Timothy Egan is “at it”:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/opinion/egan-the-last-king-of-ireland.html?hp “again”:https://crookedtimber.org/2009/04/02/catechism-of-cliches-irish-economic-collapse-edition/ in the New York Times
Oscar Wilde still lounges, louche-like … a river crossed by bridges named for playwrights and patriots … the clamorous clans of Erin … a bittersweet anniversary. Fifty years ago the last king of Ireland, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, came to the land of his great-grandfather Patrick. … delighted a lyrical people with his wit and his one-liners … charmed old ladies, nuns and schoolgirls …750 years of British occupation enforced by hangman’s noose and cannon. … poor island of farmers, shopkeepers and laborers … Hipsters from Google and Facebook flooded pubs in Dublin’s Temple Bar area and danced to traditional music as mournful as it was infectious. … crucifixes are gone from many homes … What remains, in homes and shops and pubs, are pictures of President Kennedy. … But looking back is always productive. Memory is embedded in every square foot of Irish sod.
It’s as if Thomas Friedman had himself decided to “follow the leapin’ leprechaun”:http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/01/opinion/01friedman.html, hopping swiftly from one cliche to another. Only worse. I don’t know why it is that NYT editors’ critical faculties desert them every time they see a piece singing of the sweetness and the sorrows of the Auld Sod. But I do wish that they’d stop it.
{ 55 comments }
Mrs Tilton 10.18.13 at 4:50 pm
What, no comely maidens dancing at the crossroads?
Phil 10.18.13 at 5:05 pm
“Louche-like”? Like a louche?
Hipsters from Google and Facebook flooded pubs in Dublin’s Temple Bar area and danced to traditional music as mournful as it was infectious
Hell of a mental picture there – what a day that was. We shall not see their like again, to be sure. Seriously, it’s the kind of statement that makes you wonder if the writer has first-hand experience of any of it, the “hipsters from Google and Facebook” included.
Oh, and did he mention the crack? Did he spell it ‘craic’?
Steve LaBonne 10.18.13 at 5:19 pm
Godawful stuff, but are you seriously prepared to defend the proposition that this is the only context in which Times editors lack critical faculties?
Daragh McDowell 10.18.13 at 5:40 pm
I have an interesting relationship with the homeland being born in emigratio and having had to leave myself a few years back. As much as I despise this kind of cheesy paddywhackery, it’s equally, if not more depressing to see how much the domestic tourism industry pulls out the leprechaun-sauce itself. While Friedman will always be Friedman we could do away with a lot of the faith and begorrah by refusing to use it ourselves.
Ronan(rf) 10.18.13 at 6:01 pm
Having an ‘interesting relationship with the homeland’ beause you were ‘born in emigratio’ and have now ‘had to leave’ is the biggest cliche of them all ! ; )
Daragh McDowell 10.18.13 at 6:12 pm
@5 True enough. I’m also blessed with a charming, if cynical outlook on life, and an alcohol problem that is under just enough control to be considered romantic… Anyone else want to chime in?
In the sky 10.18.13 at 6:53 pm
I thought hipsters avoided Temple Bar since it became famous and hipstery.
roy belmont 10.18.13 at 7:16 pm
Irish sod?
Anarcissie 10.18.13 at 7:45 pm
Well I would suggest they gather all the clichés into a nice book and have it illustrated by Kate Beaton. Then they would not have to do it again and again in their rag, for they would have all gone on to a Better World.
marcel 10.18.13 at 8:39 pm
Roy Belmont @ (currently, this being CT) 8:
I’m not sure what to make of your question. Are you implying that the phrase has an internal redundancy because all the Irish are sods? Or all sods are Irish? Or that it is internally contradictory because no true Irishman is a sod? Which do you mean?
Bloix 10.18.13 at 8:53 pm
In passing through Dublin Airport this summer I saw posters hawking The Gathering with big side-by-side photos of JFK, Martin Sheen, and Enda Kenny. So you can’t say they’re not asking for it.
Niall McAuley 10.18.13 at 9:36 pm
There has been a lot of fuss this year about “The Gathering”, a tourism marketing drive which is either an opportunity to connect the Irish Diaspora with their real cultural roots or an attempt to shake them down for a few dollars now that we’re broke again, depending on who you believe.
I was amused to read of a similar effort , An Tóstal, in the 1950s, and the author of the original CofC, Myles na gCopaleen’s trenchant opinions on it.
Nine 10.18.13 at 10:25 pm
That Tom Friedman column is a real beaut on several different dimensions. Leprechauns, “anglo-saxon model”, vacationing franco-germans, newly enterprisisng eastern europeans – by the blood of cuchulainn , it’s got everything !
garymar 10.18.13 at 11:12 pm
Is there a Blarney Stone in there somewhere?
roy belmont 10.18.13 at 11:18 pm
marcel-
Wilde’s fame rests in no small measure on his prosecution for “gross indecency”, called thus because no one in authority could accuse him of sodomy.
Because they would have had to say that. And they couldn’t. In public.
He was Irish. And a sodomite. Embedded so.
dsquared 10.18.13 at 11:42 pm
Nobody was prepared to say in public that Oscar Wilde was a somdomite? Are you one hundred per cent sure of that?
roy belmont 10.19.13 at 1:08 am
Having no personal reference resources that could answer that question definitively, I’m forced to rely on cursory scans of the first ten or so search returns, wherein is something to the effect that “buggery” was the preferred term.
Wilde himself self-described gleefully. But I meant in court. The people who legally smacked him down.
The term was widely used. Plausibly some stalwart soul or souls in 19th c. British public life could’ve been heard to be venting loudly and clearly “Sodomite, sodomite, damned sodomite”… all the live-long day, somewhere.
But if you’d like to debate my obviously intended point – the clenched reluctance-to-the-point-of-inability of “public” figures to use “sodomite” in official speech, bring it.
John Quiggin 10.19.13 at 1:09 am
From Niall’s link, this Myles gem “Here we had Cathleen Ni Hooligan in person.”
P O'Neill 10.19.13 at 1:31 am
Just last week, Brooklyn hipsters were reading in the NYT that there’s never been a better time to buy an Irish castle. Maybe the cliches add to the appeal.
On the other hand, maybe we should be glad of Egan’s attention. For globetrotting pundits looking for pleasing tales of economic crash and redemption, Latvia is where it’s at.
Henry 10.19.13 at 3:04 am
dsquared is referring to Lord Alfred Douglas’ papa …
Matt Austern 10.19.13 at 3:13 am
And used the appropriate spelling for that reference.
maidhc 10.19.13 at 3:36 am
Is it still possible to bribe small children in Dublin to gather at public events and shout “We want bread!”? I presume it would take more than pennies these days. But still it might almost be worth the expense.
Chris Mealy 10.19.13 at 4:04 am
I wish you English-speaking Europeans would write about the Pacific Northwest once in a while so we could get a chance to make fun of you back. Ok, there’s Jonathan Raban, but he’s not that bad.
John Quiggin 10.19.13 at 6:26 am
@P O’Neill I was prompted to take a look at Latvia’s GDP stats. Most of the snark between Krugman and others has related to the period since 2007 – Latvia has yet to regain its 2007 GDP. But it turns out that the much-touted growth in the years leading up to 2007 did little more than regain the ground lost in the transition from communism
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/RGDPNALVA666NRUG
Granted, Soviet-era GDP was overstated in various ways. Still the performance is no better than that of Russia, and only marginally better than that of Ukraine, which doesn’t feature in anyone’s list of star performers
novakant 10.19.13 at 7:32 am
I’ve been to Ireland probably 50 times now and moved in all sorts of circles, but I’ve never, ever seen a picture of president Kennedy.
Daragh McDowell 10.19.13 at 1:16 pm
@novakant – Really? I’ve generally found we’re pretty big on exploiting the Kennedys whenever the opportunity arises. That’s not to mention the new sign in Moneygall advertising at as Obama’s ancestral homeland, or that a big part of our adoption Martin Sheen (formerly Ramon Estevez) has to do with our love for the devoutly Catholic, Notre Dame alum and, most importantly, liberal Democrat president Jed Bartlett. I’m actually surprised that Biden doesn’t get more love back home, but I suppose when you’ve already got a few POTUSes (Potii?) the Veep is kind of a step down. Point being, the idea of the ‘leader of the free world’ somehow coming from our green and pleasant land tends to make us very excitable.
Daragh McDowell 10.19.13 at 1:16 pm
@novakant – Really? I’ve generally found we’re pretty big on exploiting the Kennedys whenever the opportunity arises. That’s not to mention the new sign in Moneygall advertising at as Obama’s ancestral homeland, or that a big part of our adoption Martin Sheen (formerly Ramon Estevez) has to do with our love for the devoutly Catholic, Notre Dame alum and, most importantly, liberal Democrat president Jed Bartlett. I’m actually surprised that Biden doesn’t get more love back home, but I suppose when you’ve already got a few POTUSes (Potii?) the Veep is kind of a step down. Point being, the idea of the ‘leader of the free world’ somehow coming from our green and pleasant land tends to make us very excitable.
rea 10.19.13 at 5:27 pm
Oscar Wilde had the Marquess of Queensbury (his lover’s father) prosecuted for libel for leaving a calling card at Wilde’s club, inscribed: “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite” (the Marquess wasn’t very good at spelling). This, in due course, led to Queensbury’s acquittal and Wilde’s conviction and imprisonment for gross indecency. So, to say no one accused Wilde of sodomy is no exactly accurate.
rea 10.19.13 at 5:36 pm
And I will add, the reason for prosecuting him and other gay men for “gross indecency” rather than the seperate crime of sodomy was twofold:(1) conviction of sodomy required proof of anal penetration, while gross indecency could be proved by showing any sexual conduct, and (2) gross indecency was a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 2 years in prison, while sodomy was a capital offense.
Ronan(rf) 10.19.13 at 5:42 pm
I have to agree with novakant, I’ve never come across a picture of JFK in someone’s house. I mean where would you put it?
P O'Neill 10.19.13 at 5:45 pm
Next to the picture of Dev or Collins.
Ronan(rf) 10.19.13 at 5:48 pm
Or in between the pictures of Dev and Collins
Niall McAuley 10.19.13 at 5:58 pm
Dev and Collins on the same wall? That’s some quare house!
No, JFK goes to the left of the Sacred Heart picture and it’s flickery electric candle bulb, with the BVM next, and then one and only one of Dev or Collins on the right.
Ronan(rf) 10.19.13 at 6:06 pm
We have Jim Sheridan next to the BVM, (after Get Rich or Die Tryin’), but are thinking of updating before the new year
At the minute we’re thinking an old mahogany bed thats been in the family for a few generations..
godoggo 10.19.13 at 6:18 pm
I was wondering if the placement might be equivalent the giant Scarface poster in a Mexican family’s house (generally in a different room from the humongous crucifix), but I suspect this might be a different sensibility.
John Quiggin 10.19.13 at 6:33 pm
On my sole visit to Ireland 25 years ago, a B&B we stayed in had a picture of JFK. But the owners were Kennedys themselves, so I didn’t assume this was the general thing.
LizardBreath 10.19.13 at 6:36 pm
I understand from my parents that in Irish households in Queens in the early 60’s, traditionally one had a plaster bust of JFK on the television, rather than a picture.
Niall McAuley 10.19.13 at 7:55 pm
Is that (A plaster bust of JFK on the television) or ((a plaster bust of JFK)on the television) ?
Niall McAuley 10.19.13 at 8:04 pm
Hmm, still ambiguous. The first option should be (a plaster bust of (JFK on the television)).
I remember the days when you could put things on the television, before even 3D TVs were 2D.
Our cat used to sit up there on the “light oak” cabinet, soaking up all the radiation which would be terribly bad for our eyes if we ever got that close while it was on. Except when Gerrit Van Gelderen was on, then the cat used to come down to watch the wildlife. Not that he got excited by it; he remained cool, ever since that time as a kitten when he attacked the screen to catch a duck and we all laughed at him.
That wasn’t going to happen twice.
marcel 10.19.13 at 8:18 pm
Novakant @ 19:
That wasn’t going to happen twice.
Your cat is apparently a faster learner than elected GOoPers, at least according to Senator McConnell
roy belmont 10.19.13 at 9:09 pm
Thank you, Henry, and rea.
Well schooled am I now, having been to Ireland only once and that for scant minutes, and neither well versed in the act(s) in question, and herewith treated to the learnings of my betters. Humbled, even.
However.
I still think it’s apt to mention the outrage directed at Wilde was muffled and diverted by the path0l0gical constraints of Victorian prudery and delusional moral sensibility. That he was fueled and famed by it mostly at least til the end there is well and entertaining good, but many less gifted lives and minds were broken irrecoverably by those same outraged prudes and their strictures.
And we’re still struggling with things whose names dare not be spoken.
Ronan(rf) 10.19.13 at 11:17 pm
Roy Belmont
I, for one, have greatly appreciated your reinterpretation of the phrase ‘the auld sod’
Honestly
Katherine 10.20.13 at 1:42 am
Oscar Wilde had the Marquess of Queensbury (his lover’s father) prosecuted for libel… This, in due course, led to Queensbury’s acquittal
Not that it matters much in the present conversation, but Oscar Wilde didn’t have anyone prosecuted for libel, he sued. There was no ‘acquittal’ – he just lost. That part of the story was all a matter of civil law. His losing the libel case then lead to the criminal prosecution.
bad Jim 10.20.13 at 5:28 am
I seem to recall reading that von Neumann (or another of his ilk) advised Turing to move to the U.S., where his proclivities would be less likely to lead to prosecution.
daNr 10.20.13 at 2:03 pm
So where does a prospective visitor find a guide to Ireland that doesn’t delve into stereotypes ?
Ronan(rf) 10.20.13 at 2:34 pm
I actually recently happened to read a book that Rebecca Solnit wrote (A book of migrations) a decade or two ago (because Rebecca Solnit should always be read) about this topic, and its pretty good
Perhaps a little dated now
novakant 10.20.13 at 2:42 pm
Joseph O’Connor isn’t above using the odd stereotype in his “Irish Male” books, but they are generally well observed and described stereotypes – also funny.
P O'Neill 10.20.13 at 3:19 pm
The FT’s Matthew Engel does an excellent job with the visitor writer perspective on Ireland, including in getting off the beaten track — you don’t read about Google hipsters in Temple Bar in his stuff. Unfortunately the pieces are too few and paywalled, but if you can get past the wall, this one — on Church decline in Cavan — is a nice example.
DaveL 10.21.13 at 12:22 am
I was in Ireland in August and there was (from those who would profit from it) worry that The Gathering wasn’t doing what they had hoped. I remarked that I hadn’t even heard of it until it was mentioned in Ireland and our visit was totally coincidental. (I’m about 1/4+ Irish but aside from that it was convenient to our schedules and a place hadn’t been, so …)
It is absolutely a given that the Boston Globe picked up Egan’s ridiculous screed and reprinted it this weekend. No one in Ireland that we met or talked to mentioned JFK, much less had a picture of him anywhere. FWIW, we did see graffiti about evil bankers here and there, even in Temple Bar. Mostly Irish people we talked to seemed morose about how the good times had ended, and many remarked that the Irish were responding in their time-testing way by emigrating, mostly to Australia.
Atticus Dogsbody 10.21.13 at 3:03 am
by emigrating, mostly to Australia.
I’m cool with that, so long as they renounce James Joyce on arrival. The Irish must pay for forcing him down the throats of an unsuspecting world!
Alex K. 10.21.13 at 8:12 am
The NYT is clichéd all over so the relevant question is, is there much truth in these Éireann clichés? I suspect there is, although opinion seems divided on the St. JFK statues. If you’re looking for time-tested, thick, seriously dated clichés, there’s always coverage of Russia or China.
ajay 10.21.13 at 10:01 am
So where does a prospective visitor find a guide to Ireland that doesn’t delve into stereotypes ?
Ideally, that piece should have been written in the Flann O’Brien “catechism of cliches” style.)
sanbikinoraion 10.21.13 at 10:23 am
Just to add to the anecdata, I too was in Dublin recently and only heard of “The Gathering” when we arrived at the airport. If this is a marketing strategy it’s a pretty damn poor one.
(We also went to the Temple Bar pub in Temple Bar. At EUR6.50 a pint I bloody hope they’re making some money fleecing the tourists.)
Ronan(rf) 10.21.13 at 2:03 pm
@53
Yeah, the The Licensed Vintners Association are a noxious presence in Irish society. Should we live long enough to see their demise etc..
mollymooly 10.24.13 at 10:14 pm
On the 50th anniversary of JFK’s Irish visit, there were indeed some Official events , which RTE, the state broadcaster, and The Irish Times, the newspaper of record, dutifully covered. It was cheap summer filler material.
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