Ireland is a country of many wonders; it gave us Leprechauns and St. Patrick's Day. It's home to the greenest hills in the world and some of the world's oldest whiskey. The Blarney Stone, Guinness Beer and U2 call it home. James Joyce and Oscar Wilde were part of its great literary class. It is a country of relatively few that has spread throughout the world due to its great misfortunes, such as the potato famine.
Ireland has always been a little behind the times. It could be due to the fact that they have been living in Great Britain's shadow for the majority of their existence; it could be due to the reputation of "drink first, ask questions later." Whatever the reason is, Ireland is a step slow when it comes to change. Technology was and is no different. Even now Internet speeds are considerably slower than the rest of Europe and even below average as it pertains to the rest of the globe. Netindex.com shows internet speed over the past 30 days, and while the world average is 8.71 Mbps, Ireland comes in at only 6.12 Mbps. This is a microcosm of all things technology related in Ireland. There are still large parts of the countryside that rely on dial-up internet.
I have learned a lot about this country, home to my ancestors, and the most enjoyable and pleasing thing that I learned was that the Irish attitude towards life is to not take it too seriously. They work, they play, they drink, they laugh...and at the end of the day they enjoy what they have. I think a lot can be learned from this country and their overall attitude towards life.
"May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you
In the palm of his hand."
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Top Irish Internet Sites
The internet in Ireland is ruled by Google according to the latest Alexa.com rankings. Not only is Google.ie the top site in Ireland, but Google.com is number two. Here is a list of the top ten sites being used on Irish internet services.
1. Google.ie
2. Google.com
3. Facebook.com
4. Youtube.com
5. Yahoo.com
6. Wikipedia.org
7. Windows Live (live.com)
8. Blogger.com
9. Twitter.com
10. LinkedIn.com
The first non-Google sites that actually have a European origin to them are #11 and #12 on the list as BBC.co and RTE.ie both being broadcasting networks; one in Britain and one in Ireland. This shows the power the internet has throughout the world as the top internet companies in Ireland are ubiquitous throughout the online world. 7 of the top 10 in Ireland are in the top 10 in world internet traffic. It looks like Earth has gotten a whole lot smaller.
1. Google.ie
2. Google.com
3. Facebook.com
6. Wikipedia.org
7. Windows Live (live.com)
8. Blogger.com
9. Twitter.com
10. LinkedIn.com
The first non-Google sites that actually have a European origin to them are #11 and #12 on the list as BBC.co and RTE.ie both being broadcasting networks; one in Britain and one in Ireland. This shows the power the internet has throughout the world as the top internet companies in Ireland are ubiquitous throughout the online world. 7 of the top 10 in Ireland are in the top 10 in world internet traffic. It looks like Earth has gotten a whole lot smaller.
Debted to Death
In a sinister twist, the banking collapse that has left many people in Ireland unable to pay their bills (mortgages, loans, etc) has now caused many people to take their own lives as they are being hounded constantly for payment from those same banks.
While many of these debts have been written off by the banks, they still chase after and harass those responsible for paying on them. This has led to suicide on numerous occasions and now the Master of the High Court is speaking out about it.
Edmund Honohan has called for a changing of many laws that are currently is place, so as to protect the many people who feel socially and legally ostracized due to their ever increasing debt. Saying "a new level of debt forgiveness needs to be introduced," Honohan also thinks that legislation needs to be passed so that the effort of the banks isn't in chasing down people that can't pay, but instead in reforming a broken system that has caused this catastrophe in the first place.
While many of these debts have been written off by the banks, they still chase after and harass those responsible for paying on them. This has led to suicide on numerous occasions and now the Master of the High Court is speaking out about it.
Edmund Honohan has called for a changing of many laws that are currently is place, so as to protect the many people who feel socially and legally ostracized due to their ever increasing debt. Saying "a new level of debt forgiveness needs to be introduced," Honohan also thinks that legislation needs to be passed so that the effort of the banks isn't in chasing down people that can't pay, but instead in reforming a broken system that has caused this catastrophe in the first place.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Impact of Technology
With the mainstreaming of many new technologies over the past 20 plus years the question has become whether this technology is an overall positive or negative. In many small towns across Ireland the question still doesn't have a decisive answer. While the positives are many (improved medical service time, transportation, information on the go) that now seem impossible to be without, there are also drawbacks (loss of tradition being the main one, more people leaving the countryside).
While these technologies are now commonplace to the larger cities of Ireland, rural communities are still living in a 1990s state of being. Internet in Irish rural communities is less than satisfactory and dial-up is still used in a near majority of the residencies there. This would be completely unacceptable here in America, and it goes to show the differences that rural communities still face in smaller European countries.
Cell phone use has mainly positives in the rural setting. With the ability to call out at anywhere at anytime it has made the agricultural world a much easier thing to manage. Product can be redistributed and redirected with a certain ease now that everyone is reachable and that eliminates miscommunication problems that have plagued the rural set for many decades.
Many people see technology as something that is either inherently good or inherently bad, and what most situations prove to us over and over is that technology is only as good or bad as the people who are using it. Rural Ireland has made great strides in everything from medical services to better work efficiency because of the inclusion of cell phones and the internet and that can only be seen as a very good thing.
While these technologies are now commonplace to the larger cities of Ireland, rural communities are still living in a 1990s state of being. Internet in Irish rural communities is less than satisfactory and dial-up is still used in a near majority of the residencies there. This would be completely unacceptable here in America, and it goes to show the differences that rural communities still face in smaller European countries.
Cell phone use has mainly positives in the rural setting. With the ability to call out at anywhere at anytime it has made the agricultural world a much easier thing to manage. Product can be redistributed and redirected with a certain ease now that everyone is reachable and that eliminates miscommunication problems that have plagued the rural set for many decades.
Many people see technology as something that is either inherently good or inherently bad, and what most situations prove to us over and over is that technology is only as good or bad as the people who are using it. Rural Ireland has made great strides in everything from medical services to better work efficiency because of the inclusion of cell phones and the internet and that can only be seen as a very good thing.
Global Branding
There are more than 26 McDonald's in the Greater Dublin region of Ireland. The country of Ireland is home to 77 total McDonald's restaurants. The first McDonald's was opened in Dublin in 1977.
McDonald's is a perfect example of the use of extensive advertising. Over the years they have went from big named stars, to new ideas, songs and slogans, always staying relatively fresh in their approach.
This first commercial is from the mid 1970s and includes one of the first instances of McDonald's slogan about the big mac: Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.
In the early 1990s McDonald's got a huge boost with the release of the Michael Jordan-Larry Bird shootout commercials. McDonald's was already dominating the market at this point, but this was a feather in their cap as they had the biggest superstar in the sports world now marketing their product.
Ireland has recently got in on the "suppose to be funny" part of the McDonald's marketing campaign with commercials such as this one.
This first commercial is from the mid 1970s and includes one of the first instances of McDonald's slogan about the big mac: Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.
In the early 1990s McDonald's got a huge boost with the release of the Michael Jordan-Larry Bird shootout commercials. McDonald's was already dominating the market at this point, but this was a feather in their cap as they had the biggest superstar in the sports world now marketing their product.
Ireland has recently got in on the "suppose to be funny" part of the McDonald's marketing campaign with commercials such as this one.
The Royal Wedding
A surprising statistic came out after the Royal Wedding on April 29th of this year: Ireland ranked number 1 in internet searches (excluding England) of the term "Royal Wedding." Will the chilly, often cold relationship of these two countries this comes as a great surprise. Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton are famous far outside the United Kingdom...especially next door.
Google Trends is a site that tracks the web searches done by country, thus allowing us to see what many Irish wouldn't freely admit: they are very curious and interested in the English Royal Wedding. The future King and Queen of the United Kingdom outpaced searches for "Osama Bin Laden killed" more than one whole week after the wedding had happened.
A lovely day that was watched the whole world over...even by those who have long held a less than pleasurable view of the royal family.
A lovely day that was watched the whole world over...even by those who have long held a less than pleasurable view of the royal family.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Response to Bin Laden's Death
In Ireland there was a general consensus that this was an event to celebrate. The Taoiseach (or prime minister) of Ireland, Enda Kenny, remarked "The removal of Osama Bin Laden’s ability to plot heinous acts is a major achievement in the effort to rid the world of the threat of terrorism." Kenny pointed out the many "countless deaths" that Bin Laden had been responsible for were not without justice.
Not surprisingly, the most interesting response was that of the Arab world. Ireland's RTE News reports that many in the Arab world are skeptical of the story that has been currently reported. "'Are we sure that he has been killed?' said Tehran shopkeeper Ali Asghar Sedaghat. 'Or is it another game of the Americans?'" Also, many from the Middle Eastern countries believe that this doesn't end Al-Qaeda, but instead brings it more power.
Omar Bakri, a Lebanese Sunni cleric, mourned Bin Laden as a martyr: 'His martyrdom will give momentum to a large generation of believers and jihadists. Al-Qaeda is not a political party, it is a jihadist movement. Al-Qaeda does not end with the death of a leader. Bin Laden was first the generation of the Qaeda and now there is a second, third, fourth and fifth generation.'
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Propaganda - Film Edition
Irish film has a long and torrid love affair with the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) and the Irish Civil War (1922-1923). Films such as The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006) and Michael Collins (1996) are two of the most well known films of Irish cinema, both are Palme d'Or winners, and both tell the story of soldiers of the Irish Wars.
Michael Collins tells the story of the title's namesake in such a way that it cannot be interpreted as anything other than propaganda. It tells how Ireland should be a free country, a republic, and that Ireland's people should do whatever is necessary to accomplish this. It has parallels with current times (1996) because there was a lot of uprising in Northern Ireland and there were calls for a unified Ireland. The films director, Neil Jordan, obviously sympathized with this point of view and the film was very much a way to show the importance of unification of all fronts in a classic story. Jordan was born Irish-catholic in the beginning of the 1950s and during that time there were rumblings of a unified Ireland; it was a time to end any British rule whatsoever. This film shows a way to glorify, to romanticize those ideals.
The Wind that Shakes the Barley also was a Palme d'Or winner. This films wasn't as openly political as the first in terms of the country of Ireland. Instead, it focused on the effect war had on the small town people who ended up fighting on the front lines. This films could be interpreted as a call for non-violence.
These are only two of the many films that Ireland has produced on the wars that shaped and defined their country. Even today the topic is highly controversial and in a sense not completely final. There is always talk of Northern Ireland joining Ireland as one Irish country and then there is the catholic vs protestant violence that has ceased greatly in recent years but has never completely gone away.
These are only two of the many films that Ireland has produced on the wars that shaped and defined their country. Even today the topic is highly controversial and in a sense not completely final. There is always talk of Northern Ireland joining Ireland as one Irish country and then there is the catholic vs protestant violence that has ceased greatly in recent years but has never completely gone away.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Press Freedom
Every year Freedom House puts out a list of every country's freedom of the press ranking. The index breaks each country down into three categories: free, partially free, and not free. Also, there are three scores that are used to decide on this final decision: political, economical and legal environments.
Ireland had a total score of 15 out of 100 (like golf, the lower the better), ranking them in a tie for 14th with St. Lucia. Like many Western European countries, Ireland scored very high on this index (11 of the countries ahead of Ireland were also Western European countries). Ireland scored a "4" on Legal Environment, which relates to how the laws in the country are set up to ensure and protect freedoms in the press. For Political Environment they received a "6", and that has to do with the amount of influence the government or partisan interest has in controlling the media. Lastly, they scored a "5" in Economical Environment, which relates to the transparency in the media and how much control or dominance the major media outlets have.
Ireland should be look upon very positively with regards to their media control and the relationship it has with their country. Ever since 2002, when the first internet ratings were listed at Freedom House, Ireland has scored favorably and has never left the top 20 in the world rankings. This shows the importance Ireland places on their freedom of the press.
Here is a look at each regions freedoms. Green means free, yellow means partially, and blue means not free.
Ireland had a total score of 15 out of 100 (like golf, the lower the better), ranking them in a tie for 14th with St. Lucia. Like many Western European countries, Ireland scored very high on this index (11 of the countries ahead of Ireland were also Western European countries). Ireland scored a "4" on Legal Environment, which relates to how the laws in the country are set up to ensure and protect freedoms in the press. For Political Environment they received a "6", and that has to do with the amount of influence the government or partisan interest has in controlling the media. Lastly, they scored a "5" in Economical Environment, which relates to the transparency in the media and how much control or dominance the major media outlets have.
Ireland should be look upon very positively with regards to their media control and the relationship it has with their country. Ever since 2002, when the first internet ratings were listed at Freedom House, Ireland has scored favorably and has never left the top 20 in the world rankings. This shows the importance Ireland places on their freedom of the press.
Here is a look at each regions freedoms. Green means free, yellow means partially, and blue means not free.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Traditional Irish Communities
Traditional Irish communities were based around one of the two major agricultural professions of Ireland: fishing and farming. Cities and towns were either built near a port or in the middle of sprawling fields that were used for raising livestock and farming the land. The five biggest cities in Ireland all have become such do to their location having the perfect conditions for both. Dublin, Dun Laoghaire, and Galway are all right on the ocean. Cork and Limerick, although not on the coast, are built on major waterways that run right into the ocean. The fertile soil of these two cities gave the perfect conditions for growing crops.
These days the old traditions of Ireland are slowly fading away. There are many different beliefs as to why this is happening, but the main one is technology. With the far reaching capabilities of the internet, the Irish youth have a very different childhood than their parents did. Traditions such as daily blessings, holiday traditions and special event customs have all slowly deteriorated over the last few decades.
Blessings were a very common thing in Ireland just one generation ago. With the rough history filled with misery and hardship, the Irish have learned to make light of nearly everything. Because of this, they have blessings for nearly everything.
Holiday traditions that have went dormant during the technology age are quite significant. However, it isn't so much that the people of Ireland really stopped what they were doing, instead they went along with the rest of the world and started celebrating like everyone else (most notably the U.S.). St. Patrick's Day use to be a day spent in church and with your family. However, after cities in America began having large, lavish parades in honor of the holiday, Ireland eventually followed suit. The St. Patrick's Day festival is a five day event in Dublin, and the reason it was created wasn't for celebratory purposes, but instead to boost tourism. This "tradition" didn't actually start until 1995.
Easter is another holiday that has drastically changed over the past 20 years. A very sacred day in most of Ireland, Easter brought on many traditions. "Spring Cleaning" use to be something that started with the beginning of lent 40 days before Easter. This was done so that your house would be in top shape for it to be blessed by your priest. The week before Easter would be one of fasting until Easter Sunday. These traditions were practiced by a strong majority of Irishmen, but now is much less frequent.
Irish weddings have an extensive history, preceding even Christianity in Ireland."Tying the knot" originates from the ceremony where a ribbon or cord would be wrapped around the couples' wrists to signify infinity. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" use to have another line that said "And an Irish penny in her shoe." Over time this has been lost.
These days the old traditions of Ireland are slowly fading away. There are many different beliefs as to why this is happening, but the main one is technology. With the far reaching capabilities of the internet, the Irish youth have a very different childhood than their parents did. Traditions such as daily blessings, holiday traditions and special event customs have all slowly deteriorated over the last few decades.
Blessings were a very common thing in Ireland just one generation ago. With the rough history filled with misery and hardship, the Irish have learned to make light of nearly everything. Because of this, they have blessings for nearly everything.
Holiday traditions that have went dormant during the technology age are quite significant. However, it isn't so much that the people of Ireland really stopped what they were doing, instead they went along with the rest of the world and started celebrating like everyone else (most notably the U.S.). St. Patrick's Day use to be a day spent in church and with your family. However, after cities in America began having large, lavish parades in honor of the holiday, Ireland eventually followed suit. The St. Patrick's Day festival is a five day event in Dublin, and the reason it was created wasn't for celebratory purposes, but instead to boost tourism. This "tradition" didn't actually start until 1995.
Easter is another holiday that has drastically changed over the past 20 years. A very sacred day in most of Ireland, Easter brought on many traditions. "Spring Cleaning" use to be something that started with the beginning of lent 40 days before Easter. This was done so that your house would be in top shape for it to be blessed by your priest. The week before Easter would be one of fasting until Easter Sunday. These traditions were practiced by a strong majority of Irishmen, but now is much less frequent.
Irish weddings have an extensive history, preceding even Christianity in Ireland."Tying the knot" originates from the ceremony where a ribbon or cord would be wrapped around the couples' wrists to signify infinity. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" use to have another line that said "And an Irish penny in her shoe." Over time this has been lost.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Northern Ireland vs the Irish Republic
The island that Ireland resides on is split between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is what is commonly referred to as Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Below, the counties in gray belong to the United Kingdom and the counties in green are that of the Irish republic.
In London, on December 6, 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed marking the end of the Irish War of Independence. Where as Northern Ireland still has a great deal of loyalty to the U.K., the Republic has now created its very own culture that has began to separate from its neighbors to the North. The best example of this would be what Ireland has given to the world of Literature.
James Joyce (Dublin), Flann O'Brien (Strabane), Jonathan Swift (Dublin), Oscar Wilde (Dublin), Bram Stoker (Dublin), as well as Nobel Prize winners for Literature William Butler Yeats (Dublin), George Bernard Shaw (Dublin), Samuel Beckett (Dublin) and Seamus Heaney (Mossbawn) all are of Irish origin. The majority of them hail from Dublin making it the unofficial Literature capital of the world.
James Joyce (Dublin), Flann O'Brien (Strabane), Jonathan Swift (Dublin), Oscar Wilde (Dublin), Bram Stoker (Dublin), as well as Nobel Prize winners for Literature William Butler Yeats (Dublin), George Bernard Shaw (Dublin), Samuel Beckett (Dublin) and Seamus Heaney (Mossbawn) all are of Irish origin. The majority of them hail from Dublin making it the unofficial Literature capital of the world.
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| Jonathan Swift |
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| James Joyce |
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Impact of Media Conglomeration
With the ever expanding multinational media conglomeration encompassing nearly every part of media in the world, it is somewhat surprising to find out that Ireland is only minimally affected. The main provider of television and radio media is Raidio Teilefis Eireann which has a substantial lead in both markets over all of its competitors. This could be due largely to the fact that Raidio Teilefis Eireann is a semi-state company. It broadcasts in both English and Irish.
According to the RTE website, the company has a board that is appointed by the Irish government. The head of that board is the director-general, currently Noel Curran. While RTE does have much control over the media market in Ireland, it still does have to occasionally deal with conglomeration due to showing certain television shows from America. Desperate Housewives, the Simpsons, and Grey's Anatomy are just a few of the shows that RTE shows regularly.
According to the RTE website, the company has a board that is appointed by the Irish government. The head of that board is the director-general, currently Noel Curran. While RTE does have much control over the media market in Ireland, it still does have to occasionally deal with conglomeration due to showing certain television shows from America. Desperate Housewives, the Simpsons, and Grey's Anatomy are just a few of the shows that RTE shows regularly.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Irish Newspapers
Ireland is a beautiful island that is located directly west of the United Kingdom. It's population is roughly four and a half million people as of the 2010 census. The capital is Dublin, which is home to a little more than a million people, all of this according to the Infoplease website.
The most widely read newspaper in Ireland is the Irish Independent. It is owned by Independent News & Media PLC, which also owns and operates Sunday World, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent, and The Star. The Sunday Independent sells over a million copies a week, which is very impressive because there is only a 1.25 million households.
The most widely read newspaper in Ireland is the Irish Independent. It is owned by Independent News & Media PLC, which also owns and operates Sunday World, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent, and The Star. The Sunday Independent sells over a million copies a week, which is very impressive because there is only a 1.25 million households.
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