From German to German: A Correction of the "Correction"
It's an older article written on 12th September 2012 as a reply to the charming article by Antje Joel "Ireland? - Forget it!"...
https://www.facebook.com/Corks96fm/posts/458149147550676 (Link to the article: "Ireland? - Forget it" by Antje Joel)
I cannot let Antje Joel's words pass without comment. I am German as well, but I have a very different impression of the 'stereotypical' Ireland to what Joel has written about in her article. After living and studying at the University of Limerick, I can say without hesitation that Ireland and its people are exactly what I’ve dreamt of. So please read my correction of Joel’s 'correction'.
My closest Irish friend Aisling directed me to your article “Ireland? – Forget it!” when I was recently over to visit her. I read the article with great interest; however your opinions on the Irish nation and culture, despite living near amazing Galway, are most upsetting. So my first question to you is: Why are you not moving back to Germany if the Irish 'fairytale life' is too 'wishy washy' for you? Don’t take it personally, but I don't think the Leprechauns, Guinness, Irish legends and traditional Irish music are nonsense. Your article is nothing more than a piece of bollocks. I think it would also be in your interest if I call the Irish people to save their money. Please people of Ireland, don’t waste your valuable toilet paper instead be eco-friendly and use Joel's article. I don’t have my experiences from a guidebook, all things I am going to write down here are those which I have seen with my own eyes, heard with my own ears and experienced with all my other senses. For me it seems that you went with closed eyes and blocked ears through for the whole time you have been living in Ireland.
I have lived in Limerick for about nine months and I completely disagree with your point of view. Firstly, your idea that the Green Isle is more a dirty grey one strengthens my assumption that you only pretend to live in Ireland and that you have never seen those places I have been to. Wake up! Leave your house and breathe the fresh air of Galway’s coast! Poor you - in case you have forgotten how to dream and how to live.
One of my dreams has its roots in a seemingly run of the mill picture. It shows a small hill in a shimmering sea of green. In the middle of the hill there is a little lighthouse. A few steps further and one sees the face of breathtaking cliffs. Only the horizon over the blue ocean blocks my sight of a seemingly unending view and I feel deep feelings of desire, pleasure and bliss that come over me – in a word, all things that are connected with freedom. To stand on this hill just once, to see the sparkle of the sun dance on the ocean and to make this moment last forever; in my opinion this would be a great aim in life; an aim worth fighting for. It was the beautiful landscape of Ireland in this picture – a country that is described in the words of Charles Haughey as one "where strange tales begin and happy endings are possible."
One day I will never forget was the trip with my friends to the Cliffs of Moher. There was the picture again; the picture almost exactly how I had envisaged it. The green of the lush meadows; the blue of the vast ocean; a falling view and the apparent endlessness until you reach the horizon. Only one little detail had changed: my lighthouse was no longer a lighthouse, but rather a beautiful tower. I was able to feel the freedom with all my senses; I was able to see it – it was in front of me; I was able to smell it – it was a sweet smell; I was able to taste the salt on my tongue and the wind gently stroking over my skin and sweeping through my hair. My dream was coming true.
Start dreaming again and see the amazing sights. Go and take a trip to Connemara, Killarney National Park, The Burren, Ring of Kerry, Aran Islands and of course to the Cliffs of Moher. I can promise everyone that these places are the ones your heart has always dreamt of. This is Ireland!
Let me tell you another story. It was the day I took my first step onto Irish ground at Dublin airport last year. The first impressions of a colourful and wide awake Ireland were internalised in my mind, I was brought back down to earth by a voice “Oh mum, you promised me last year that we will fly to New York and now we are in this boring Ireland” a voice with such a crabbing undertone that could only belongs to a young German girl, who had imagined her holiday quite differently. “Luisa, the nature does no harm to you. What do you want in New York? There you can see only skyscrapers and McDonald’s restaurants!”, countered the mother; I couldn’t suppress a smile, because I was sure that this answer would not satisfy her daughter. I got a picture out of my hand bag, which I had stowed in my purse before I started my journey – it was a picture of my long-cherished dream of Ireland; Ireland at its best – Ireland, that couldn’t be more beautiful. I walked towards the family and handed the girl my picture with the words: “This is for you. Don’t you find that the green lush meadows and the blue ocean look magical?”. She smiled at me and quite astonished she asked: “Is this that Ireland?” I was looking down to her and promised: “Ireland is much more than this! Here in Ireland you will find all these beautiful things which you have seen only in your dreams. I had never been to Ireland until I left the airplane that day. How could I make such a [honest, dignified!] promise to a little girl without ever seeing proof of that Ireland with my own eyes? Very simple: How could I have doubts on something I felt to be true? My heart told me and its desire painted the prettiest pictures in my fantasy: blue, green, yellow – endlessness [water], joy of living [lush meadows], warmth [yes, the sun! –also shining in Ireland!]; paired with black [no “black” of the sky!] and white [no “white” of divine sanctimony] – moreover grazing cows as a part of a peaceful panorama and myself right in the middle of it with my red suit case [my eager heart]. The girl felled round her mother’s neck and New York seemed to be forgotten.
Now, after I have seen this picture in reality I am wondering how you missed the chance to catch it. “Forget what you have dreamt up about that blob where it mostly rains”, shame on you for such a statement! If Ireland is not the place to live your dreams then where is it? The USA? – the country with unlimited possibilities? By contrast Ireland (in my opinion) – a country full of fantasy and magic. In the USA you go “from rags to riches”; in Ireland you go “from a dreamer to a designer” – the designer of your own life. Oh right, if money is the only thing what makes you happy – go for it! Germany? – are you serious? Don’t get me wrong. I am proud to be German [I am pretty sure that not many Germans would say this!], but I found my own luck in Ireland, because it was the Irish people that showed me the way to enjoy life and to be happy. The Germans rush through their lives as though there is no tomorrow – that’s an irrefutable fact, not just a stereotype. The Irish on the other hand radiate a natural calm and that’s good for the soul. Everything comes as it comes: in Ireland destiny decides. You don’t look at a timetable to know when the next bus will come. You just have to go to the bus station and wait for the bus; it’s a game you have to leave to chance – may the luck of the Irish be there with you. The Irish people made me realise that it doesn’t matter where you come from but we are all searching for the same thing: happiness. I learned from my Irish friends how to enjoy the little things behind the glamour of todays’ world, to hold on my dreams and to believe in myself.
Well, let’s go further. You say that “the Irish are cuddly alcoholics”. I think it’s true that they love their Guinness and Jameson Whiskey. But I believe I recently saw Germany in third position in the average annual beer consume right behind Czech Republic and Ireland? Are we not proud to celebrate our traditional Oktoberfest every year? Don’t hesitate to correct me if I am wrong. When I was in Ireland for Erasmus I went to three different Octoberfest parties in Limerick. I met an Irish friend of mine at one and the first question he asked me was: “do you own a dirndl?”. It’s just as stereotypical as you thinking all Irish people have a serious problem with alcohol. Maybe they have, maybe not. Maybe I own a dirndl, maybe not! I just remember there was a big firestorm in our German media with the title “died after binge drinking” and “stop flat rate parties” only a few years ago. I think the “happy drinking culture” is not just an Irish problem. I would claim that German teenagers start drinking earlier than those in Ireland. If I look back on my youth I can say for sure that most of my friends, and myself included, came in contact with alcohol for the first time when we were thirteen or fourteen. I don’t think that this applies in the same way for teenagers in Ireland. The most important fact is that Irish children are mummies and daddies personal treasures until they leave the family house for further education or college. So when they finally get the chance to smell freedom they naturally go a bit crazy. This happens usually about sixteen or seventeen.
And does it really make a big difference when you buy a T-shirt in an Irish souvenir shop with the saying “save water, drink Guinness” or a German version like “I hob Durscht!“ (means, I want to get drunk) in a shop in Munich? I don’t think so. I think – now, that we are discussing stereotypes - that is a typical German matter. We take everything – and mostly ourselves – too seriously and that’s the reason why we get mad when the train is only five minutes late or refuse to be proud of our nation just in case someone could think we are proud of what Hitler did in the past. This is the point. So, you think the Irish nation is full of lazy alcoholics, childish story tellers and lucky leprechauns. Am I right? So I think you must be one of the square Germans who elected – of course wearing a dirndl on the way to the voting booth - for traditional reasons the Christian Democrats every year, having lunch at 12 o’ clock every day and since you lived in Ireland; praying on Sunday’s in an Irish catholic church and hope that the Irish nation will think about their attitude towards life? You should think about what you have written about a foreign culture who gave you an opportunity and certainly not the worst conditions to work and live in. I suppose, otherwise you would have turned your back to Ireland immediately (but you did not do so!).
You also mentioned the breathtaking moment of the European Championship when the Irish soccer fans sang “The Fields of Athenry”. I followed this moment with Aisling when she was over in Germany to visit me. This is exactly what I want to highlight: they are proud to be Irish, proud to have such a unique culture and they really go for it! It doesn’t matter if they are winning or losing a match. To be involved in something that makes them belong together is all that matters. To stand up and sing this traditional song makes them feel like a nation! Therefore they have my greatest respect, because this is what I miss most when I look at my roots. The Irish sense of community is rooted in the long and turbulent history of the country. And where is the German sense of community? Oh right, thank god we have some hot soccer players who are meant to be brilliant and we are allowed to show patriotism in public during the European or World Championship. It’s true that our country has a tough past but should this not be a reason to stick together as the Irish do? So I am asking you, do we Germans still have a culture as we had maybe many years ago when Goethe, Schiller or Kant had an influence to arts and science all over the world? I am pretty sure you will change German people’s mind with your charming articles and bring us finally together as a nation. Thanks a million for that!
Now I am coming to the greatest piece of rubbish that you have produced in your “insider report”. For fuck sake! The “pretended friendliness” of Irish people is just not true. I have honestly no idea which Ireland you have moved to, but definitely not to the one I have been to. Furthermore, I have no idea with which locals you appear to have frequented with. I am sorry but now I am getting to a point in your article of which I am deeply opposed. “What about the much praised friendliness of the Irish? This worldwide known Irish welcome towards strangers? Have you forgotten that Ireland is a (mostly grey) island? Far, very far out in the Atlantic. Isolated from the rest of the world.”, don’t you think it’s a kind of weird to justify unfriendliness with a totally unrelated and illogical argument like yours? Oh dear, I hope your article was only a desperate attempt to get attention.
I had a totally different experience when I spoke to locals and introduced myself as a German student. Let me tell you another short story that happened just the other day when I went with my friend and her father to the All Ireland Semi-Final “Dublin vs. Mayo”. I was back in Ireland for the graduation ceremony in Limerick and to visit Aisling. The match was the high point before I left for Berlin again. I can hardly find words to describe the overwhelming kindness of Irish people. Aisling, her father, a friend of her father and me went to Dublin by bus from Galway early in the morning. We both were dressed in red and green colours, the colours of Mayo, each with a jersey and scarf and most importantly armed with the chant “Come on, Mayo!” I have never seen a real Gaelic football match before but I was so glad that my friend made this possible. However, while we were walking through the streets of Dublin people shouted from every corner “Good luck, Mayo!” with a big smile in their faces. I felt really Irish and as Aisling said, I am not really German anymore; furthermore I should change the nationality on my identity card to “Mayo-German”. Well done, Lisa. The first rule on a special day like this one is to start with a rich physical preparation; I am talking about Irish breakfast. Secondly, join the pre-celebrations in a Pub with some pints of Guinness. Thirdly, learn - as a German girl – to accept that you are the guest of the Irish for the whole day and a “no thanks” is not acceptable at all. I was taken care of by complete strangers just because I was Aisling’s German friend! Unbelievable, I am very sure this would never happen to an Irish person in Germany. Immediately after the glorious victory from the Mayo team we went back to the same pub. Some people I have never met before hugged me or gave me their hands to say “Well done, Mayo. Congrats!” Some friends of my friends’ father offered me to stay with them instead of sleeping in the airport (just to remind you, we didn’t know each other before the match). The only reason why I did not was because I needed to collect my suitcases before 8pm. Finally we left the pub to collect my stuff and afterwards we went straight to the bus station. Welcome to Ireland, there was no bus running to the airport in the next 20 minutes or maybe the next hour – who knows? The friend of my friend’s dad hired a taxi for me, Aisling’s dad invited me to spend Christmas with their family and then we said goodbye to each other. Well, I think the Irish are truly not friendly at all! How dare you!
Ok, let’s have a look at another interesting point you have mentioned. So you would describe – I am a bit provocative - the Irish as the “new Nazis”? What the hell are you talking about? Your story about the “foreigner bastard” and “Russian fuckers” could have happened everywhere in the world and I am very sure that this happens every day everywhere in the world! Just change the setting: Berlin, Neukoelln; three Turkish guys threaten a German guy with the words: “Nasty German Nazi, feck off! This is our school. Heil Hitler!”. This also happens in my home country: Germans are discriminated by foreigners in the same way as some Germans discriminate the foreigners. The result is: Germany is a swimming pool full of extremists. Is it really? Nobody would notice that a German guy was the victim of foreigners, because it’s not politically correct. Ha, what do you think? Would you agree? Would you identify yourself with the image of a discriminator? Discrimination is sadly a part of human history, that sadly, we all are a part. Personally I was never discriminated in Ireland. Especially UL supports international students with hundreds of possibilities to participate in Irish life. Irish and foreign students do not only coexist but build a cultural community, each benefiting from the other. They party together, travel together, study together, have lunch together, work out together, demonstrate together, and raise their voices for social or political matters together…to be continued! This is the life at UL! And this college life differs greatly from the one at my home university. If you would ask a German student at Chemnitz University of Technology: “Have you already talked to an International student today?” He would probably reply: “International students? Here? I haven’t seen one yet.” Sad but true. UL instead is a big multi-cultural playground where you must not be ashamed of who you are or who you want to be. In conclusion my experience is that it doesn’t matter where you come from; the Irish people provide a warm welcome for everyone.
Alright, now, we need to discuss the “queer music”. Or firstly your “hate letter” in which you try to express how lonely you are and that you really need the help of the lovely Irish people to escape? Yes, that’s hard on my eyes. And if I read long enough, it will also be hard on the brain. I can’t understand how people can be happy with such a pessimistic way of seeing the world. I don’t believe you are happy. Why can’t you accept that there are people out there who might enjoy “Diddelidi fiddly dee music”? It’s a cultural thing again, but this word appears to be absent from your vocabulary. I’ve been to many live traditional Irish music sessions. I was always fascinated how talented they are and with how much passion they perform. Irish music is not only “fiddelididi” anymore. Modern Irish music is powerful, infectious and addicting! For example Hermitage Green played every second Tuesday in the Scholars at UL; for me and my friends it was a ritual to get together on those nights. Those guys are awesome! They combine traditional songs and instruments with modern rhythms in their own way and that gets into your legs! I also went with some German friends of mine to a concert of The High Kings last year before Christmas. It was a great atmosphere in the UL concert hall when everyone started to sing to songs like “Whiskey in the Jar” or “Rocky Road to Dublin”. Everyone knows those songs. Everyone knows those as Irish ones. Those songs stand for “identity”; they make the Irish feel Irish! Well, do you think that we Germans do connect “identity” with our “traditional musicians” like Wildecker Herzbuben and their “Schatzilein-blabla”? I think you know very well what I mean. I would always prefer the “Psycho-Diddleidi” option to the “I-want-to-vomit-right-now-because-I-miss-you-so-much-Schatzileinlein” - the last one makes me feel sick before the party has even started.
It is a long way from Chemnitz to Limerick, but it is far easier to overcome this obstacle than it is to understand your article. Maybe Ireland will always be the country of the dreamer. Maybe the Irish will always be romantics. Maybe they will die with Guinness in their blood and a Leprechaun under their pillow. Maybe they will be always happier than you? Delete the last “maybe”! They have a heart. They have an identity. They are a nation. And what have you? And what are you? Look in the mirror and ask yourself: “Who am I?” – “a pessimistic German journalist who has time to complain about other people's lives rather to be happy with my own one”, might be your answer.
It is true that Ireland’s economy is bad at the moment. It’s also true that many people are not happy with the welfare system; health care is a particularly sore spot. I think those are issues which are discussed thousands of times in the media and on the streets. Nevertheless they need to be discussed but you didn’t discuss anything – you only raged against a culture which gives you a place to live!
People of Ireland, thank you for making ME and many others happy!
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