I can hardly believe that I have been in Ireland for seven weeks! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity: Last week marked mid-term at the University - only five more weeks, and I will have survived (and hopefully passed) the first semester of my Masters program! Also, I joined the Galway women's basketball team. We had our first game last week, and will play until April. I have not played competitive ball since high school, but am enjoying the exercise and camaraderie associated with team sports. Although, I have had the most fun these past few weeks traveling on the weekends. You can view the highlights from my recent travels in my photo album. Next weekend is a bank holiday in Ireland, but I plan to celebrate the long weekend in England. I am going to visit fellow Rotary scholars in London and Oxford. I should have ample time on planes and trains, so I will try to think of something more interesting to write for next week's journal entry. In the meantime, enjoy my new photos and keep in touch! I recently had the distinct pleasure of attending the Rotary District 1160 Conference in Northern Ireland for 4 days. When District Governor Howard Caskie introduced the venue as Derry/Londonderry he said it was a city so famous that they named it twice. Historically, predominantly Catholic Derry was a flash point for The Troubles, and the city's name was a touchstone for people's political views. Nationalists always used Derry, while Unionists insisted on Londonderry. Following the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998 and the IRA Disarm Plan in 2005, (London)Derry has displayed a new confidence highlighting both its historical significance and modern redevelopment. Today, the citizens of Ireland no longer seem to take the city's name too seriously. In fact, DG Howard's statement could prove a grand slogan for this revitalized city. I found my visit to the riverside city of (London)Derry, the fifth largest in Ireland, to be a pleasant surprise. There is a lot of fascinating history to absorb. (London)Derry is the only walled city in Ireland whose ramparts have survived intact, and a walk around the city walls also displays the powerful political murals in the Bogside district. In addition, the city has a well-founded reputation for musical excellence and dancing, which was showcased during the musical interludes at our conference. Although, the best 'musical interlude' of the conference was 1998 Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume's rendition of Danny Boy, a tune often used as the anthem of Northern Ireland. Mr. Hume considers this song to be an unofficial Irish-American anthem, and interprets it as a message from a parent to a son, with the singer saddened that the son is leaving. In fact, at the time that Danny Boy was composed, (London)Derry was one of the main emigration ports to the USA. Also, (London)Derry played a vital role in the transatlantic trade in linen shirts. Supposedly, local factories provided uniforms for both sides in the American Civil War. To this day (London)Derry claims to supply the U.S. President with 12 free shirts every year. Despite our own 'troubles' in U.S. History and leadership, our great nation serves as a shining example of unity and peace within the tumultuous world that we inhabit. During his speech, Mr. Hume, the only person in history to win the three biggest peace prizes in the world, quoted the United States' motto "E Pluribus Unum," which can be found on our Great Seal and translates to "Out of Many, One." The United States is arguably the best example of a 'melting pot' society that embraces unity by respecting diversity. As the world becomes smaller via the modern technology and transport revolutions, I hope that the world community will share our national motto and find peace and unity by learning to respect everyone's differences . We can only hope that Mr. Hume's vision for world peace proves prescient in our lifetime. In the meantime, we should look to 'the city so famous that the Irish named it twice' for inspiration that peace is possible anywhere. |
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