Daily Times

During the two years I spent at St Patrick’s High School in Karachi, I wore the bluish-grey shirts with a green three-leaf icon on the pocket proudly. It was only decades later that I discovered that St Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland and what we wore on our shirt pocket was the shamrock, a clover leaf, and a long-time symbol of the Irish.

Years later, I saw the film, ‘The Wind that shakes the Barley.’ It was very moving and the issues it described very disturbing. It dealt with what the English simply called ‘The Irish Problem.’ I recall asking one of my British colleagues who was based in London about the film, and she said, nonchalantly: “It reflects the Irish point of view.”

In the US, St. Patrick’s Day was observed every year on the 17th of March. I had assumed it was also observed in England. But when I was talking to a British colleague who had recently moved from London to the US about it, he told me it was not observed in the UK. And added, for good measure: “Why would it be?” Now I was totally befuddled.

One day the opportunity came to visit Ireland. We flew on an Aer Lingus flight from London to Dublin. The Shamrock was stamped on a bluish background on the tail of the plane. There was little doubt we were headed to the Emerald Isle, also known as Eire.

After arriving in Dublin, we checked into a building that looked more like a castle than a hotel. It was grand and spacious.

In the evening, we took a long walk along the seashore to have dinner at a restaurant which the concierge had recommended. There we feasted on the local delicacy, the Haddock fish, and also got a taste of Irish hospitality.

The Shamrock was stamped on a bluish background on the tail of the plane. There was little doubt we were headed to the Emerald Isle, also known as Eire. After arriving in Dublin, we checked into a building that looked more like a castle than a hotel. It was grand and spacious

The next day we went to University of Dublin’s Trinity College and toured the buildings and the numerous statues. We also saw the Book of Kells which was kept in a special room. The book is an illuminated manuscript written in Latin containing the four gospels of the New Testament. We ate lunch in the cafeteria with the students and professors.

Later, we walked in the downtown area to check out the haunts of the Irish literary greats, including James Joyce (Ulysses and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man), Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels), Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest), Bram Stoker (Dracula), and George Bernard Shaw (Pygmalion, Arms and the Man, Major Barbara and Caesar and Cleopatra).

The simple arched bridge over the River Liffey was charming. We crossed it and took pictures, and noticed that just about everyone else had had the same idea. Once we were on the other side, we decided to eat at The Temple Bar. Afterwards, we headed to check out the Guinness Storehouse, a Dublin icon. We just took the view from the outside. Perhaps we should have ventured inside.

The next day we took a bus tour of Dublin. Christ Church Cathedral was an impressive landmark. We got off the bus and checked out the grand interior.

Back on the next bus, we passed a memorial to the Duke of Wellington, the hero of Waterloo. It was in the shape of a giant obelisk and was designed to commemorate his military career and that famous victory. I was stunned. What was he doing in Dublin?

Later, I asked a couple of locals and they said that even though he was born in Ireland, he was not Irish and was Anglo-Irish. Why did that matter? I was confused.

On further discussion, I came to know that my knowledge of British colonialism was a tad limited. Ireland had been a British colony for 700 years, going back to the late 12th century. An independence movement had begun in 1880. In 1914, the Home Rule Act was passed. But the arrival of the Great War resulted in its suspension. Finally, in 1922 all of Ireland except for six northeastern counties seceded from the UK. Those six took on the name Northern Ireland and stayed with the UK.

Unfortunately, the secession sparked a conflict between the Irish nationalists, who were mainly Catholic, and the Unionists, who were mainly Protestants. In the late 1960s, a violent conflict known as ‘The Troubles’ erupted. It was finally settled 30 years later and a peace agreement was signed in Belfast. Things have calmed down since.

The next day we went off to see the Cliffs of Moher on the West Coast. They are among the most popular sites in Ireland and have been featured in several films including a Harry Potter movie and a Martin Scorsese film.

The visit required us to get up really early to catch a train. I remember dozing in the train at times even though the scenery that was flashing by in the window was fascinating. When we disembarked, the journey was still not done. We had to transfer to a bus to get us to the cliffs. The journey was worth it because the views were indeed remarkable. They reminded us of Big Sur and Monterey in California.

The sea cliffs are located in Country Clare and run for about 14 km. At one point, they rise to a height of 214 meters above sea level. The views are dramatic in places, where the waves crash on the cliffs, and soothing in other places, where the waters are tranquil.

On our last day in Ireland, as were heading to the airport in a cab, I asked the driver about the bilingual traffic signs, in English and in Irish. He smiled and said the Irish language was being pushed by the younger generation; it was not spoken anywhere else, and was a step in the right direction.

I recalled a meeting at my office where we had hosted a French delegation. I had noticed that they were talking to each other in English. Over lunch, I had asked one of them whether they were speaking in English as a courtesy to me. She smiled and said that some of their delegates were from other European countries, so English provides the best means of communication. I could not resist quipping, “So English has replaced French as the lingua Franca?” Her expression was precious.

As we neared the airport, I asked the cab driver whether Ireland or Northern Ireland was more prosperous. He said the latter, because the British are pumping money into it.

I told the driver I had seen billboards in Dublin offering legal assistance to those who wanted to migrate to the US. I said I would expect to see those in a developing country. He said there were more Irish living out of Ireland than in Ireland.

That reminded me of what I had heard in Brazil, that there were more people of Syrian descent in Sao Paulo than in Damascus and more people of Lebanese descent in Brazil than those in Beirut.

The world truly has become a village. And that is a good thing.

The writer can be reached at ahmadfaruqui@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, April 29^th 2018.