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I’ve always introduced the Irish language to people through sean-nós, as that was what sold it for me. But this whole speech is very elegant.

As a foreign student, it’s incredibly tempting.

I’ve always loved Irish music, which led me down a rabbit hole with Irish history. I’ve done reading on the famine, post famine, and pre-civil war Ireland. I’ve spent a lot of time reading on the north too.

The last topic there got me interested in the Irish language. Tá mé ag foghlaim anois, ach tá Gaeilge crua. Tá go leor oibre. That’s all sort of cascaded, and I really want to study near a Gaeltacht. I dread engineering degrees, and business degrees. History has always been fascinating, but as a degree, it doesn’t give you that many options.

I get the impression that I can do a lot with an anthropology degree. I like the courses, and the context that it’s taught in. Would you recommend it?

I know Kneecap’s local is meant to be An Teach Beag, and dwelling in pubs is a fair amount of their lyrics, but there’s no way they can go in there anymore right? Supposedly they go in there when they aren’t on tour, but I struggle to believe that. Someone mentioned that the bartender at the teach casually mentioned that the go in there off tour, but the cynic in me thinks that it’s got to be a marketing ploy.

I figured they’d get swarmed instantly. Is that just not how Belfast works?

It’s looking more and more likely that I’ll be going to UCC next year. Right now, there’s nothing that makes it unlikely that I’d be accepted. I’m really interested in the Anthropology degree, for a multitude of reasons. Please DM me if you’ve any experience there.

But I have a few questions.

1. I’m interested in Irish language opportunities outside of the curriculum, ie. stuff within the area unaffiliated with the university. I don’t want to ruin my interest in the language by making it a grade. The Gaeltacht is quite close, and I’m tempted to find a quieter town between the two.

I’m shit at both Irish and singing, but I’m still very enthralled by sean-nós. I’m less shit with instruments, except Irish musicians are absolutely on something, and I’ll never match them. Pubs that have good, non-touristy sean-nós are a must for me. Whether they be in Cork or not, I’m after suggestions. I know to watch for Comhaltas stuff and pop-up Gaeltachts, but more specific pubs and groups would be grand.

2. I’m also interested in other Irish music. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t deeply into republican music. I’d expect Cork, out of all of the 26, to have the best pubs for that sort of thing. I’m very into other trad too, and relevant suggestions would be appreciated.

3. Singing is a skill that I really want to hone. I’m not tone deaf, but I definitely struggle. If anyone has suggestions there, I’d be grateful. Dunno how I’d do in a choir, but I’m not opposed to the idea.

4. God knows. Some guy didn’t like the number three, so I’ve had to add a fourth bullet point.

My perception of this area is that Dingle will sweep for both sean-nós and trad, but it’s a bit out of the way. If I’m wrong here, I’d be thrilled.

Go raibh maith agaibh!

Edit: ahh maybe, this doesn’t look that fun to drive in. The thunder is incredible though. Sheesh! I’ve never heard lightning this close. Rattling stuff.

Overreaction?

He does a fair job blending facts with framing, and his argument, at least a fifth of the way through the book, is very compelling.

The analysis of the JFK “affair” was interesting. O’Toole proposed that Kennedy showed what an Irishman could have been had they left their homeland, and that while Kennedy romanticized the Emerald Isle vision, Ireland really wanted modernization. Kennedy still seemed to view the Irish as a “peasant people.” Many felt he was rubbing in the fact that his life, and the lives of their family members, were so much better in the states while they were still losing. And it was a reminder of their painful history, presented to them with a toothy smile and rosy cheeks.

And at the end of the day, Kennedy hoped that America could profit from the Irish. For all of his smiles and goodwill, he was the president of the US. His motives were economic and political above everything else. Of course, this wasn’t exactly problematic. After all, it wasn’t the British this time, so it would surely be better. (O’Toole makes this argument)

That’s not to mention America’s continuing position as an imperialist power. But his charisma pitted against his conflicting vision of the island had everyone in a knot.

“All of these complexities and anxieties were beautifully simplified for us five months later in Dallas. The grief of Kennedy's assassination was profound, but it also brought relief. Grief was the emotion we could best handle. Martyrdom was familiar. My grandfather put a picture of JFK on the wall of his bedroom, next to one of Pope John XXIII, who had also died that year. The ground was firm again. 'Our consolation', de Valera told the nation in an address after the murder, 'is that he died in a noble cause, a formulation that made no sense but that linked him to Ireland's patriot dead.’”

And this is just one chapter. Each chapter presents an overview of a different experienced by Ireland in the 1960s. It’s genuinely incredibly fascinating.