Monthly Archives: June 2017

Howth

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Today started off great with a delicious breakfast and a short and spiced class. Our readings were a W.B Yeats poetry selection. We discussed the various and complex imagery he used to describe the war and the people involved in Easter,1916. I decided to read Easter,1916 because Yeats spent part of his life in Howth and that is where we spent the day.

The flora and fauna in Howth were spectacular. Diana, Chelsea, and I saw many birds diving for fish. One bird let out a screech of joy when it finally caught a fish after several unsuccessful attempts.

Howth was absolutely astonishing. Never have I hiked on a mountain side/ cliff adjacent to the ocean. While I was up there I though about the cliffs by the ocean at my grandfather’s house in Jamaica. They are not as high up as the ones in Ireland. Sometimes it is very surreal to think about how similar the two islands are even though they are an ocean apart. When I was up there I felt very connected, almost as if I had been there before. This for me shows that place is very complex and not something that can be easily decerned. How can I feel so connected to a place I have never been to? As soon as I saw the cliffs, rocks, ocean stretching for miles and felt the breeze I immediately thought of home. This showed me that there’s is an in between place where one can make a new and unfamiliar place their home because it reminds them of their actual home.

 

Cliff Walks

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I visited what I would consider the perfect “post card moment”. Upon visiting Howth, I had no idea what to expect, I was aware of the fact that I would be hiking, and site seeing, but I had no idea I would see a place this beautiful. The air is so crisp and clean, even with the winds whipping at my face, I was able to breathe in the freshest air. The path, at parts, had been narrow and rocky, which made me feel like I was on an adventure. I loved being able to look down and see the white foamy ocean peaks break along the cost line of the cliffs. The seagulls nested on the the steep sides of the cliffs, and dive bombed into the ocean below. It was a scene like something I would see on Planted Earth on Animal Planet.  This view of the Atlantic Ocean will be permanently engrained into my memory.

Howth is also where W.B Yeats lived when he was younger. Which I also thought was pretty cool and I found that out when I arrived. I also delivered my “reading in place” assignment. It was very significant to me because not only is Howth Harbor beautiful, it also reminded me of Massachusetts Bay. My grandfather used to take me and my younger brother on boating trips to seal watch and just to sail around. The main reason for choosing my poem on immigrants setting sail to leave their home land behind was because part of my mothers family sailed to America on the Mayflower, and both sides of my fathers family sailed to America in chains. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for my ancestors leaving their homelands to journey to a new one, which was described perfectly. in my opinion, in the reading I did today.

The Walls that Changed Irish History

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Today we visit Kilmainham Gaol. It was an awesome experience giving the fact that this place holds major historical significance. When we first arrived we headed towards the museum. My favorite part of course was the second floor , which is the History and Politics section. I was very impressed by the comprehensive collection of legal documents, news papers, letters, and relics found in this section. Kilmainham Goal was established in 1796 and served as prison until 1924. We had the opportunity to go in the tour visit the cells where woman,children, and man served their sentence. We learned that the youngest prisoner was only five years old, and that many of the prisoners were arrested by minor transgressions such as: begging in the streets, or stealing food. During this period of time people were living in extremely poverty , and had no choice, but to relied in these means to survived.  One of the biggest remarks of the tour was  seeing the cells where the leaders of  the Eastern Rising were placed, which are located in the picture above. 14 out of 16 of them spent their last days in here. We are able to visit the place where they, and many other people were executed.

Even thought a week ago I had not previous connection to this place, I felt a little emotional when the the tour guide said:

“What happened between these walls changed the course of Irish History”  (Referring to the walls where the executions took place).

I think that the fact that we have study a little bit of Irish history, and our exposure to the culture & and to this place (Dublin) created that empathy I felt at that moment. These were men who must have love their homeland so deeply that they sacrificed their lives to set it free.

 

Kilmainham Jail

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Today we visited the Kilmainham Jail. I have had never experienced something so eerie before. Especially, since we were right on the grounds of the jail and not in a replica of it I could feel more of a connection to the tragic events.

When I was in middle school I visited the Holocaust museum in Washington DC and thought I was extremely informative and heart wrenching there was still a detachment because it was not in Germany. We were viewing items from the Holocaust preserved in cases from Germany. In this tour, we saw and stood in the very place where hundreds of people died and were killed. Walking through those hallways and belong able to stand in those jail cells in tandem with seeing personal items that belonged to the inmates made such a huge impact on me.

This experience also made me think of the Francis Bacon exhibit and how that was moved from England to Dublin. In the case of the Holocaust museum, the sense of place and belong information was removed once it was removed from Germany. The impact is not lost but there is still a sense of detachment. But in the case of Francis Bacon, a sense of place was restored by moving the studio to Francis Bacon’s home.

Overall, I really enjoyed the tour and appreciated all that I learned. I learned that the owners of the Irish famine were caused by the absentee landowners sending away all the food.

Spending The Day In Jail

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(caption on the photo)

“If the prison does not underbid the slum in human misery, the slum will empty and the prison will fill.”- George Bernard Shaw

Walking through the dark, eerie, and damp cell halls of the Kilmainham Jail was so unreal. I could almost see the pain seeping through the walls. Today we took a tour through the Kilmainham Gaol and Museum. The jail itself was built in 1796, which is over 200 years old. Over the course of it being open, (it closed in 1924) around 12,000 people have been inmates, and at least 250 have been executed. During the time of the Great Famine, people were actually trying to get put in this jail just so they could be fed.

It was so unreal for me to be able to actually see the cells of the men who where significant in the 1916 Rising. Specifically James Connolly. I couldn’t believe that I was actually looking at the spot where he was executed- sitting, tied down to a chair and blind folded.

I also was amazed when finding out that women and children had also been inmates, some of the children had even been executed simply for committing theft. The youngest inmate was a 5-year-old boy. These facts made me feel deeply saddened.It was even more depressing for me when I realized that back in America their are still police that participate in public executions, or rather killings of innocent civilians public execution style.

I really connected to this place because it is the original but refurbished jailhouse. I was able to look into those damp, dark and locked jail cells. I was able to walk down the oldest part of the jail- the west wing. Personally, I hold on to historical events when I am actually able to see, feel and be apart of it. I got to experience that today as I walked through the halls of Kilmainham Gaol.

When a place smacks you in the face.

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We’ve seen this location in Michael Collins, and we have seen many like it in countless other films, related to and not related to war. Because of this exposure and access to images of imprisonment, it can be argued that we have become desensitized to its effects. However, Kilmainham Goal’s history lingers. Our tour guide mentioned that disease and dampness sunk into the limestone walls of the cells, and I’d argue so did the place’s memories.

Shamefully, throughout the tour, I was distracted by the adorable, large-headed baby being carried by a couple who joined us. But, my distraction was still pointed towards our topic: imagine a child just a few years older than he being caged into these cells? being whipped by guards?

For obvious reasons, the place was painful to experience. It was jarring to peak into the holes for the cells, like the one pictured in this photo. Popular culture and representations of prisons caused me to anticipate something spooky to appear in the hole, while another part of me didn’t require spectacle to become uncomfortable with the space; the history we have been submerged in for the past week is sufficient enough to imagine what the walls of the cells contained and the importance of these bodies. Most of the tour guides have spoke of the “16 lives” highly, and boasted about the honor and bravery of the men and women who offered themselves and their children for the cause. These spaces contained some of these people, and peering through those holes, even while the rooms were empty, I could vividly imagine the bodies of the people we are coming to know.

I also wanted to include this link in our blog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3xNfbXiUtw
U2 filmed their video for “Celebration” in the Kilmainham Goal, likely as part of the effort to raise funds for restoring the property after years of debate on what should be done with the space.

Kilmainham Gaol

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Today was an incredibly eye-opening day for me. Having the history of the 1916 Easter Rising already fresh on my mind from the previous day, it was amazing to see where the executions of some of the most influential Irish men were executed. As I mentioned previously, there is a huge difference in classroom learning and seeing in real life the landmarks in which history was made. Kilmainham Gaol, having been a prime location for several films, seemed rather familiar to me. The reality really hit me when I saw the names of the prisoners, whom I had read about, on plaques above the cells in which they spent their time at Kilmainham Gaol.

At the very end of the tour, we were brought to the exact spots in which the 14 rebels had been executed. I find it important to mention that although the jail has been turned into a museum popular among tourists, the history and integrity of the infrastructure has been excellently preserved. After walking through the wings of the jail and even inside some of the cells, I had an entirely new perception of the men of the Easter Rising and their final hours.

After a rather heavy day, we got to attend High Tea at UCD. I have really been enjoying the activities and events that the college has been providing that allow us to get better exposure to the Irish culture and customs. Although the High Tea was more or less a social event, I met some lovely people and enjoyed spending time with the ladies in my group. Of course a good photo-opportunity is never a bad way to end the evening!

Garden and Gaol

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Today was a day full of juxtaposition. First, I explored the gardens at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. These gardens were so peaceful and welcoming, they evoked such feelings of content and awe. They represented the beauty that Ireland can offer in a very manufactured and polished way. The gardens did not, though, represent the natural beauty of Ireland. They were a piece of art, after all, so I understand why they were so polished. The statues in the garden were of Greco-roman inspiration, a feature I had not yet seen in Ireland. The Irish Museum of Modern Art’s gardens were so clean, with straight lines of trees and immaculately manicured bushes. This was in stark contrast to the area visited later that day.

 

After the gardens, I visited the Kilmainham Gaol, or the old prison used to imprison everyone from Irish beggars to insurgents. The best word to describe this place was that it was sobering. To go from the beauty of the gardens, to the desolation of the jail was so striking. It was incredibly eerie to see the cells in which some of the most famous and influential revolutionaries were housed and ultimately, executed. Seeing the two crosses, on opposite ends of the exercise yard, where the thirteen men were executed was powerful, but I was speechless when I saw the green, white, and orange of the Irish flag flying high above this area. So much suffering and destruction had occurred here, but in the end the efforts of those executed were not in vain.

Kilmainham Gaol

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Today’s tour at the Kilmainham Gaol was an incredibly sobering experience for me. I wasn’t expecting it to have such a powerful effect. I’ve always found that visiting places people have lived, worked, or died has a lasting effect on me. What I experienced today was similar to when I visited Shakespeare’s childhood home in Stratford-Upon-Avon and the Charles Dickens Museum in London, like I could feel Shakespeare and Dickens in the room – I could feel the prisoners there, could see them in my head. Walking past the jail cells gave me chills, especially when I looked through the holes to see the living conditions inside.

For some reason, walking through the actual jail really shocked me – I think it was because of the juxtaposition with the cafe/bookshop area. That area was so neat, organized, and modern, and when I walked into the jail the difference completely threw me off guard. I really felt uncomfortable about the modern area – I know exactly why they made those renovations, but there was something unsettling about having a piece of chocolate cake and a flat white right beside the place where many, many people were murdered or imprisoned for life. The gentrification in those kind of places often makes me feel guilty because I know what this place has stood for and what has happened there. Like Cresswell says, memories make up a place, and I was constantly thinking about the memories and experiences of the prisoners here. The tour guide was absolutely fantastic in facilitating that knowledge and making sure everyone understood the gravity of the location. In particular, the exercise yard and the location of the executions were the most chilling – the latter being obvious, and the former because I pictured the monotonous task of walking around in a circle for exercises, with mandated silence.

1916 Walking Tour

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Today we did the 1916 walking tour which was led by Lorcan Collins (omg !!!!) who wrote the book The Easter Rising. That whole tour was incredible. I thought it was extremely informational and that guy is an incredible storyteller. I thought it was interesting to see all of the places where the Easter Rising had an impact. I think it’s interesting that all the rebels in the rising chose all of these specific places such as City Hall, the bridge, the General Post Office, and Dublin Castle. The most interesting part to me was when you could see the bullet holes in the pillars of the General Post Office. This is extremely symbolic within this place because it has so much history. The concept of place here is the physical markings that have been caused by this huge battle that was fought for independence. I also thought it was interesting when he talked about how they occupied these extremely significant places such as the Post Office and City Hall. I find it interesting that these two places can have more power than the rest of the places fought in the Rising such as St. Stephens Green. Places can be more significant than others, and its interesting that places can keep that significance for hundreds of years. The walking tour also had a significant split of people, and I think that also has to do with the concept of place. Some of these people who weren’t interested in the walking tour were younger and probably weren’t interested in history. This makes most of the places we went yesterday insignificant to these people because of the concept of history. I personally connect with history, so these places were significant to me. I think its super interesting that place can be connected to concepts in that manner.