Knowing that the roots of the light and shadow sides of societal trends have origins in the cultural conditions throughout time, I found it inspiring to imagine into the evolution of culture here.
Stepping with my own two feet onto the ground in Ireland offered me a chance to deepen my felt understanding of the influence of the land on the Irish people. Influences now known through ways of living, values, beliefs and expression through poetry, story, and music.
The creation of meaning through the joys and the miseries of life reminded me of a favorite book entitled, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Victor Frankl. Frankl outlines three pathways that human beings create meaning and these are; by creating a work or a deed, by encountering someone or experiencing something – by love, and lastly, by facing a fate one cannot change and creating change in oneself. This third pathway is vividly present in Ireland and in many cultures… as individual and collective responses to suffering manifest in beauty- beauty seeded and nurtured from the mud and grit of life.
It has been stated that an Irish sensibility values hardship and sees hardship to be integral to the development of character. At a core level of my being a exhaled a sigh of relief, ahhhhh, a validation and an active valuing of an aspect of existence, of what we do quite naturally, suffer. Yes, we have joy, and yes, we suffer.
I observed a comfort in staying in the now of the moment with many of the Irish people we met. Is this a way to seize the opportunity of a story or a delightful meeting? Taking a certain risk in being fully present perhaps? Often, I sensed a vital attitude of embracing the sumptuous now- be it with a Guinness, a shared joke, or a sacred prayer. The three favorite Irish sayings for me are:
A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures.
May the leprechauns dance over your bed and bring you sweet dreams.
May you only grow old in the face. Be treasured and cared for with grace.
—-
John O’Donohue From the book- To Bless the Space Between Us
To Come Home to Yourself
May all that is unforgiven in you Be released.
May your fears yield Their deepest tranquilities.
May all that is unlived in you Blossom into a future Graced with love.
—-
John O’Donohue From the book- To Bless the Space Between Us
At The End of the Year
The particular mind of the ocean Filling the coastline’s longing With such brief harvest Of elegant, vanishing waves It is like the mind of time Opening us shapes of days.
As this year draws to its end, We give thanks for the gifts it brought And how they became inlaid within Where neither time nor tide can touch them.
The days when the veil lifted And the soul could see delight; When a quiver caressed the heart In the sheer exuberance of being here.
Surprises that came awake In forgotten corners of old fields Where expectation seemed to have quenched.
The slow, brooding times When all was awkward And the wave in the mind Pierced every sore with salt.
The darkened days that stopped The confidence of the dawn.
Days when beloved faces shown brighter With light from beyond themselves; And from the granite of some secret sorrow A stream of buried tears loosened.
We bless this year for all we learned, For all we loved and lost And for the quiet way it brought us Nearer to our invisible destination.
