The Emerald Isle

Another place I would like to go is Ireland. I have always been interested in British history, and I feel that Irish goes right along with British. Reading James Joyce this year was of course a major factor in my decision. The Dubliners is a group of short stories with similar themes and motifs, but with different story lines and characters. Apparently you can take official tours of Dublin visiting places that Joyce frequented. My English teacher this past year discredited these and said how wasteful it was to pay someone when you could just follow the stories. Joyce had a photographic memory and was strikingly accurate in his descriptions despite the fact that he left his own, “ dear, dirty, Dublin” before even writing many of his stories.

He also includes various references to Catholicism and Protestantism. Joyce was raised a Catholic, but soon left behind this religion. He however never forgot where he came from. He in fact attended a Jesuit boarding school until his father could no longer afford to send him to school there. Dublin would therefore be a very exciting place to visit. It has had incredible success in generating a fantastic economy. The Celtic Tiger is a reference to Ireland's remarkable shift. I would also like to visit Belfast in Northern Ireland. The tension in the area has now taken a backseat to the tension in the Middle East, but for a time it was in the forefront of the world media. The religious tension seems incredible. I would like to see the political murals painted by people with such strong beliefs.

I also read William Butler Yeats' poetry this year. He had a different background from Joyce as he was raised as a Protestant. He however, similarly gave up his Christian faith. He spent much of his life searching for something that he truly believed in.