May 2011 - Irish American News

May 2011 Irish American News “We’ve Always Been Green!” 23The complexity of the Irish psyche is intriguing,especially if you are Irish. Some of us grate againstthe stereotype of the Irish drunken piss artist,whose sole redeeming virtue is being good craic,the jovialness of Irish wit. Some of us, includingmyself, lapse into this persona simply becausethe need to define the complexity of being Irish iseither beyond the other drunk we’re talking to, orit requires too much effort to try and define whatappears to be indefinable.I remember having some friends from Derryvisit me in Chicago. It was their first time in theU.S, and the accent was thick as hard cheese.Being from the north, neither of them had whatmost Americans perceive as the traditional Irishaccent. This became apparent whenever we wouldgo to the pubs. When quizzed as to their origins,Scotland? Maybe Australia? Even England got amention. They would make their retreat to whatis popularly known as Irish. With a smile on theirfaces, and pint in their hand they would in unison,with their best lilt, sing out ‘lucky charms!’ Suddenly,it would become apparent to the listener,they were indeed from the green isle, as illustratedon the box.While stereotypes are often used to reduceus to being two dimensional, and, sometimes,used to justify racism and bigotry, they oftenfall short of what makes us a human being. Eachnationality has characteristics that are part of thenational psyche. When Irish people get together ina foreign land they search for a common language,maybe not as sinister as Freemasons giving eachother the secret handshake, but we each need away to communicate a sense of common heritage,and this is good. We, like other immigrants, wantto feel a connection to what we feel is a deep partof ourselves. Sometimes what drives us towardsthis search for identity is a desire to understandwhat makes us who we are.At one point I thought this was a peculiarlyIrish American trait, but on reflection, I realizedthat even in Ireland, especially in the north,there always was a need to try and discover agreater sense of identity. As a part of the UnitedKingdom, Northern Ireland has a foot in both theAnglo, and Irish world. Our Irish sensibility istempered with affection for English football teams,the benefits of theNational HealthService, and othercolonial attachments.Some ofus relate to ourfellow Irishmenacross the borderas almost half brothers.As part of my own journey, I’m beginning torealize how intangible our sense of identity reallyis. It becomes even more complicated when oneadopts another country as a place of residence.In the six years I’ve lived in the United StatesI’ve enjoyed the diversity of other ethnicities. Ienjoy the daily negotiations as to whether I call ittoma-to, or tomato, whether I spell certain wordswith their redundant ‘u’ vowel, or take the easyway out and go with the flow. Will it be chipsor fries? When I fill up, will it be gas or petrol?Fuel, by any other name would still be as pricey,and in demand.Depending on our life experiences, we are thesum of what happens to us. It is inevitable thatif we’ve never left one place, its stamp on us isalmost indelible. However, the more we movearound, become exposed to others on our cybertravels, the more we lose and gain what makesus, us. Coming from Northern Ireland, whereone’s identity is usually defined in opposition tothe other, it’s nice to see that the other’s cultureis simply a different way of seeing things. Livingin a multi-cultural environment has taught me alot of valuable lessons. Cultural identity is a largepart of who we are. It’s no better or worse thansomeone else’s culture, simply different. Havingan assortment of cultures on your doorstep is aninvitation to learn, share and grow.I was excited to attend a showing of Scotland’sNational Theatre Black Watch. The play has hadstunning reviews, having debuted at Edinburgh’sprestigious Fringe Festival. The play centers ona Scottish regiment of the British during its warin Afghanistan, and Iraq. The theatricality of thepiece is glorious with choreography, and singing.Visually the drama embraces the sights and soundsof war. When the play ended the audience gave astanding ovation. But as people around me got totheir feet, I felt grounded to the floor.Despite the playwright wanting to win unqualifiedsympathy for the young men of this Scottishregiment, I could not stop my mind from thinkingit was much too easy. The author exploited everycliché possible when it comes to war, class differencesbetween officers and privates, criticism ofthe futility of such wars, while glossing over theJoe MonahanSinger/GuitaristIrish/American FolkCountry & Westernmonahanmusic.comlink between the men of Scotland and the English.The after effect of the drama was less satisfyingonce you began to deconstruct the caricaturesdepicted onstage.When I went to share some of my thinkingwith my neighbour, she quickly silenced me with“Don’t tell me. Don’t break the illusion.” Herresponse left me wondering if we simply choosesome stereotypes as a means of legitimizing ourpolitical viewpoints. In some ways this is whereone’s identity as an immigrant can be romanticized,and idealized. Once away from home, we beginto create images of the home country that willalways fail to meet the reality test. We need art toremind us of how complex and contradictory ournatures really are. We are all more than the sumof our national parodies.Profiles Theater 2011-12Profiles, one of Chicago’s longest-runningstorefront theatres, presents its 23rd seasonof new and challenging works, includingthe Midwest premiere of the Broadway hit ABehanding in Spokane by Martin McDonagh;the Midwest premiere of Neil LaBute’s controversial2010 play The Break of Noon revisedexclusively for Profiles Theatre; the Midwestpremiere of the scathing Off-Broadway hitBachelorette by Leslye Headland; and theworld premiere of Deirdre O’Connor’s latestplay, Assisted Living.The 2011-2012 Profiles season includes:A Behanding In SpokaneMidwest PremiereBy Martin McDonaghPreviews: August 26 - 31, 2011Run: September 1 - October 16, 2011Assisted LivingWorld PremiereBy Deirdre O’ConnorPreviews: November 4 - 9, 2011Run: November 10 - December 18, 2011BacheloretteBy Leslye HeadlandMidwest PremierePreviews: January 13 - 18, 2012Run: January 19 - March 4, 2012The Break Of NoonMidwest PremiereBy Neil LaButePreviews March 30 – April 4, 2012Runs April 5 – May 20, 2012For more information about ProfilesTheatre and its 23rd Season, visit www.profilestheatre.org.FINANCIAL PLANNINGCorrigan Financial Services, Inc.Money Concepts Financial Planning CentreEstablished 1980Retirement Planning SpecialistforIndividuals - Families - BusinessInvestment - Tax - Estate PlanningCallMike & Chuck Corrigan(708)482-3800Member International Association for Financial PlanningOnline Only This MonthDue to the large quantity of articlesthis month and the lack of extra space,the Horoscopes column will beonline only.It will be back next month foryour reading pleasure!The BEST inCAREGIVERSHOUSEKEEPERSBABY SITTERSOver 20 years in BusinessWe have solutionsto your specific needsOur pricing and qualityare outstandingCall ElizabethFriendly Domestic Agency773-545-7776Serving the 6 county areareferences on requestO L DORL ANDINSU R A N C EA GEN C Y, INC .Since 1946“We sell Peace Of Mind.”HOME • LIFE • AUTO • HEALTH • BUSINESSALL TYPES OF CONTRACTORS14308 Union Orland Park, IL 604627 0 8 -349- 2 000You’ll LoveOur FloralDispaysgarlandflowers@yahoo.com