Ireland, a masterpiece
The Ireland I now inhabit is one that these Irish contemporaries have helped to imagine. (Seamus Heaney) Ireland is where strange tales begin and happy endings are possible. (Charles Haughey)
Famine
Ever since Dublin became my hometown, the Irish Famine sculptures by artist Rowan Gillespie on Custom House Quay haunt me. The statues are ‘walking’ on towards emigration ships like the Jeannie Johnston and they describe so well the hunger Irish people went through during the Great Famine, called Gorta Mór in Irish (Great Hunger), between 1845 and 1852, caused by blight. There were, however, two other famine periods in Ireland: the Irish Famine from 1740 to 1741 called Bliain an Áir, meaning the Year of Slaughter. Another one was in 1879, called An Gorta Beag, meaning the ‘mini-famine’. The Act of Union caused Ireland to be governed directly by the United Kingdom, which meant that Ireland had been prohibited living the life they were so used to, leading to “a starving population, an…
Back to Ireland
So many things represent us, shows our character, our inner feelings, our life. I chose this picture because the world through my eyes is always moving. Forward most of all, sometimes backwards. My world however also consists of simple, pure stillness. But even when the world is spinning quietly, stillness is waiting to explode into forward motion or motion is waiting to return to sheer tranquility. Living in Ireland for over ten years now, my world has become one of airports, packing bags and looking forward to step onto that Aer Lingus plane once again. My love for movement is therefore always represented by airplanes, and nothing excites me more than taking off and landing. Flying to and from Ireland is a joy that cannot be replaced. WordPress Weekly Photo…
Ireland, 75 shades of green
Escape
© Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me, 2011-2013. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner are strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.