As some might have noticed, I’ve been rather absent from the blogosphere since the end of NaPoWriMo. This has been due mainly to a two-week vacation I took to Ireland and Scotland, as well as the preparation and readjustment periods before and after the trip. It was a major expedition for me since I had never been out of the United States before or even ridden on a plane, so to do both on my own was a big step outside my comfort zone, one I’m very glad that I took. It was sort of a pilgrimage tour where I traveled by bus with a group to various cathedrals, castles, and amazing sites. Trinity College and the huge library of the Long Room were particularly awe-inspiring for this book nerd, and climbing Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone was a highlight as well, especially since it means I’m now even more eloquent than before. 😉 (The picture at the top is the Rock of Cashel, which I visited on my first day over there.)

I don’t want to turn this into a travel blog, but I thought I would share this poem that I began writing during the trip and took final shape after I returned home, including the names of several locations I visited. I could see it as a Celtic folk song for travelers like me, fascinated with far-flung places that are perfectly normal to their inhabitants. And so as not to lose sight of the movie aspect of this blog, I’ve included five recommendations for films set in Ireland further down, in case someone else wants a vicarious visit to the Emerald Isle.

If I’d been born in Ireland
With so much to admire and
Places full of history,
I wonder how I’d feel.
Would every sight I care to see
Hold such familiarity
That all the ways the hills amaze
Would lack the same appeal?

I could truly be a local,
Hear a lilt to every vocal,
Owe a debt to good St. Patrick
That the snakes have long been gone.
My first language would be Blarney,
And I’d summer in Killarney.
I’d often tour the Cliffs of Moher
And catch a leprechaun.

But I can only fantasize
Of other mes in other lives.
I’m only here to visit, but I’m grateful for the chance.
I’m a listener and learner
And a journaling sojourner,
Here to stare at all the marvels locals only give a glance.

But if this were my home parish,
I would have so much to cherish.
I could round the Ring of Kerry
Back to where I’d always been.
I would gladly take a walk
Along the paths of Glendalough,
And the graves would not be strangers;
They would be potential kin.

I could reckon Dublin dear,
Gain a taste for Guinness beer,
Roam the castles and cathedrals
With the other residents,
Stay at home and not hotels,
As I claimed the Book of Kells,
The Hill of Slaine, and Yeats and Heaney
As inheritance.

If I’d been born in Ireland,
What more could I desire and
Where else are seen such hills of green,
My own backyard to roam?
From Down to Knock to Kylemore,
What else could I be praying for?
I wonder if I’d feel the same
If Ireland were home.

But I can only fantasize
Of other mes in other lives.
I’m only here to visit, but I’m grateful for the chance.
I’m a listener and learner
And a journaling sojourner,
Here to stare at all the marvels locals only give a glance.

And here are my top 5 Irish film recommendations, though I’ll also give a nod to Belfast, Brooklyn, and An Irish Goodbye, the recent winner of the Best Live Action Short Film Oscar, which I watched on the plane trip back home.

5. Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959)

An oft-overlooked member of the Disney classic catalog, this charming take on Irish folklore deserves a place in more childhoods and features a pre-Bond Sean Connery singing.

4. The Quiet Man (1952)

I’m due for a rewatch of this one, but John Ford’s The Quiet Man had a big impact on Irish tourism, showcasing the lush green countryside for American audiences. I didn’t make it to the village of Cong, where it was filmed, but I saw many souvenirs still referencing the film and did pass a stream where some scenes were said to have been shot.

3. My Left Foot (1989)

Featuring masterful, Oscar-winning performances by Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker, this biopic about palsied author and painter Christy Brown, a Dublin native, is one of the great inspirational stories.

2. Sing Street (2016)

This coming-of-age tale of Dublin teens forming a band in the 1980s boasts humor and heart and a set of surprisingly great songs that fit in perfectly with the period.

1. Tomm Moore’s “Irish Folklore Trilogy” – The Secret of Kells (2009), Song of the Sea (2014), Wolfwalkers (2020)

While Wolfwalkers is probably my favorite of this unofficial trilogy of singularly Celtic animated films from Cartoon Saloon, I had to let all three share the number 1 spot. While fictional, The Secret of Kells now has greater appeal for me since I was able to see the Book of Kells itself at Trinity College (literally right downstairs from the Long Room). Song of the Sea is a Ghibli-esque delight with its tale of selkies and faeries in a modern setting, while Wolfwalkers is an enchanting adventure setting magical “werewolves” of a sort against a backdrop of medieval strife. All three feature a beautiful animation style inspired by the curlicues and geometrical symmetry of illuminated manuscripts like the Book of Kells, and they never fail to captivate.

© 2023 S.G. Liput
783 Followers and Counting