El meu diari: Desil·lusió de la diàspora celta

dilluns, 16 de febrer del 2009

Desil·lusió de la diàspora celta

Ja he esmentat en entrades anteriors que molts irlandesos van haver d’emigrar cap a diferents països cap als anys 80. Ara n’hi ha un munt d’ells dispersos per tot el món, des d’Austràlia fins a Canadà, Estats Units, Centre América, Alemanya...

Alguns d'ells van tornar quan el tigre celta va aparèixer i ara es queixen que no els ha anat bé. Però han tornat per propia voluntat, ningú els va demanar que tornessin, va ser una opció que van tenir. I no els ha sortit bé. Però és que hi ha algun lloc al món on s’hi està bé, ara? El que trobo preocupant és l’ambient que es viu al carrer contra els estrangers, quan parles amb algú i els dius que estàs buscant feina, molts et salten a la defensiva i et diuen que no en trobaré, perquè hi ha molts irlandesos que estan a l’atur, i primer són ells. Alguns parlen de tancar fronteres per “protegir-se” dels forasters. N'hi va haver un que em va dir directament que seria millor que me n'anés al meu país, per "evitar" problemes... I què passarà amb els irlandesos que viuen i treballen a l’estranger? Ells també són estrangers siguin a on siguin fora de l'illa maragda, per la mateixa regla de tres aquests també haurien de tornar, perquè estant treient feina als autòctons.

El Financial Times de London ha recuperat l’acrònim PIGS (en català PORCS, fent referencia a Portugal, Itàlia, Grècia i Spain), per referir-se als països de la perifèria del sud d'Europa que van tenir problemes en el seu moment per entrar a l’eurozona. Una mica de raó sí que tenen, ja que en temps de bonança s’hauria d’haver fet front a problemes estructurals que ara mateix en plena restricció económica ens estan queient a sobre.

Això sí, com a educats que se'ls considera, els anglesos fan servir un eufemisme per no ferir sensibilitats: Club Med... fent referència a la Mediterrània... i és que per molts d’ells només pensen en els països de més avall dels Pirineus com a un lloc per prendre el sol, tan escàs aquí, per menjar bé i beure amb excés a baix preu.
Què haurem de fer nosaltres amb tots aquests jubilats de pell rosa que es compren cases a la Costa Brava o a la Costa del Sol? No deixar que gaudeixin del sol i de la calor que somien tant i que tant troben a faltar? Deixar de donar-los-hi prestació sanitària de franc que aquí han de pagar religiosament 60 euros cada cop que entren en una consulta per fer una simple recepta?

Ara sembla ser que amb tots els problemes que també els estan queient a sobre als irlandesos, el tigre celta es passarà al porc celta i entrarà a formar part dels gran 5 PIIGS. Quines cansalades que en sortiran!

4 comentaris:

carme ha dit...: Oh Ar!!!! Jo també he llegit això a la premsa d'aquí... i saps què? ni tant sols m'he immutat! Les coses estan realment complicades per a tots! Irlànda, pel que jo sé, va aconseguir fer un "salt" endavant, i dic un salt perquè el que va fer va ser extraordinari, no solament va aconseguir fer del país un pol d'atracció sinò que això va significar recuperar una part de la seva població. En aquell moment va ser extraordinari!!!!

I, ara què? Tornem al passat, tornem a tancar les fronteres i a "protegir-nos". Tot allò que en un moment va funcionar, ara no funciona... i què fem? tornem al proteccionisme? al proteccionisme de què?

Ara diu que reformarem l'FMI...Ningú recorda el que va dir en Keynes en el seu moment?!!!!

Sembla que no...; 16 de febrer del 2009, a les 21:37
anna ha dit...: Al final, d'una manera o altra, bé o malament, tot es reajusta. Tot. Tanmateix, a mi em fa gràcia l'expressió "refundar el capitalisme".; 17 de febrer del 2009, a les 13:52
carme ha dit...: Tens tota la raó Anna, "refundar el capitalisme"... Refundar???? Potser s'estan donant les condicions per instaurar un nou ordre... i "alerta" què ningú en mal interpretri! Estic parlant d'un ordre "diferent"!

Hi ha algú que pensi, com jo, que no es tracta de retornar al passat, sinó d'anar al "futur"?; 17 de febrer del 2009, a les 21:02
AR ha dit...: Refundar el capitalisme? Voleu dir flexibilitzar-lo? Jo personalment crec que el liberalisme a llarg termini no és beneficiós, fa que el capital romangui en mans d'uns pocs i contra la gran majoria. D'altra banda, la globalització limita que es puguin fer reformes.Em pregunto, la globalització pot ser reversible? Si és així, estem en camí de la reversió?; 17 de febrer del 2009, a les 22:32

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Ireland's contributions to Rock'n'Roll

Bob Geldof and The Boomtown Rats - Originally formed in Dublin, the Rats are most prominently remembered for the truly darkly comic ode to nihilism "(Tell Me Why) I Don't Like Mondays"; however, their lead singer, Bob Geldof, eclipsed their fame with his starring role in Alan Parker's movie, Pink Floyd: The Wall, and his internationally role as the organizer of Live Aid to combat world hunger.
Horslips - Possibly the first rock band to combine traditional Celtic music with modern rock, Horslips was formed in 1970 and continued to infuse its music with aspects of Irish mythology in concept albums up until the group faded from the scene in 1979.
The Cranberries - Born in the suburbs of Limerick in 1990, The Cranberries (originally called "Cranberry Saw Us") include Dolores O'Riordan, Fergal Lawlor, Noel Hogan and Mike Hogan. The group's music is primarily a fusion of traditional Gaelic folk music with rock'n'roll.
The Pogues - Originally called Pogue Mahone, Gaelic for "Kiss my ass", the band was formed in 1982 when Shane MacGowan (formerly of The Nipple Erectors) fell in with tin whistle player Spider Stacey and Jim Fearnley on guitar to perform their own renditions of some traditional Irish tunes. MacGowan updated their content and sound to later Irish literary renaissance with a smattering of anti-Thatcher politics, and in no time at all they were opening for the Clash.
The Commitments - Spawned from Alan Parker's 1991 film version of Roddy Doyle's eponymous novel about a group of working-class youths who form a band to bring soul music to Dublin, The Commitments performed their own renditions of classic Wilson Pickett, James Brown,Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, and other legends of soul for the film's soundtrack, which immediately became an international bestseller.

Irish Delicacies

Traditional Irish Breakfast - A "traditional" Irish Breakfast includes the foods listed below, cooked to preference. Though tradition really demands that it all be friend in a pan, health/dietary concerns sometimes dictate otherwise. 2 slices Irish Bacon, 1 Irish sausage (also known as a banger), 1 slice black breakfast pudding, 1 slice white breakfast pudding, 1 tomato ( cored), Pepper to taste It's a definite eye-opening delight, even if it does clog the arteries
Guinness cake - Ingredients: 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/4 cups Guinness (not including excess for the cook to sample) , raisins, currants, orange and lemon peel to taste, 5 cups flour, 3 pinches baking soda, pinch each allspice and nutmeg, 3 eggs. Mix butter, sugar, and Guinness in a pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the fruits and peels and simmer for an additional few minutes. Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl, add the spices, fruit, Guinness mixture, and the three eggs, then beat until smooth. Pour into a cake pan and bake for two hours at 325 degrees
Nettle soup- Ingredients: 2 1/2 parts nettles, butter to taste, 1/3 part oatmeal, 3 3/4 parts stock, 1 1/4 parts milk Chop the nettle leaves thoroughly, removing the stalks. Mix butter and oatmeal, heat until golden brown. Add stock, bring to a boil, add milk, bring to a boil, add nettles, and simmer for another ten minutes
Boxty potatoes- Grated raw potatoes, cooked mashed potatoes, flour, melted butter, and baking soda make up boxty pancakes. Mix the grated potatoes with the mashed, adding the rest of the ingredients to make a batter. Then fry gently as pancakes and serve with butter
Coddle- Ham sliced thick, pork sausage, sliced potatoes and onions, parsley, salt and pepper to taste, and two pints of boiling water. Boil the meat for five minutes, strain and reserve. Add with vegetables to an ovenproof dish moistening with reserved liquid from the boiling. Bake at 200 degrees for about an hour and you have yourself coddle
Baked ham- Steep ham overnight in cold water seasoned with cloves and pepper, then remove skin and coat with your choice of sweet breading (one good choice: honey and breadcrumbs with a touch of cloves). Bake in moderate oven for forty minutes in three cups of cider, turning ham over midway through to avoid drying out one side
Colcannon- Cabbage, boiled potatoes, two leeks, a cup of milk, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Mash and mix the potatoes and seasonings, then top with milk before adding cabbage. Pile it into a dish, making a well in the center for a dollop of butter
Irish Stew- Combine lamb chops (cut off the bone), potatoes, onions, carrots, dash of chopped parsley, a pint of water, and salt and pepper to taste. Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for two hours
Corned Beef and Cabbage- Combine the piece of corned beef with the cabbage in a single pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for twenty minutes per pound of beef. Enjoy the aroma during cooking
Irish Soda Bread- Whole meal flour, dash of oatmeal, dash of whole wheat, an egg, a spoon of baking soda, three-quarters pint of buttermilk, dash of regular milk, salt, sugar, raisins, and caraway seeds to taste. Mix as bread and bake at 450 degrees. Fine for dessert, breakfast, or just as a snack

Irish Pub Drinks

Irish Coffee- Sweeten hot black coffee sightly with sugar, add a shot of Irish Whiskey, and top with a shot of heavy cream deftly poured so it floats on top
Shandy- One-quarter lemon soda, three quarters lager of ale
Irish Boilermaker- One shot of Irish whiskey in a mug of lager
Irish Whiskey Straight up- Irish Whiskey by the shot
Black Velvet- One-quarter Champagne, three quarters Guinness stout
Hot whiskey punch- Simmer boiled water with lemon, sugar and cinnamon, mixed with room-temperature Irish whiskey
Stout and Black- Guinness sweetened with blackcurrant syrup
Lager and Black- One half lager, one half Guinness stout
Black and Tan- One half ale, one half Guinness stout
And, of course, just plain Guinness stout, a pint glass served at room temperature with just a touch of foamy head

Sites of Beauty and Wonder

Croagh Patrick, in Murrisk, county Mayo, this mountain has been the site of St Patrick pilgrimages
Mitcheltown Caves located in Burncourt, are believed to be the largest system of river-transformed, limestone caverns in all of Irleand
Newgrange Tumulus, located in county Meath, a burial chamber thought to be over a five thousand years old
Dromberg Stone Circle, between Glandore and Rosscarbery, which dates back to the Bronze Age.
Hill of Tara, located in county Meath, stonehenge-like round stone structure was believe to be the former seat of the High Kings and the capital of Celtic Ireland
Giants Causeway, in Bushmills, basalt rock columns from the foot of a cliff and disappear at sea.
Cliffs of Moher, located in county Clare, afford you a view of the Clare coast, the Aran Islands and county Kerry and Connemara
Ring of Kerry starts in Killarney around to Kenmare