Sa Bhaile Arís

Sa Bhaile Arís: The Changing Face of the Irish Cultural Landscape explores the role that traditional culture plays in a globalized world. Historically, Ireland is a land divided. Urban vs. rural, Catholic vs. Protestant, Gaeltacht vs. English-speakers, native Irish vs. immigrants. These divisions manifest socially and physically in a variety of manners. In addition to these internal conflicts, the layering on of external influences (the Vikings, the British, the formation of the European Union) has created a strange confluence of customs, each diffusing into the Irish psyche a little bit at a time. This book provides a subjective examination of this phenomenon, as interpreted by an American woman of mixed racial background living in the west of Ireland. The study of a culture in flux is never concrete, but it is the subtleties brought to light by outsiders aware of their surroundings that can start a conversation not always apparent to natives.