Friday, August 27, 2010
Belonging
I had lunch today with my good friend Treasa O Driscoll. I met Treasa through Carol Gimbel who rightly thought that we two Irish souls should connect over a cup of day one dark Autumn evening. Treasa first came to Canada to accompany her husband, Robert O Driscoll, who founded the Celtic Studies department at the University of Toronto. By all accounts Robert was a force of nature - and his larger than life persona may have obscured the amazing talents his wife possessed. Thankfully, that is not my issue, for my introduction to Treasa was one where her abilities as a singer of traditional Irish sean nos songs and her remarkable memory of a huge volume of poetry, place her very definitely as a remarkable person in her own right.
I could write about her all day and will write more—anyone who wants to hear her speak and sing can hear her instantly at: http://www.bluebutterflybooks.ca/titles/celtic.html
This is the website of her book Celtic Woman- A Memoir of Life's Poetic Journey
But this is all an introduction to the conversation we had today.
As exiles form Ireland she and I have oft spoken about the nature of being Irish outside of Ireland. We are not the first to contemplate this situation. But somehow, it has become ever important for me to define who and what I am, where I fit in on this planet and especially to explore the context of my experience of Ireland and my Irish heritage. Where do I belong? - Whatever that means!
Today this quest brought me to Beckett’s radio play “all that fall” and in particular some words of the main character Maddy Rooney:
It is suicide to be abroad. But what is it to be at home, Mr. Tyler, what is it to be at home? A lingering dissolution.
Suicide to be abroad—but to be at home it’s a lingering dissolution!
With the wonders of the internet it is possible to get the whole play on line at:
http://www.questia.com/read/1399676
And there is a great wikipedia page abut the play at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_That_Fall
It is well worth a read.
Beckett easily brings us back to a dreary day in the country where Maddy is waiting for the train to arrive and deliver her husband—yeah, it’s always the waiting game with Beckett! The empty anticipation well describes the nature of the Irish immigrant and exile experience, unresolved and uneasy.
It’s hardly the same context, but I think that U2’s song “I cant live with or without” touches the same feelings of loss and yet again it’s the waiting that does it!
See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side.
I wait for you.
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you
With or without you
With or without you.
Through the storm, we reach the shore
You gave it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you
With or without you
With or without you.
I can't live with or without you.
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away.
My hands are tied, my body bruised
She´s got me with nothing to win
And nothing left to lose.
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away.
With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you.
With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you
With or without you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxIjlo1ZPcQ
Stay tuned for my musings on the subject of finding a state of belonging.
I could write about her all day and will write more—anyone who wants to hear her speak and sing can hear her instantly at: http://www.bluebutterflybooks.ca/titles/celtic.html
This is the website of her book Celtic Woman- A Memoir of Life's Poetic Journey
But this is all an introduction to the conversation we had today.
As exiles form Ireland she and I have oft spoken about the nature of being Irish outside of Ireland. We are not the first to contemplate this situation. But somehow, it has become ever important for me to define who and what I am, where I fit in on this planet and especially to explore the context of my experience of Ireland and my Irish heritage. Where do I belong? - Whatever that means!
Today this quest brought me to Beckett’s radio play “all that fall” and in particular some words of the main character Maddy Rooney:
It is suicide to be abroad. But what is it to be at home, Mr. Tyler, what is it to be at home? A lingering dissolution.
Suicide to be abroad—but to be at home it’s a lingering dissolution!
With the wonders of the internet it is possible to get the whole play on line at:
http://www.questia.com/read/1399676
And there is a great wikipedia page abut the play at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_That_Fall
It is well worth a read.
Beckett easily brings us back to a dreary day in the country where Maddy is waiting for the train to arrive and deliver her husband—yeah, it’s always the waiting game with Beckett! The empty anticipation well describes the nature of the Irish immigrant and exile experience, unresolved and uneasy.
It’s hardly the same context, but I think that U2’s song “I cant live with or without” touches the same feelings of loss and yet again it’s the waiting that does it!
See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side.
I wait for you.
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you
With or without you
With or without you.
Through the storm, we reach the shore
You gave it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you
With or without you
With or without you.
I can't live with or without you.
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away.
My hands are tied, my body bruised
She´s got me with nothing to win
And nothing left to lose.
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away.
With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you.
With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you
With or without you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxIjlo1ZPcQ
Stay tuned for my musings on the subject of finding a state of belonging.
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