Ireland (hEireann) is a country whose vital presence is undeniable, unforgettable and sonic would say
unfathomable. A simple mention of the name conjures up such a wealth of images and emotions, it is hard to place
her emotive power in context with any other country, save perhaps America, a favored destination of her émigrés,
and not have all others pale by comparison. Like the Moors of the medieval period, without the efforts of her people,
specifically the island monastery of Skellig Michael, the western tradition would be far more scarce and incomplete.
Her story is one of the major confrontations between the traditional oral cultures of prehistory and the progressive
literary cultures of modernity. She and her people have walked the edge between these two paradigms far longer
than any other world culture. Even though she has secured for herself this rich place in the minds of the many, her
story is one of struggle, sorrow, and survival.
So many of the modem forms of protest arise from the struggle to free Ireland form the tyranny of the British Empire.
Parnell's Land League was the first to use the boycott, so much a part of global economic politics today. Guerilla
warfare was first used as a tactic by the IRA 'flying columns' against the 'Black and Tans', a British paramilitary
force, as well as the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) in the aftermath of the 1916 rising. Terence MacSwiney first
used the hunger strike, in an attempt to reverse his suspect trial, and in effect turned the tide against Britain in the
world's eyes. The Irish were also the first in modem times to elect a woman, as well as a Catholic, to the British
parliament at Westminster. In a mirror of today's ever-present sex scandal in the political arena, Parnell, whom
some referred to as the uncrowned king of Ireland, was brought down politically by forces threatened by his
popularity, when he was named as codefendant in divorce proceedings. More recently, as America talks of the
'decade of the woman' and 'year of the soccer moms', Ireland's president has been a powerfully dedicated woman
named Mary Robbins, leading Ireland into the 2 1st century. The power of her presence on the Irish political scene
has made it nigh impossible for a man to even think of running, much less winning the presidency at the end of this
month.
Brian Friel's play Molly Sweeny, is a model for the battle of Ireland's soul, and a heartfelt warning that the
only way to overcome this internal strife and division is for some sort of dialogue to be established between the
various factions. It is awe-inspiring to consider the self-confidence Molly Sweeny had prior to the first operation to
restore her sight. The opening of the play shows her in a natural world at home with her blindness, and yet still c
apable of sharing in the rich sensual experience of life. How much like the traditional oral cultures of the world with
their wisdom and knowledge encapsulated in song and riddle, using the environment as medium and message. The
felt world is no less real or substantial than the sighted one for Molly. An expression of her ability to interact with
this, I dare say vibrant and vital, world is shown in her dance on the eve of her first operation. So sure of herself so
in control of her movements, so aware of her environment, that she is as capable as someone sighted since birth. In
fact more so, as the sight of all those obstacles would inevitably lead to distraction and missed steps. Frank, like St.
Patrick must lead the 'blind' to the light. With his foreign knowledge, and his earnest, if half-cooked attempts to solve
the 'problems' he sees. Like England, he finds it necessary to lead those who he feels are less fortunate, civilized, or
cultured to a better understanding of the world, not recognizing the wealth of difference he is discarding As much as
the lines " What did she have to lose?" resonate, so too does Frank's lament at the end, "What are you looking for?
Why don't you stay where you are?" In this new world of sight, or modernity, as it might as well be called, the first
thing Molly is confronted with is movement. Not the movement of dance and song, which she is already familiar with,
but the ever-moving world of the modem day, never content to rest, in a word, a world of progress. Where there was
surety, now she is plagued by self-doubt, desperately trying to connect her felt 'ennegrams' with her new sighted
'ennegrams'. When she seeks out some flowers for a friend's gift, Molly finds the Nemophila, which was a cherished
memory from childhood, "...weren't as pretty as buttercups. Weren't pretty at all," she cracked. Blindsight is an ironic
term, it seems more appropriate describing a functional blindness, rather than the psychological withdrawal from
newly gained sight.
Having been interested in traditional oral cultures for many years via the medium of ancient spirituality, most
specifically Druidism, this aspect of our discussion resonates with me. The mnemonically coded information, which
contained their life knowledge, must have been immense; why else would the Druids have had to study upwards of
twenty years, or been recognized by the Greeks and Roman as highly successful natural philosophers. The ogham
sticks, which were a form of a written language, like the Bardic histories in song, had to have been an incredible
storehouse of knowledge of their natural observations. These inevitably informed the world view which is
characteristically distinct to Celtic Ireland. It represented the connection of the people to the land, the forces of the
natural environment, and more importantly to their community. This language written and spoken, which might not
have taken the form of the archaic languages of Greece and Phoenicia was the central ingredient in creating that
sense of place, the power of their culture to reflect a weaving of the world unique to them. When a colonizer
suppresses the language and religious traditions of a conquered culture they guarantee the colonized will be broken.
As Elizabeth said so succinctly, "Kill all harpers where they are found," insuring the destruction of that rich heritage
which was ancient Ireland. A thought struck me when doing the outline for this essay, the great minds which we
hold in high esteem, Socrates, Jeshua, and Lao-Tzu, never wrote their words down, they were too busy 'walking their
talk'
My association with the modern day Druidical group ar nDraiocht Fein, has driven my interest in reclaiming
and recreating some form of an educational foci which uses these techniques which characterized the Irish Celtic
oral tradition. The use of a non-secular language, music, and movement are all elements to be used to create a
sacred space for the learning of new rituals of connection, as well as the creation of a community which honors the
past as it attempts to live in the present. Not in some idealist attempt to escape the present by immersion in the
past, but more as an alternative to the path which our wonderfully wacked western culture is heading down. It is
necessary, in order to live in a rich present, to re/collect the unbiased past. A history which recognizes the dark as
it does the light; far too long our culture has hovered about the flame like a moth intent on burning its wings in
order to get as close to the light as possible, and in so doing extinguishes the light and life.