Sights and sounds of the Emerald IslandGalway GirlS<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685734883/7kwonders/DSCF_9559_2bc9f31f39.jpg" alt="DSCF9559.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685734882/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_9559_2bc9f31f39.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685734883/7kwonders/small_DSCF_9559_2bc9f31f39.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685734883/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_9559_2bc9f31f39.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685734883/7kwonders/large_DSCF_9559_2bc9f31f39.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">Blarney Talk or Don't You Dare!<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735056/7kwonders/DSCF_0050_a5bbd449dc.jpg" alt="DSCF0050.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735055/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_0050_a5bbd449dc.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735056/7kwonders/small_DSCF_0050_a5bbd449dc.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735056/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_0050_a5bbd449dc.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735056/7kwonders/large_DSCF_0050_a5bbd449dc.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">All The King's Men…in one castle in Limerick<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735374/7kwonders/DSCF_9631_2_3c286a1606.jpg" alt="DSCF9631 (2).JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735374/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_9631_2_3c286a1606.jpg 182w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735374/7kwonders/small_DSCF_9631_2_3c286a1606.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735374/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_9631_2_3c286a1606.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735374/7kwonders/large_DSCF_9631_2_3c286a1606.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">James meets Stephen<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735882/7kwonders/DSCF_8943_e7d04a9207.jpg" alt="DSCF8943.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735882/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_8943_e7d04a9207.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735882/7kwonders/small_DSCF_8943_e7d04a9207.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735882/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_8943_e7d04a9207.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685735882/7kwonders/large_DSCF_8943_e7d04a9207.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">Tricentennial Books<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737731/7kwonders/DSCF_0650_14d67c5326.jpg" alt="DSCF0650.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737731/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_0650_14d67c5326.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737731/7kwonders/small_DSCF_0650_14d67c5326.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737731/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_0650_14d67c5326.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737731/7kwonders/large_DSCF_0650_14d67c5326.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">The Missing Apostrophe<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737856/7kwonders/DSCF_9436_cee821b50d.jpg" alt="DSCF9436.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737854/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_9436_cee821b50d.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737854/7kwonders/small_DSCF_9436_cee821b50d.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737854/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_9436_cee821b50d.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685737854/7kwonders/large_DSCF_9436_cee821b50d.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">At The Edge Of The Known World<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685738103/7kwonders/DSCF_9440_5527932b11.jpg" alt="DSCF9440.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685738103/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_9440_5527932b11.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685738103/7kwonders/small_DSCF_9440_5527932b11.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685738103/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_9440_5527932b11.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685738103/7kwonders/large_DSCF_9440_5527932b11.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">And finally…&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed">
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</div>&nbsp;The ENDP.S The blog will go on vacation as it needs time to transform itself into Volume II of “Traversing The Global Village”.If all goes well, it will return on July 8, 2023&nbsp;

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An Irish Medley

As Neil Sedaka knows all too well, “breaking up is hard to do”. Separation is always challenging, often stressful, and sometimes tragic - be it separating from a friend, a lover, a pet, or the home country. In most cases, it's a forced decision - even though, when it comes to emigration, there is an occasional silver lining in shape and form of professional opportunities or creative self-fulfillment. Partially, EPIC is about all of that, hardships and breakthroughs. Each room is an independent exhibition exploring various reasons for emigration, such as wars, “<a href="/blog/a-man-with-nineteen-names">famine that never was</a>”, ethnic and religious oppression - as well as various incentives. &nbsp;Irish nurses working in English hospitals; Irish doctors saving lives in Indian villages; Irish missionaries building schools in African communities; Irish workers whose “<a href="/blog/Facilitators">sweat built American great cities</a>”… Thousands and thousands of personal stories merging to create a story of the country. Hundreds of facts, figures,<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685139961/7kwonders/DSCF_9196_2_ca6460f6d1.jpg" alt="DSCF9196 (2).JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685139961/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_9196_2_ca6460f6d1.jpg 154w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685139961/7kwonders/small_DSCF_9196_2_ca6460f6d1.jpg 493w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685139961/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_9196_2_ca6460f6d1.jpg 740w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685139961/7kwonders/large_DSCF_9196_2_ca6460f6d1.jpg 987w," sizes="100vw">interactive maps, personal belongings, and historical documents and footages. &nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685140530/7kwonders/DSCF_9180_679d821d77.jpg" alt="DSCF9180.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685140530/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_9180_679d821d77.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685140530/7kwonders/small_DSCF_9180_679d821d77.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685140530/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_9180_679d821d77.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685140530/7kwonders/large_DSCF_9180_679d821d77.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">All that is laced with occasional self-irony<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685144137/7kwonders/DSCF_0310_2_0f1b64b185.jpg" alt="DSCF0310 (2).JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685144136/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_0310_2_0f1b64b185.jpg 212w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685144136/7kwonders/small_DSCF_0310_2_0f1b64b185.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685144136/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_0310_2_0f1b64b185.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685144137/7kwonders/large_DSCF_0310_2_0f1b64b185.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685150639/7kwonders/DSCF_0306_2_889c25822e.jpg" alt="DSCF0306 (2).JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685150639/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_0306_2_889c25822e.jpg 155w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685150639/7kwonders/small_DSCF_0306_2_889c25822e.jpg 496w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685150639/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_0306_2_889c25822e.jpg 745w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1685150639/7kwonders/large_DSCF_0306_2_889c25822e.jpg 993w," sizes="100vw">and multiplied by the scope as the exhibition as a whole covers almost literally every aspect of human daily life - from warfare and politics to science, sports, entertainment, religion and social activism…While all the above (and there is also a perfect balance between Fact and Emotion) provide for a full-fledged wonder in its own right, it also helps to shed light on the wonder mentioned in <a href="/blog/the-irish-emigration-museum-part-1-the-art-of-being-unique">Part I</a> - the phenomenon of celebrating something as sad as emigration. EPIC does a truly breathtaking job of planting a seed of the only possible explanation and letting it grow inside the visitors' minds. It does take time, a lot of it, because once the realization strikes, one literally stops dead in hir tracks - so seemingly impossible but completely logical the explanation is. It's also seminal because it potentially changes the paradigm humankind has cultivated for many centuries. Millions of Irish emigrants have in fact never left Ireland, they extended it! They almost literally rebuilt and recreated their homeland through their language and music, traditional Gaelic sports and typical menus, and many other little but oh-so-Irish things. They brought Ireland everywhere they went - and they stayed in touch with each other, to ensure all those “Irelands” would remain connected. That's what the proverbial soft power is really about - while barbaric countries are trying to impose their will upon others by using brute force of weapons and intimidation, talented nations win the world over by coming in peace and sharing their talent and its creations. Ultimately - by simply being their good old selves and forging connections over time. And when they do, the result is truly EPIC - because that acronym stands for “Every Person Is Connected”!

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The Irish Emigration Museum, Part II: Just EPIC!

It might sound outrageously subjective but I do insist that being unique is indeed an artform - just like music or, say, sculpture. Like with any other art, some artists are more talented than others, and then there is top-talent - those precious few, whose creativity takes one's breath away. Original Titanic tickets are a perfect example of such creativity - an almost unrivaled stroke of genius that emotionally connects the exhibition with everybody who happens to see it, thus providing for an unforgettable “<a href="/blog/a-time-machine">Titanic Experience</a>”. I said, “_almost_ unrivaled” - because of the following touch of sheer inspiration<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1684552372/7kwonders/DSCF_0670_b32cc186dd.jpg" alt="DSCF0670.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1684552371/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_0670_b32cc186dd.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1684552371/7kwonders/small_DSCF_0670_b32cc186dd.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1684552371/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_0670_b32cc186dd.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1684552372/7kwonders/large_DSCF_0670_b32cc186dd.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">A “Visitor's Passport”, imagined and designed by the Irish Emigration Museum. While there are likely some local visitors, many museum guests are foreign travelers dealing with passports firsthand. Receiving one such, together with their admission ticket, prompts them to “suspend their disbelief” and identify with a myriad of characters, whose stories are told in a variety of ways over twenty halls of…well, everything. Fame (and sometimes, infamy), courage, perseverance, luck, hopes and fears of the unknown… Each hall is a distinct space with its own strict agenda - and the Passport (that is also a map) helps the make-believe travelers to both find their way around those spaces and to validate their journey. To do so, they are encouraged to stamp their passport in each and every hall they are about to leave - and the very act of stamping their own passport adds to the experience by allowing an unheard-of degree of control (in reality, it's always some others who stamp our passports and give permissions when it comes to entering a foreign space). The creators of the Passport might well have intended to emphasize that feeling of being in control (in as subtle a way as it may be), because it strengthens the main message necessary for every emigrant to first survive and then succeed: “You are the Master of your Fate!”If the Emigration Museum were pitched against the Titanic Experience in a creative battle of top-talents, the clash of their main weapons - the Passport and the Original Titanic Ticket - would result in a tie as there is no daylight between those two amazing inventions. There is, however, a little extra offered by the Emigration Museum that might serve as a tie-break to tip the scales in its favour. Namely, the Museum admission ticket allows for return visits within a month of the first one - and it has to, because the twenty-halls exhibition is huge, in every sense of the word. There is simply so much to experience that, to truly enjoy it, one has to take hir time, and a lot of it! Even before the experience begins, there is an initially unexpected but nagging question. Considering that whatever people usually celebrate - history, heritage, success or simply way of life - is their own, it's hard not to feel puzzled as to how one can possibly celebrate emigration that is seemingly synonymous to “estrangement through parting ways". Answering that question is, in fact, the Museum's main mission - and the most fascinating part of the experience it provides… &nbsp;

7000 Wonders

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