"One of the greatest things in human life is the ability to make plans. Even if they never come true - the joy of anticipation is irrevocably yours. That way one can live many more than just one life."

Maria Trapp-The Story of the Trapp Family Singers - Ch. 12 p. 4

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

- St. Augustine

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

My Husband is Irish?

As I've mentioned before, I do a lot of reading before going on any big trip. I'm reading or listening to audiobooks of novels set in Ireland, historical novels of Ireland, histories of Ireland, biographies of Irish leaders and more. It's all Ireland, all the time at the Hayes house. 

Now, I know you cannot understand a place or its people from just reading books. And Americans have the reputation of making multitudinous unfounded assumptions about the Irish. All that being possible, still I find the more I read, the more I'm coming to think that my husband was only accidentally born an American. I think he was supposed to be Irish. 

Let's think. The Irish, by all accounts -
tell their history in stories
love music and sing for any reason or no reason at all
love to talk
turn everyday occurrences into epic stories
find pleasure and satisfaction in the mundane, everyday things of life (probably because their larger place in history is just too defeating & sad)
did I mention talk alot?
love Guinness
run deep
love earthy things
know their neighbors' stories
love people

Does this sound like anyone we know? 

I'm mean really - Doug may have been born the typical, Beaver Cleaver American boy, but I think it was all just a cover up. He really comes from another country, and I may never get him home again! 

3 comments:

  1. Very Funny! (The Hidden Irish One)

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  2. I came a most startling realization today: I may actually be Irish after all!

    While reading (listening to actually) one of the many books I am trying to get through before our trip, Ireland, by Frank Delaney (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/90360.Ireland) I heard a story of the the conquest of Ireland in the 12th century by the Normans. The Normans are the ones that are said to have come to Ireland and became more Irish than the Irish (of course, I don't really knows what that means).

    In this story, Delaney listed about 25 names that are commonly found in Ireland today that are of Norman origin. Hayes is one of those names.

    At first this was somewhat disturbing to me because the Normans are often associated with France. Now, as anyone that knows me well understands, I'm not a great admirer of the French. But the story made clear that these Normans came from Wales. Thus, I am not of French-Norman-Irish descent, but I'm actually Welsh-Norman-Irish.

    And so, as my dear Amy has suspected all along, I'm actually man in who's blood flows Irishness.

    Doug the Irish Man!

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