This is a picture of Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands. The Aran Islands are about as far west as you can go in Ireland and that’s very special because some think the further west you go, the closer you get to “authentic” Ireland. The Celtic Tiger drastically changed much of Ireland. Dublin is a booming metropolis and the constant renovations and construction on a lot of Irish cities is a testimony to the cash flow into the country. However, many, often of the older, more conservative persuasion, miss the old Ireland; the Ireland of green hills, faeries and mossy bog.
It would be untrue to say the Celtic Tiger hasn’t left some kind of mark on the Aran Islands, but after riding a bike around Inishmore I’d have to say it’s pretty authentic to me. Most of the inhabitants on the islands still speak Gaelic which has become a sort of dead language in Ireland. Inishmore is ten miles around and three miles across. My friends and I biked for the better part of four hours. The scenery was breathtaking and getting lost was a treat rather than a nuisance. The only thing close to a nuisance was when I finally got off my bike. The result was my legs giving up on me and my body slowly slumping to the ground with my bike on top of me. Should probably look into a gym when I get back to the States.
For those who are not familiar with the Celtic Tiger:
Celtic Tiger (Irish: Tíogar Ceilteach) is a name for the period of rapid economic growth in the Republic of Ireland that began in the 1990s and slowed in 2001, only to pick up pace again in 2003 and then have slowed down once again by 2006. During this time, Ireland experienced a boom in which it was transformed from one of Europe's poorer countries into one of its wealthiest. The causes of Ireland's growth are the subject of some debate, but credit has been primarily given to free market capitalism: low corporate taxation; decades of investment in domestic higher education; a low-cost labour market; a policy of restraint in government spending; and EU membership - which provided transfer payments and export access to the Single Market. ---Wikipedia.org---
2 comments:
That's really funny because.. well, wait there's a backstory. Okay, so I'm like addicted to public radio. Which suits me because apparently, short of Andrew, I have the most addictive personality of let's say all of our mutual friends, and then some. So, I listen to PRI podcasts a lot of the time, and I just heard a story a few weeks ago about the Celtic Tiger. I actually lol-ed when I read yr post, b/c of that.
Hahaha! That's convenient!
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