Travel Diary, by David Abbott - Celtic Reconnection...it was Grand!
 INGRID ABBOTT at her grandparents’ grave at the Shangannagh Cemetery, Shankill, County Wicklow.
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By INGRID ABBOTT
My daughter Ingrid recently traveled to Dublin to reconnect with family and friends. I was curious about her impressions of a modern Ireland as an increasing number of children of immigrant parents develop their own relationship with their Celtic heritage and culture. Here is her travel diary.
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A few minutes after touching down at Dublin Airport, I handed my Canadian passport to the customs officer. Taking a brief look, he said, “You’re Irish....”
I replied, “How do you know that?” “Oh sure, you haven’t lost the accent,” he stamped my passport and said, “Welcome home.”
With 10 days in Dublin ahead of me, I wondered would the Ireland I had known since birth still exist in this post Celtic Tiger society?
Had the temptations of excess and affluence effected the Irish people I loved and revered, and how were they handling this sudden financial free fall?
Since my last visit seven years ago, the government has allowed the country to plunge into the worst financial crisis the country had ever known, and the Catholic Church is reeling from the revelations of the Ryan and Murphy Reports and ongoing sex abuse scandals.
It didn’t take long for me to notice the many examples of a booming economy abruptly halted. Massive office and residential complexes sit empty, the unemployment rate is 14 percent, tourism is way down, and some pubs and retailers are closing shop.
However, there is also evidence of the Euro at work as roads have improved and the new light rail system, the Luas (Irish for speed) is state-of-the-art. Building projects which were planned during the boom are now complete.
Several exciting new venues have recently opened such as the new rugby stadium at Lansdowne Road, an architectural masterpiece in the heart of a residential neighbourhood that sells out for every match.
The recently opened Grand Canal Theatre seating over 2,000 people is booked every night. The European immigrants that flooded into Ireland during the Tiger have mostly left and the smattering of foreign languages and faces is a welcome addition to such a homogenous society.
To my relief, the pub remains a pillar of Irish community. During the day pubs are quiet places for a pint and intimate conversation. As afternoon turns to evening, the atmosphere changes and the craic, music, and pints flow.
Unemployment and salary cuts haven’t curtailed the Irish thirst for Guinness, or enthusiasm for entertainment and eating out.
In a country where 95 percent of the population is Catholic, the Church is under the spotlight like never before. I was told every priest is under suspicion. However, despite this mistrust of clergy, religious traditions and celebrations are in full swing.
Evidence is in the increasingly elaborate first communions as families turn them into bigger and splashier events. Enjoying Sunday lunch with my family at the Howth Yacht Club, I noticed we were one of the few that weren’t celebrating.
The jubilant party next to us looked more like a wedding reception than a communion, with lavish gifts and a pink tiered cake with a marzipan replica of the young girl.
Proof that Ireland still remains a small place, the newspapers were constantly dissecting the sudden death of RTE host Gerry Ryan, a well-loved broadcaster whose passing could be compared to the Pope’s.
It was also no surprise to be able to chat with Bono’s brother in the Hungry Monk Restaurant in Greystones, and a trip to Maeve Binchy’s home for drinks was a low key affair.
Entertaining me in her and husband Gordon’s Dalkey home they both shared their concern for Ireland’s economic future.
But as always, contradictions abound. My girlfriend from Sandyford couldn’t wait to tell me that she planned to return to Orlando again this November, her fourth trip in four years, so she could go shopping over the American Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Ireland is changing and evolving like most European countries who are wrestling with a new economic reality, but core values and passions remain.
I feel extremely lucky to have a deep connection to my country of origin while reaping the benefits of my Canadian life. And, of course, there is the common pastime of complaining about the weather: Irish or Canadian, some things never change.
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[Ingrid Abbott is a freelance writer and broadcaster living on the Sunshine Coast.]
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