Lessons learned as old meets new in Ireland

As I write these words, I am looking out of the window of a lovely bed-and-breakfast establishment near Dublin, Ireland. 

It’s the culmination of a two-week tour of Ireland with my husband, taken in honour of our 25th wedding anniversary this fall. It’s an incredibly beautiful country and the people are friendly and hospitable. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

Ireland’s history is turbulent, and in many ways, tragic. The story of the potato famine in the 1840s, which led to the emigration of a million people and the death of another million, is well-known. 

Multiple uprisings in the early 20th century led to the creation of the Republic of Ireland. I was, however, particularly struck by the tales of the late 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth I was attempting to consolidate her hold on Ireland, and by the clash between the new world of the Enlightenment and the old Gaelic world, which had remained essentially unchanged for centuries.

The Gaelic power structure was based on extended family ties — feuding, warring clans, raiding each others’ cattle, burning and pillaging, making it impossible to create a united front against invaders. Protected by bogs, forests and a dangerous coastline, at one point Ireland counted about 90(!) enclaves, each ruled by its own chieftain. At a time when the rest of Europe was moving towards the concept of the nation-state, Ireland was a complicated web of traditional alliances and rivalries, which could not stand up to their imperialistic neighbour.

In today’s world, we also see old ideas and ways of doing things being swept away by the new. Technology has made us connected in ways that the world has never seen. Yesterday we drove on a toll road with no way of paying the toll except by logging into a website or by calling a phone number and punching in a credit card number. The assumptions here are breathtaking. 

The old Gaelic chieftains were not able to set aside their differences to make common cause against the English because they were firmly set in the ways of the past. 

What can we do to make sure we leave no one behind as we move into the future?

Hadass Eviatar is a community correspondent for West Kildonan. Check out her blog at: http://hadasseviatar.com/blog/