Ireland as an Educator

This past weekend, I got to experience another part of O’Brien history.  A few friends and I rented a car and drove (a slightly scary experience) out to County Clare to visit Dromoland Castle. Dromoland Castle was controlled by the O’Briens from the year 1014, when it resembled Bunratty Castle, through 1543 when the castle was rebuilt to its present grandeur, all the way up to the 1900s. The castle was sold in 1962 to an investor who transformed the estate into a 5 star hotel and resort. 

This is me, standing in the front of Dromoland Castle in County Clare, Ireland.

We spent close to four hours exploring Dromoland, walking through the walled gardens, exploring a small part of its 1500 acres, and dining in the gallery.  Surrounded by many depictions of the O’Brien crest and oil paintings of the O’Brien barons, I actually felt at home.

The O'Brien crest in stained glass above the gallery entrance at Dromoland Castle.

I know over the course of this blog, I’ve focused more on the O’Brien side of my lineage more than any other. This is because the other Irish families I am descended from (the Winzlers, Kellys, and Stevens) were not as prominent, thus, they do not have castles, abbeys, and monuments the way the O’Briens do. Indeed, the O’Brien family was such a major part of the history of Ireland that the pedigree of the O’Briens is kept in a vault at Lloyd’s in London, and is thirty-six feet long.  If my dad reads this, he’ll probably just say that he knew all along he was marrying a princess.

The opportunity to see the land of my fathers was a major motivation for me to actually come to Ireland. I wanted to experience the culture of my great-grandparents, to escape to the not-so-distant past, and develop an appreciation for my life in America. I think that over the past four weeks, I’ve been able to do just that. 

But in my recollections of the past month, I began to wonder: What brings other people to Ireland? What have other people learned about this place, and what has this place taught them about themselves?

Luckly, I got the chance to interview my twin brother and some of his colleagues, who are in Dublin on an IES Abroad program. Below is my informal interview with Bradley, Shawn, Amber, and Leanna, asking them these same questions.

The reasons for coming to Ireland vary greatly, from not having a choice to wanting to learn the history to simple fate.  Each person has learned something different about Ireland, and most importantly, each has learned something different about herself/himself. Some learned about what it means to be an American/Oregonion, some have learned about their pace of life, and still others have simply learned independence.  In each instance, these students have learned in their time here. In Ireland, Out of the Classroom.

One Island, Two Nations

It has always seemed to me that Irish-Americans have many traits in common, not only culturally but religiously as well. The “Irish Catholic” has long been a staple of the American story, with people like John F. Kennedy seen as almost the epitome of an Irish Catholic. It is taken for granted by Americans that to be Irish IS to be Catholic.

However, when I travelled to Northern Ireland this past weekend, this idea was shown to be false.  The people of Northern Ireland, for the most part, consider themselves to be British subjects, and thus consider themselves to be Protestant.  This is why, today, Northern Ireland is actually a part of the United Kingdom and not the Republic of Ireland.

This map shows the division of Ireland into Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland.

When the Republic of Ireland was formed from 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland in the early 1920s, many Irish Catholics wanted to combine the Protestant counties to create one large Republic. These Republicans, as they came to be called, hoped for one nation with freedom of religion for both Protestants and Catholics.

This led to great conflict between the two groups, especially in the Northern part of the island where they live in close proximity to one another.  The Protestant Loyalists who consider themselves British wanted to remain British subjects, while their Catholic Republican neighbors wanted to be citizens of Ireland.

Mural warning that this is a Protestant area of Belfast.

Violence filled the streets of Northern Ireland, murals were painted on houses depicting the ideals of the people who lived there, massive walls were built through cities to separate the two groups, and hundreds of innocent people suffered in the battle between neighbors.

Mural of a UFF fighter, fighting for the Loyalist cause.

In Belfast, we toured a Protestant neighborhood in British Black Taxis (the green, obviously Irish, Paddywagon bus wouldn’t have received a very warm welcome there).  The guide explained some of the murals on the walls, and then we were off to see one of the largest peace walls in Belfast.

The Peace Wall, also known as the Irish "Berlin" Wall

The Peace Wall is about 30 feet high, a combination of concrete walls and iron fences. It runs through Belfast, separating the Protestant neighborhoods from the Catholic ones.  An eery reminder of the Berlin Wall, the Peace Wall has controlled access points that close after 10 p.m.  each night to help prevent any disturbances. Visitors from all over the world have left their mark on the wall, and it is the hope of everyone that soon, the Protestants and Catholics of Belfast will be able to get along without the need for separation.

UT Student Hooff Cooksey signs the Peace Wall in Belfast.

While the tensions are still strong in Belfast, the city of Derry tells another story altogether. In Derry, there are still neighborhoods of Protestants and Catholics with bloody histories, but a peace plan has been put into action that will hopefully lead to cooperation between the groups. Schools are being integrated, neighborhoods are less exclusive, and it is the hope that in a few years, the two groups will come to a peaceful understanding.

Seeing the tensions between Irish Catholics and British Protestants living in Ireland through the last century has made me extremely grateful that, as an Irish Catholic, I am able to live where I want to and practice what I believe while still having Protestant friends.  I sincerely hope that the people living in Ireland continue their progress towards peace, with respect for all human life. I’ve now seen where they’re coming from, how they’re progressing, and what they can be. I learned this weekend. In Ireland, Out of the Classroom.

O'Brien: The Strong Hand from Above

This past weekend, I and a few of my friends took a PaddyWagon Tour to the West of Ireland, where we saw the Connemara region, Kylemore Abbey, Galway, Corcomroe Abbey, The Burren, The Cliffs of Moher, O’Brien Tower, and Bunratty Castle. Now, that’s quite a list of some interesting places, but what makes them interesting to me is what they mean for my history.

I had always known that my mom’s family, the O’Briens, were based in County Clare and that they were the rulers of that area. I even knew that the seat of their family was at Dromoland Castle.  But I thought that was the only castle they had. How very wrong I was.

Before I describe the properties, I want to first explain something I learned about the O’Brien Clan from the PaddyWagon tour guide, Ross. Ross explained that when the ancient people of Ireland turned from paganism to Christianity, they kept some tenets of their pagan religion. One pagan tradition that the ancient kings of Ireland had was that of polygamy. Ancient Irish kings were allowed to take on multiple wives, even as Christians. So Brian Boru, father of the O’Briens, married around 9 women and had multiple children with each of them. Thus, the O’Brien clan became quite large very early in its history.

The crest of the O'Brien family: Assigned by King Henry VIII of England after the surrender of Ireland by King Murrough O'Brien.

This large clan then ruled County Clare and the Province of Munster from Dromoland Castle. But several of the sites we saw on the PaddyWagon Tour were established by the O’Brien Clan, and it was breathtaking to see so much family history where I didn’t expect it.

Corcomroe Abbey was built in 1205 by Donal Mor O’Brien as a Cistercian monastery.  The ancient monastery is now in ruins, but I could still feel the spirit of the past circling around the Celtic crosses and crumbling walls.

Corcomroe Abbey, photographed by the author

From Corcomroe, we headed out to one of the most awe-inspiring natural locations in the world, the Cliffs of Moher. At the highest point on the cliffs, there is a tower called “O’Brien’s Tower,” which was built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O’Brien to give female visitors an impressive view of the cliffs. Sir Cornelius built the tower when the line of O’Briens that I am descended from was still living in County Clare, so it is possible that Sir Cornelius was a contemporary of my great-great-great grandfather.

A picture of the author in front of O'Brien Tower at the Cliffs of Moher

Finally, we left the Cliffs of Moher and headed into the heart of County Clare, where we drove past Dromoland Castle (without stopping…imagine my disappointment) and headed to Bunratty Castle, where I learned a little bit more about the O’Briens from Ross the PaddyWagon tour guide. Apparently, Bunratty Castle is another castle that was utilized by the O’Briens. Bunratty sits along the shore of an estuary of the Shannon River and was vital to the defense of trade routes into County Clare. According to Ross, the O’Briens had control over all of the lands in County Clare from the 1200s to the 1600s, so the castles throughout the County have some affiliation with the clan.

Bunratty Castle, photographed by the author.

The O’Brien clan’s history is an ancient tale richly intertwined with the history of Ireland. To be able to see pieces of this history firsthand in County Clare is an experience I will be eternally grateful for. It’s one thing to know the history, to read about it, and to hear stories from your grandparents; it’s quite another thing to walk in the actual places where the history took place.  The past comes alive, the connections are felt, and you’re truly learning. In Ireland, Out of the Classroom.

Storehouse of the Past, Birthplace of the Future

It was the highlight of fifth-grade social studies class: our culture presentations. We could pick any country we wanted to present to the class. For the pasty white, blue eyed Irish-American boy named Casey Kelly, Ireland was a clear first choice. I spent weeks gathering information about the homeland of my family, seeking out objects to present, and even rehearsing traditional Irish songs to sing to my class. I craved the knowledge of my family's past and was eager to share my discoveries with my classmates.

On presentation day, I entered class armed with Waterford Crystal, an Aran Islands Irish wool sweater, photos of the ancestral seat on my mother's side (Dromoland Castle), home-made Irish stew, and my performance of "When Irish Eyes are Smiling."

Ever since that time, one of my strongest desires has been to visit the Emerald Isle.  When the opportunity arose to study in Ireland, I jumped at the chance.  A spring session Public Relations course was being offered in Dublin by the University of Texas, which I attend. While I would like to say that the top-notch curriculum and educational experience in the classroom was the major draw for me to come to Ireland, this would be dishonest. The real educational experience in coming to Ireland lies in cultural exploration, in the discovery of my past, and in the appreciation of the future of this nation.

Because of this, I'm looking forward to all of the cultural/touristy activities that I will be able to take part in. This past weekend, I took a walking tour of Dublin where I saw homes of such Irishmen as Oscar Wilde and James Joyce; I drank my first Guinness, had fish and chips, explored the Dublinia museum that explains Dublin's Viking past, spent hours in the sanctuary and crypt of Christ Church Cathedral, and hiked through Glendalough, the ancient monastic site in the picturesque Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin. These simple activities are all leading to a greater understanding of the culture of this country, and hopefully to a more solid connection with my past.

That's going to be the focus of this blog: the education I receive outside of the classroom by experiencing all that Ireland has to offer. So buckle up, get excited, and learn with me. In Ireland, Out of the Classroom.

This is me at the top of a mountain in Glendalough.

Dublinia Website: http://www.dublinia.ie/

Christ Church Cathedral: http://cccdub.ie/

Glendalough: http://www.glendalough.ie/