Headed out. Parts unknown. Wish me luck, girls and boys.

[beefchips]

Ireland! 6 weeks on the shamrock shore plus… ya know, Britain and that. Leaving day after tomorrow. Haven’t packed. Cats aren’t pleased. I’ve got butterflies like before any international trip even though I know the language this time. WTF, you would think I’m going to Papua New Guinea based on how it feels. It’s just some light hiking in 65f weather for fucks sake! Christ…

… is actually a big draw for this trip. Why did the Celts become Roman and then Christian? Why did Catholicism remain there when papal power fragmented during the renaissance? What are the cultural strands still alive that remind us of medieval, dark age and Iron Age lives?

Most importantly, where’s the best curry???

Mega politics for your time

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@beefchips
Have fun. Hydrate often...

[pip bip]

@beefchips enjoy yourself

[Vondon302]

@beefchips Hadrians wall would be cool to see.
Enjoy!

[khalbali]

@beefchips I frickin' love that song, it's a staple of my spring listening every year.

[Rusty Vandura]

@beefchips said in Headed out. Parts unknown. Wish me luck, girls and boys.:

Ireland! 6 weeks on the shamrock shore plus… ya know, Britain and that. Leaving day after tomorrow. Haven’t packed. Cats aren’t pleased. I’ve got butterflies like before any international trip even though I know the language this time. WTF, you would think I’m going to Papua New Guinea based on how it feels. It’s just some light hiking in 65f weather for fucks sake! Christ…

… is actually a big draw for this trip. Why did the Celts become Roman and then Christian? Why did Catholicism remain there when papal power fragmented during the renaissance? What are the cultural strands still alive that remind us of medieval, dark age and Iron Age lives?

Most importantly, where’s the best curry???

Mega politics for your time

Will you tell me the historical context of this video please?

[MisterButtercup]

@beefchips whoa, 6 weeks, that's quite a trip, enjoy!!

[beefchips]

@Rusty-Vandura sure, so ever since medieval times Irish nationalists were unhappy with English rule. In 1922 catholic nationalism boiled over into civil war and Ireland rose up to try to gain independence from the UK. "British huns with their long range guns" from the song were sent across th eIrish sea to put down the rebellion. In the end the nationalists managed to free a large part of the island and that's how the Republic of Ireland was born. Unfortunately, the Catholic/nationalist/protestant/unionist map was not nearly so neat as the new 1923 border and religious conflict continued until the Good Friday agreement put an end to the Troubles in 1998.

Edit -- for your extra second dose of Irish politics, one reason the UK leaving the EU is such a problem is that it threatens to raise a border again between the Republic of Ireland and the province of Northern Ireland. That there should be no physical division was one of the main points of the Good Friday agreement and Boris Johnson's government handling of Brexit threatens to derail the rather fragile peace progress since 1998.

[ibRAD]

@beefchips said in Headed out. Parts unknown. Wish me luck, girls and boys.:

I know the language this time

haha. Good luck and have fun!

[Rusty Vandura]

@beefchips said in Headed out. Parts unknown. Wish me luck, girls and boys.:

@Rusty-Vandura sure, so ever since medieval times Irish nationalists were unhappy with English rule. In 1922 catholic nationalism boiled over into civil war and Ireland rose up to try to gain independence from the UK. "British huns with their long range guns" from the song were sent across th eIrish sea to put down the rebellion. In the end the nationalists managed to free a large part of the island and that's how the Republic of Ireland was born. Unfortunately, the Catholic/nationalist/protestant/unionist map was not nearly so neat as the new 1923 border and religious conflict continued until the Good Friday agreement put an end to the Troubles in 1998.

I guess I knew a good bit of the broad outline of that already. Where does Northern Ireland fit into the picture. Also, in the Sinead O'Connor video, are those scenes from a movie? Are those Irish nationalists facing firing squads and assassinating and ambushing British soldiers? That seems like a great deal of drama for a music video. Still, in all, I guess I'm pretty ignorant of that part of human history.

[beefchips]

@Rusty-Vandura Northern Ireland is the stronghold of Protestant (Anglican) unionists who wish to remain part of the UK. In the long distant past, many of these people's ancestors were "imported" to the island by colonization efforts sponsored by the British crown. Irish nationalist partisans in the north under the banner of Sinn Fein were one of the belligerents in Troubles. Both nationalists and unionists resorted to terrorist techniques, murdering civilians in cold blood.

I mentioned the agreement that there should not be a "hard" border between Northern Ireland and the Republic in my edit above... another point of the Good Friday agreement is that if it ever seems likely that Northern Ireland's people would favor leaving the UK and joining the republic the matter should be put to a vote. Brexit and the shoddy treatment of NI by the Johnson government has driven public opinion very much toward joining the Republic and some Irish nationalists see an opportunity to essentially finish the unfinished civil war by unifying the island outside of British rule.

As for a movie, beats me lol But yes the drama in the video are Irish nationalists fighting against unionists and British troops.

[MUSASHI66]

@beefchips We are heading there on 8/17, I’d be interested to hear your observations and am looking for any recommendations! We’ll be on a timed schedule but we should have free time daily for activities.

[beefchips]

@MUSASHI66 cool, I will definitely post a few pics and recommendations.

I’m currently reading “Celtic Britain” by Lloyd Liang and next on deck is “A Time Travelers Guide to Medieval England” by Ian Mortimer to get in the mood