Dia duit! I’m here today to brief you all on a culture that I’d be more than happy to claim as my own. My ancestors stem from this great little section of the British Isles, and I hope to have the chance to one day walk where they walked. Can you see what I see? I see myself homeward bound for the good old land of Ireland, headed for the southern portion, the part that officially claimed its independence in the late 20th century; what we know today as the Republic of Ireland, (not so much the portion still attached to and associated with the UK in its status.) Part of what I’d like to talk about is, in fact, is a bit about this great nation’s pursuit of independence, and the hard road its citizens took to being able to claim their independence from the UK, as from it stems many a story worth telling. The difference between Ireland, UK, and the Republic of Ireland aren’t so striking to most of us, but it’s a fun topic to talk about.
I know what you’re thinking, however, and no this isn’t just another haphazard history lesson given by the over-eager student in class. I’d also really like to tell you about my personal experiences, limited as they might be (for the moment), with Irish people culture, and give you the down-low on some of its more current and contemporary events. I’ll do my best to refrain from the relentless insertion of fun facts and punny references, but I can guarantee nothing. There’s a lot of ground to cover in a nation that spans a little over 30,000 square miles! Our ship is departing…
When sitting down to compile the information that would eventually (much much later… Emphasis on LATE-r) grow to comprise this little composition, I sought out many a potential starting point. You see, as I stated earlier, Ireland is a land I’d be very happy to claim as my own, and sitting down to write this speech, I was kind of caught off guard. It shocked me that I really knew so little about a place I’ve been planning to move to since age 13, and I…