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">
 <video controls="" classname="aspect-video">
 <source src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/video/upload/v1685738576/7kwonders/Celebrating_Life_hru0op.mp4" type="video/mp4">
 Your browser does not support the video tag.
 </video>
</div>&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed">
 <video controls="" classname="aspect-video">
 <source src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/video/upload/v1685738587/7kwonders/Celebrating_Music_fm0zaa.mp4" type="video/mp4">
 Your browser does not support the video tag.
 </video>
</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;

download.jpg

An Irish Medley

Any individual wonder can be touching and beautiful (like the <a href="/blog/merry-christmas">Little Mermaid</a>), or creative and thought-provoking (like the <a href="/blog/vigeland-park">Vigeland Park</a>), or majestic and awe-inspiring (like the starlit <a href="/blog/under-the-stars">Arena di Verona</a> when this ancient amphitheater is hosting a modern opera)…In short, it can be almost anything - “almost”, because there is one notable exception. Namely, no wonder can be truly unique (as in “being the only one of its kind”) - and that includes the Original Seven, as even in antiquity there were other temples, lighthouses, statues, gardens… Judging by the <a href="/blog/irish-pyramids">extant evidence</a>, royal tombs weren't restricted to the Great Pyramid of Giza, either.&nbsp;Notwithstanding the above, most wonders _are_ unique - just in a different way. It's the concept of “alphabet” that helps to understand what exactly puts each such wonder in a class of its own. Mere 26 letters are responsible for about 600,000 words in English alone (and there are as many words - give or take - in each of the other main European languages), and those words have contributed to an endless variety of books, magazines, blogs, articles, and such. Each word consists of “commonplace” letters, and each book/magazine/blog mostly features ordinary words - yet every such piece of literature not guilty of plagiarism is clearly one-off, because its identity is determined by the interplay of words. That - as a whole - is indeed unrepeatable.&nbsp;Words are building blocks of literature - just like, for instance, culinary ingredients are building blocks of cooking. Likewise, wonders have their own “ingredients” whose interplay determines the nature of any given wonder. Some of those ingredients are permanent - location, purpose, modus operandi, time period - &nbsp;and they ensure familiarity. It's the other, less definable category that is aptly called “intangibles” that is responsible for uniqueness. A right intangible thrown into a usual mix, can spice it up enough to turn a common object or experience into a distinct wonder - even if the experience is nothing more than a proverbial walk in the park or a much less proverbial ride in a waterfall…

The Anatomy of Wonders

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”!

ArticleAn Irish Medley

Recent Articles