I will never be six feet tall and I will never not be Irish. This is how I feel. Even if I had stayed in London, I would always be Irish. I will always have blue eyes and I will always be Irish. It's in my DNA, it's in my blood and bones. I could try to fight it but I would never win. I could wear purple contact lenses but I will always have blue eyes. I could get myself another accent, English, American or Australian, but I will always be Irish.. This is how I feel. This is who I am.
Ireland doesn't belong to me. I belong to Ireland. Something in me lets out a long sigh when I come home. I can live in other places. I can even love other places. But something in me unfurls and says 'home' when I am in Ireland. Though I might hate the corruption, the nepotism, the lies and the injustice I am 'ceangailt' to this place. (ceangailt can mean tied as in chained or it can mean a deep bond, a warm connection. Pronounced kang-guilt.)
I have experienced both kinds of ties to Ireland.
Today, my bond with Ireland is deep and warm. I no longer feel chained by the past. I cherish the freedom I now know I have. This would never have been possible for me had I not lived in London. London taught me to make my own choices. It taught me to ask for what I want and to persist until I had it.
...In a strange kind of way, living in London gave me back my heritage, my identity as an Irishwoman.
Have had a similar experience.
Do you feel more Irish, living and working in another country?
Has being abroad helped you to overcome the shadows of the past?
Do you feel this 'ceangailt', this bond with Ireland though you were born and reared in another country?
Do you know yourself to be Irish though your passport says something else....
Ireland doesn't belong to me. I belong to Ireland. Something in me lets out a long sigh when I come home. I can live in other places. I can even love other places. But something in me unfurls and says 'home' when I am in Ireland. Though I might hate the corruption, the nepotism, the lies and the injustice I am 'ceangailt' to this place. (ceangailt can mean tied as in chained or it can mean a deep bond, a warm connection. Pronounced kang-guilt.)
I have experienced both kinds of ties to Ireland.
Today, my bond with Ireland is deep and warm. I no longer feel chained by the past. I cherish the freedom I now know I have. This would never have been possible for me had I not lived in London. London taught me to make my own choices. It taught me to ask for what I want and to persist until I had it.
...In a strange kind of way, living in London gave me back my heritage, my identity as an Irishwoman.
Have had a similar experience.
Do you feel more Irish, living and working in another country?
Has being abroad helped you to overcome the shadows of the past?
Do you feel this 'ceangailt', this bond with Ireland though you were born and reared in another country?
Do you know yourself to be Irish though your passport says something else....
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