Juli 2012 Inhalt

Dublin

Juli 2012 Inhalt

Wochenprogramm...... 2

The Dublin Diary...... 3

Short Presentations...... 10

A brief History of Dublin: From the Vikings to the English...... 10 Dublin today: Facts, Figures, Trivia...... 12 The General Post Office...... 13 The Garden of Remembrance: Ireland’s Fight for Independence ...... 14 A Walk in Howth...... 15 The Gaelic Language: A Crash Course...... 16 Irish Folklore: Myths and Legends...... 17 Irish Folklore: Music and Dance...... 19 Religion in Ireland: St Patrick and Catholicism ...... 20 Dublin, a City of Literary Tradition ...... 21

Interviews...... 22

Favourites Spots of the Locals in Dublin...... 22 Travelling of the Irish people ...... 23 Fashion in Dublin ...... 24 The Best Beer in Ireland ...... 25 The School System in Ireland...... 26

Modern Dubliners: Creative Writing...... 27

Charity...... 27 Chastity ...... 29 Diligence ...... 31 Humility - Orange Sparks ...... 33 Impatience...... 35 The Lonesome...... 38 Temperance ...... 40

1 1912 - DUBLIN - 2012

Arbeitswoche der Klasse MW5i

Wochenprogramm

Sonntag, 1. Juli: Anreise, Bezug des Hotels, Rundgang nördlich des Liffey (General Post Office, Garden of Remembrance, Smithfield), Beginn der Gruppenarbeiten, gemeinsames Abendessen im Pub

Montag, 2. Juli: 10:30 Besuch des Trinity College City Walk Creative Writing: Modern Dubliners Gruppenarbeiten

Dienstag, 3. Juli: 10:30 James Joyce Walking Tour and Workshop Abstecher nach Howth Creative Writing: Modern Dubliners Gruppenarbeiten

Mittwoch, 4. Juli: Ausflug an die Küste nach Dun Laoghaire und Sandycove zum Martello Tower Nachmittag zur freien Verfügung Gemeinsames Abendessen, The Irish House Party

Donnerstag, 5. Juli: Gruppenarbeiten Abschluss Präsentation der Ergebnisse der Arbeitswoche Guinness Walk Besuch des Guinness Storehouse

Freitag, 6. Juli: Heimreise

2 The Dublin Diary

Sunday, July 1st

Of course, Waking up at 5 am was way too early. However, it was worth it. After meeting at the airport at 7.30 am and checking in we finally took off. Even though it was the first flight for Lia, she wasn't nervous at all instead she slept through the whole flight. Two hours later the sun welcomed us in Dublin, Ireland. Fortunately, we didn't have any troubles finding our bags so we took the transfer which brought us to our hotel in the northern part of Dublin. After leaving our luggage at the hotel we went off to see the Garden of Remembrance. There Dennis told us some basic and funny facts about Dublin. Sometime later Alex and Michael Stucki introduced us to the topic of Irish independence. Apparently the presentation was so good that even an elderly gentleman joined us. After the trip we were all quite hungry and the teachers led us go to grab lunch. Most of us enjoyed an Asian all you can eat buffet for just 7 euros. It was delicious and quite filling. After lunch we had some time left to enjoy ourselves. The girls took off to go shopping being in a fabulous mood due to the low prices while the boys probably did the same. All together again, we walked along the Liffey which is a rather dirty river. At least most of us thought so. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at one of the Irish tourist shops called Car- roll’s to buy some typical Irish souvenirs.

At the hotel we all had time to relax a little and to regain energy to be prepared for the EM Final 2012 which we were watching at a typical Irish pub. Spain vs. Italy!! While the most of us were cheering for Spain we still had some true Italian followers which were eager to win. UNFORTUNATELY, Italy couldn't manage to score any goal and lost against Spain down to 4. Poor Mr. Sottile...

3 Monday, July 2 nd

At 8 am almost all of us managed somehow to get out of bed and meet to eat breakfast. Then we went to the General Post Office in Dublin where Kees and David started off with a presentation about it. After that, Jeremiah told us something about the statue in the front hall of the post office and the legend behind it. There, many took the chance to buy stamps to send a postcard back home. On the way to the Trin- ity College we stopped by a supermarket to get lunch and went by the red-light district which was surprisingly one of the prettier districts of Dublin. At the Trinity College itself we had a guided tour leading us all around the campus. We even had the chance to go inside of one of the teaching buildings which looked exactly like the entrance hall of Hogwarts. Also, we got to see the book of Kells and the impressive library which is at least as good as the one in St Gallen if not better. Our guide told us two very interesting points. The first was about the two identical side buildings of the college. One is a chapel where also celebrations are hold. The other is the exam hall. Ac- cording to the current students but also to the ones that have already graduated the exam hall is hell while the chapel is heaven. The other point is a legend. It talks about the old principal of the college. He was supposed to have said that he would just let girls into the college over his dead body. Sometime later he died and it is said that his body was buried beneath the only girl’s entrance of the college. By the time we finished it started pouring out of nowhere like crazy. Now we know how it feels like to be Irish. The last stop of the day brought us to a beautiful park where Myllena presented her knowledge about the Irish literature. It was noticeable that Myllena admires Irish literature and that she truly knows who James Joyce is.

4 Tuesday, July 3rd

After breakfast we went to the James Joyce Centre, where a workshop and a guided tour waited for us. Divided into two groups, one group started with the James Joyce tour while the others started with a workshop about "The Dead" from Dubliners. The guided tour lasted about an hour and then we changed the activity. The main opinion was that the workshop was better than the tour because one could see how James Joyce connected several elements from Dublin within Dub- liners. We could recognize things we didn't thought of yet, this was mainly due to the unknown geographic influence of Dublin in Dubliners. On the way to the rail station to go to Howth we grabbed some lunch. Arrived at Howth we started a long walking journey guided by Oliver and Daniel. At the beginning we had a nice view at the sea. Unfortunately, when we made our way to the top of the hill it started pouring like hell and we couldn't take the way near the cliff. We had to take the paved way going through the suburbs. Therefore, we weren't able to see anything from the coast just some expensive housing. At the end of our three hour wet walking tour we were all glad to arrive at the train station in Howth. However, we lost three of us but they returned eventually. At the hotel everyone was exhausted by the long journey and relaxed a bit to regain energy for the evening program. After waiting for our teachers a little bit Mr Sottile got the tickets for the Irish House Party and after another half an hour we went inside to enjoy typical Irish folklore music. It was very interesting and many of us really liked to listen to a very different kind of music. Some of us especially enjoyed the tap dance showed by one of the Irish House Party members.

5 Wednesday 4th July

After Breakfast our teachers decided to give us free time the whole day to work on our Modern Dubliners Stories which we write in small groups of three or four students. Instead most of us decided to start with another shopping tour. In the evening we met for a short presentation in the hotel lobby to read from our diary.

6 7 Thursday 5th July

This day we left the hotel early in the morning to take the train to Sandycove. There we had a walking tour guided by Lukas and Luka. It was a wonderful day and with the sun it was quite hot. During our tour we admired the big beautiful houses with their huge gardens. There it didn’t really looked if Ireland would be in a financial crisis. When we came close to the sea some of us, mostly the boys, planned to have a swim. Unfortunately, the water was extremely cold. Some of us relaxed in the sun, some took a footbath and the really hard ones went swimming. Especially the boys liked that there was a photo shooting with two female models at the same place, just behind some rocks. Some hundred meters away there was a Ben&Jerries ice cream truck. There we get some free ice cream because they were on an advertising tour. On the train back to Dublin, this time we were complete, we all were really tired. In the afternoon we visited the Guinness Store House. Some were very interested in the museum and some others just enjoyed the breath-taking, 360 degree view from the tower, where you could look over the whole of Dublin, drinking a cold Guinness. Because it was our last evening in Dublin we all went eating in a delicious Italian restaurant.

Friday 6th July

At eight o’clock in the morning we had to be ready with our luggage in the hotel lobby. Surprising- ly, everybody was on time and we had to wait for Mister Sottile. The double-decker bus drove us directly to the airport. Unhappily we had to wait one full hour till we could check in. That was quite uncomfortably because we all were very tired after this informative, diversified, exciting, interesting, wet but also sunny and brilliant week. During the flight many of us slept. Back home in

8 Zürich we all said goodbye and went home in a happy but tired mood. The working week was a great success and we enjoyed the time in Dublin.

9 A Brief History of Dublin: From the Vikings to the English

The name Dublin comes from the Gaelic dubh linn or “black pool” - where the Poddle stream met the River Liffey to form a deep pool at Dublin Castle. The city's modern name - Baile Áth Cliath – means the “town of the ford of the hurdles”. Ireland's four principal routeways converged at a crossing place made of hurdles of interwoven saplings straddling the low-tide Liffey. 837 AD – 917 AD: In 837, sixty Viking longships attacked churches round the Poddle and Liffey es- tuary, and the invaders made a permanent settlement in 841. 917 – 1014: Dublin was the Viking world’s largest city and traded from Iceland to Constantinople. The first genuine ruler of all Ireland - High King, Brian Boru - was rebelled against by Dublin Vikings and the Leinster Irish. With the aid of Vikings, Brian crushed his foes, then was himself slain, in an epic battle at Clontarf in 1014. 1014 – 1170: The Vikings adopted Christianity and founded Christ Church Cathedral. In 1169, the deposed Irish King MacMurrough sought help from south-west Wales Normans who, under their leader Richard FitzGilbert de Clare (Strongbow), seized Dublin. 1171 – 1399: In 1171 Henry II landed with a great army, and made Dublin the capital of the Nor- mans' Irish territory and the heart of the Norman and English colony. Christ Church was rebuilt in the Gothic style and work began on St Patrick’s Cathedral. In 1317 Scottish King Robert the Bruce and brother Edward failed to take the city, but much destruction ensued. In1348 the city was gripped by the Black Death. 1399 – 1603: English royal control of Ireland shrank during the 14th and 15th Centuries to coastal towns and an area round Dublin known as the Pale. From 1485-1603 the city played a crucial role when Tudor monarchs undertook a reconquest. In 1603 The Earl of Tyrone submitted and, for the first time, the Crown won control of the entire island. 1603 – 1660: English monarchs decided Ireland should become Protestant. Christ Church and St Patrick’s were taken over and restored. English Civil War broke out in 1642 and many citizens joined the Gaelic Irish rebellion which had begun the year before. Eventually the forces of Parlia- ment prevailed, and defeated royalists and the Irish besieged Dublin at Rathmines in 1649. Oliver Cromwell landed thirteen days later to begin the relentless subjugation of the country. 1660 – 1691: A remarkable period of recovery began and, between 1610-1683, the population rose from 26,000 to 58,000. Instability returned when James II, chased from England, arrived in Ireland via France in 1689. He was given an enthusiastic reception in Dublin but, after defeat by William of Orange at the Boyne in 1690, returned to France. 1691 – 1798: A long peace followed William III’s victory, and Dublin became the British Empire's second largest city. By the middle of the 18th Century, the population was close to 130,000. A magnificent new parliament house (now the Bank of Ireland) was built in 1728 and a splendid gateway and façade for Trinity College completed in 1759 – making College Green the social hub of Dublin. 1798 – 1900: Rebellion by the United Irishmen in1798. The authorities kept the insurrection out of Dublin but the revolt convinced Westminster to close the Dublin Parliament, and the 1801 Act of Union saw Ireland ruled from London. The aristocracy slowly deserted and, while it continued to grow, the city endured severe economic difficulties. Destitute victims of the Great Famine poured into Dublin from 1845-1850.

10 1900 – 1923: At the outbreak of WWI, the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Citizen Ar- my prepared rebellion. The insurrection began on Easter Monday 1916 and was eventually put down, leaving much of the city centre around the General Post Office reduced to rubble. During the War of Independence, beginning in 1919, much guerrilla fighting took place in the streets, and in May 1921 the Irish Republican Army burned the Custom House. The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty made Dublin the capital of the Irish Free State. Disagreement over the terms of the Treaty result- ed in civil war which began when Free State troops bombarded the Four Courts and buildings in O’Connell Street. The anti-Treaty IRA called a truce in the spring of 1923. 1923 – 1965: Dublin remained an elegant but somewhat impoverished city - the capital of a state which, in stages, severed its last links with the British Empire in the 1930s and 1940s and became a republic in 1949. Ireland's 1st Taoiseach (or Prime Minister) Eamon de Valera kept the state - re- named Éire in 1937 - out of WW2. Incidentally, Ireland's first leader, or President of the Executive Council, was WT Cosgrave (1922-32). 1965 – 1991: A long era of peace, with trade agreements with Britain in 1965 and the joining of the Common Market in 1973 heralding spectacular – if uneven – city growth. In 1963, four months before his assassination, President Kennedy visited Ireland. In 1979 Pope John Paul ll - the first reigning Pope to visit Ireland - celebrated mass in front of one million people at Phoenix Park. In 1985 the Irish and British governments signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement giving the Republic of Ireland a consultative role in the NI government. In 1988 Dublin celebrated its Millennium and became European Capital of Culture in 1991. 1990s-present: From the 1990s, the Celtic Tiger economy boomed and many ex-pats – or Irish Diaspora – returned home. House prices vied with those in London, and international music success, from Ireland’s 7th Eurovision Song Contest win (and the birth of Riverdance) to the global domination of rock band U2, further cemented Ireland's new culture of cool. In 1990 Mary Robin- son became the first female President of Ireland and was succeeded in1997 by current President, Belfast-born Mary McAleese. The feel-good factor spread into sport; back in 1987, cyclist Stephen Roche had won the Tour De France, Ireland beat Italy in the 1994 US World Cup Finals and runner Sonia O'Sullivan won World Championship gold in1995 and Olympic silver in 2000. In 2002 the Euro replaced the Punt as Ireland's currency.

11 Dublin today: Facts, figures, trivia

Trinity College, the ancient Dublin university set up at the request of Queen Elizabeth I, has had some memorable graduates including Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and, surprisingly, Bram Stoker, creator of Dracula. The most famous Irish alcoholic drink, Guinness, is brewed in the heart of Dublin at the brewery founded by Arthur Guinness in 1759. Guinness purchased the existing brewery and secured what would now be thought of as a sweetheart deal. He leased the premises for a 45 pound annual rent. The lease will not expire for a few years, as it was taken out for 9000 years. One of the main crossing points of the river Liffey which divides Dublin is the O'Connell Bridge which is a curiosity because it is the only traffic bridge in Europe which is wider than it is long. This present concrete structure was built in 1863, replacing a wooden bridge built in 1801. Amazingly, prior to that time, O'Connell Bridge was a rope structure that could only carry one person and a donkey at a time. The Ha'penny Bridge, another of Dublin's many river crossings, is so called because there was a toll of one half penny to cross it. Dublin Zoo is one of Europe's oldest. It has a great reputation for breeding lions in captivity. In fact, the familiar lion who roars politely at the start of every MGM movie was born in Dublin Zoo in 1927. His name was Cairbre. Dublin has made a strong contribution to contemporary music history. Artists whose careers took off from here include U2, the Corrs, Westlife, Sinead O'Connor, Chris de Burgh and, of course, Bob Geldorf. Traditional Irish groups with a world-wide reputation include the Chieftains and the Dub- liners. Pertaining to the classical composers, Dublin can boast that George Frederic Handel gave the first performance of The Messiah in Dublin in 1742. St Valentine's Day is widely celebrated as the day for lovers. The remains of St Valentine are to be found in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church on Aungier Street in Dublin. Dublin has produced a fine crop of writers, poets and playwrights. George Bernard Shaw, playwright and wit, lived here. He is the only person to have received both a Nobel Prize for Literature and an Oscar. The play was Pygmalion which, of course, became My Fair Lady. James Joyce, who introduced the world to the stream of consciousness novel, with his Ulysses, is widely celebrated in Dublin. A museum is dedicated to his life and works, his house is identified, and it is possible to take a walking tour around all of the Dublin sites mentioned in his great works. One of Dublin's most famous sons is Oscar Wilde, whose plays were full of witticisms and acute observation of society, manners and human nature. Oscar was loved yet persecuted for his homo- sexuality, for which he was even jailed. There is now a delightful statue of Wilde sprawled noncha- lantly on a rock in the Merrion Square gardens. Nearby are plinths etched with some of his memorable witty lines. Dublin shares something with the English town of Blackpool – its name. The name Dubh Linn in the Irish language actually means black pool, and refers to a pool which was once on the site of the present Dublin Castle garden.

12 The General Post Office

The General Post Office (GPO), the headquarters of the Irish postal service, moved several times before finding its current place at the centre of Dublin’s O’Connell Street. At first the offices were located in buildings around College Green, but in August 1814, construction of a purpose-built headquarters began. The building was completed in January 1818, at a cost of £50,000. The building was designed by Francis Johnston, an architect with the Board of Works, in Greek revival style. The main section was made with Wicklow granite and the portico, the roof structure over the entrance, of Portland stone. The statues on the roof, by sculptor John Smyth, are of Hibernia, a classical representation in female form of the island of Ireland, with Fidelity to one side and Mercury (the messenger of the gods) to the other. During the 1916 Rising, the GPO was one of three Dublin landmarks—the Four Courts and the Cus- tom House being the others—to be destroyed in the fighting. The GPO was rebuilt and reopened in 1929. Besides its architectural significance and role as the chief office of the Irish Post Office, Dublin’s GPO holds a place of particular symbolic importance for Irish people. It was the headquarters of the men and women who took part in the Easter Rising of April 1916. While that rebellion ended in failure with most Irish people lamenting the death and destruction caused, it led to Irish independence and the creation of a new State. Inside the Post Office, a reduced staff was on duty keeping essential services open for the public. Just after mid-day, a contingent of men who had assembled at Liberty Hall, a short distance away, entered the building and ordered staff and customers to leave. Upstairs, a number of Post Office telegraph staff and some unarmed soldiers barricaded the doors and refused to leave until shots were fired at them. The rebels, led by Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, were motivated by various ideals but held the common belief that only an armed revolt could bring about the independence of Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom. They chose the GPO, the communications heart of the country and the centre of Dublin city, as the building on which to hoist the flag of an Irish republic. For nearly a week, the rebels held the GPO. Fighting here and in other parts of the city was intense with civilians bearing the greatest hardship. With the building on fire and crumbling, they tried to break through the surrounding army cordon and failed. Pearse, realis- ing the futility of further fighting, finally took the decision to surrender. The smouldering ruins of the GPO bore silent witness to the momentous events that had taken place.

13 The Garden of Remembrance: Ireland’s Fight for Independence

The Garden of Remembrance is a memorial garden in the center of Dublin. The central point of the garden is the statue of the Chil- dren of Lir. In this garden is several heroes form all the different Independence Fights commemo- rated. The Irish war of Independence includes several smaller or bigger fights. The first uprising was in 1789 the so-called United Irish- men Rebellion. The United Irishmen was the group which organized this Rebellion. The idea of a revolution and of getting independent they get from the American and the French Revo- lution. Wolfe Tone was the leader of the United Irishmen and can be seen as the hero of this fight as he caught by the British army and sent in exile organized French help for the Irish troops. The second Rebellion was in 1803. This was just a short try by some Irish Nationalists. Robert Em- met was the leader of this Rebellion. The Young Irelander Revolution in 1848 was a failed try of the Young Irelander, which were in- spired by the struggles for freedom on the continent at this time. The Fenian Rising of 1867 was again a try to get free from the British rule in Ireland. The reason for failure was missing arms and organization. The second last fight was the Easter Rebellion. The name comes from the time this rebellion took place, in the Easter week of 191fter seven days of fight the uprising was smashed down by the British rule and its leaders were caught and executed. The rebel headquarters was located at the General Post Office where James Connolly, overall military commander and Patrick Pearse, Tom Clarke, Seán Mac Dermott and Joseph Plunkett, four other members of the military council, were located. Tom Clarke and Seán Mac Dermott were as well responsible for planning of the rebellion. The final Rebellion was from 1919-21. This uprising is also called the Irish War of Independence and was a guerilla war against the British rule in Ireland. In July 1921 the British and the Irish agreed to a ceasefire and the Irish Free State could be established. Michael Collins was the major driving force behind this independence movement and could therefore be seen as the hero of this battle.

Michael Stucki, Alexander Manuzzi

14 A Walk in Howth

Howth is a small peninsula, a half hour northeast of Dublin. The idea of the tour was to get a over- view over the history and geographical specialities of Howth and its suburbs. Thousand years ago Howth was an island, but then a natural dam built up and now you can travel to Howth even with the train. On Howth you can find many different plant species. In fact, the half of all plants found on Ireland can be discovered in Howth. The peninsula is also known for its great bird life.

On the northeast coast of Howth there stands still a Martello Tower. It was built by the Irish during the Napoleonic wars as a defence for the harbour of Dublin. While walking towards the Martello Tower there are some lovely Victorian brick houses to be admired. Next, the tour passes by the famous golf club of Howth. In earlier times Howth was left behind by the people of Dublin and it was for a long time just a poor fishing village. Now, many people start to like Howth as a leisure location, which also can be seen by the golf club.

The last stop would be the summit. If the view is good enough, you can see the coast of Wales. In the north, there is the Howth harbour, which was once the actual deep see port of Dublin. But then it became too small, and the new harbour was built.

Daniel, Oliver

15 The Gaelic Language: A Crash Course

Irish is a Celtic language much like Welsh, Breton, Cornish and Manx. It comes from Breton. Some of first Irish settlers were Norman. But they are all in the same family of languages anyway. It has a complicated grammar structure because it is an old language, it hasn't changed much other the centuries. So when the British invaded Ireland they banned the use of Irish. It might cause them to lose the language meaning so only a few people spoke it. They used the abolishment of Irish to reinforce the power they had over the Irish. The only way to get a job or employed back in that time was just to speak English. So the consequence was that the language died out. The only way it was really kept alive, was the fact, that there were people going around telling old Irish fairy tales or stories. People in only really remote place spoke Irish in everyday life because of this. Places like Dublin and Cork are cities where the English held power. English was the only language spoken there. The counties such as Kerry, Clare Galway, Mayo and Donegal still have regions where only Irish is spoken, called Gaeltachts.

Hello = Dia Duit (die ditsch) But if you are answering back to that hello = Dia is mhuire duit (dier is miawuitsch) [Dia duit literally means God be with you /dia is mhuire duit means God and Mary be with you] good bye = slán (slan) There are three ways to say how are you, depending where you are from: Conas atá tú? (cones a taa tü) Cen chaoi ina bhfúil tú? (kein qui enawell tü) Cad dé a mar atá tú? (ka tschei a mar a taa tü)

Jean-Marc

16 Irish Folklore: Myths and Legends

The Children of Lir

Long ago there lived a king called Lir. He lived with his wife and four children: Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra and Conn (one daughter, three sons and 2 of them were twins). They lived in a castle in the middle of a forest. When Lir’s wife died they were all very sad. After a few years Lir got married again. He married another woman called Aoife. Aoife thought that Lir loved his children more than he loved her and was very jealous of the children. She thought of several plan to get rid of the children. First she wanted the children to be killed but then she didn’t have the courage to do it by herself and her servants also refused to do it. So, instead one summer’s day she took the children to swim in a lake near the castle and then used her magic to transform the 4 children into swans. The spell said that they will remain swans for nine hundred years until they will hear the bell of a Christian bell. Within this time they had to live on 3 different lakes, each for 300 years. On one early morning the swans heard the sound of a Christian bell and turned into humans again. Because all 4 were now quite old they also died shortly after becoming humans. They were buried in one grave by a monk (some even say it’s St. Patrick himself). St. Patrick was the man who converted Ireland to Christianity while the children were swans. There are many different variation of the end of the stories.

- Several statues exist; one is in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin (4 swans) – symbol- izes the rebirth of the Irish nation after 900 years of struggling for independence of Eng- land

Yiwen

The Pursuit of Diarmid and Grainne

This story belongs to a whole collection of stories, the so called Fenian cycle. There are also different cycles, because a lot of Irish mythology is ordered like that. The stories in the Fenian cycle all about the members of the fianna, these are troops of warriors. One of them is Diarmid. He is a follower of Fionn who is already quite aged and has lost his wife. So his warriors decide that he has to marry again. They thought of Grainne, the daughter of a king, and the preparations for the wedding are made. The problem is, that Grainne is not really happy about the fact, that Fionn is older than her father and she falls in love with the handsome Diarmid. She wants him to run away with her. Fist he refuses but then she threatens to spell him, and so he

17 has no choice. Of course Fionn realizes what happened quite fast and he pursues them immediately. But then the god of youth, love and poem gives them a cloak of invisibility. He wants to protect Diarmid because he's like his father. Grainne and Diarmid travel through the whole country and after some time Fionn calmed down a bit and they make peace. Grainne and Diarmid settle down and have 5 children and everything seems to end in a happy way. But Fionn never really forget what Diarmid has done and so he invited him to a boar hunt. But the boar is also spelled, so that when the boar dies Diarmid dies as well. And this is what happened in the end, Diarmid dies, because Fionn who is the only one who could have change the spell, doesn't help him. Grainne is shocked, but then she let her sons swear that they will revenge their father later on.

Fenian cycle ї ĐŽůůĞĐƟŽŶŽĨƐƚŽƌǇ͕ ŵĂŶǇĐǇĐůĞƐŝŶŵǇƚŚŽůŽŐǇ About members of fianna, group of warriors. Leader of the group → Fionn, aged, wife died, new wife Grainne Wedding preparations, he's too old Diarmid handsome, doesn't want to run away with her, spell Fionn persues them, cloak of invisibility by god of youth, love and poem, father Make peace, settle down, 5 children Boar hunt, but boar is spelled :dies when Diarmid dies Fionn doesn't break the spell-> Diarmid dies Grainne shocked, sons revenge their father.

Lia

18 Irish folklore: Music and Dance

Traditional Irish Music

The traditional songs were always written in the Irish language. The melody was always considered to be the most important factor and therefore the harmony was kept simple. Not only the music is something important in Ireland, but also the dances. There are different kinds of folk dancing, but today the most common is Step Dancing. Mostly Irish stepdancing is done in competitions, public performances or other formal settings.

Here a short resume of some typical Irish Instruments we also heard on the Irish house party. Uilleann Pipes: The Uilleann pipes were known as the union pipes and were developed at the beginning of the 18th century. These are also said to be the most complex form of the bagpipes.

Fiddle: The violin or the fiddle (as it was known locally) is one of the most important instruments used in the various compositions of Irish music. The fiddle, available in a variety of shapes and sizes was considered to be very similar to the violin.

Accordion: The accordion plays an important part in modern Irish music. The popularity of the accordion gained ground, sometime in the 19th century and this was also used commonly for dance in the typical Irish traditions.

Harp: The harp is one such musical instrument that is found at least 5,000 years back in history. Generally, the harp rests between the knees and the right shoulder. Although traditionally, the harp was placed over the left shoulder by some early Irish and Scottish harps.

Bouzouki: The first bouzouki was built by John Bailey; for John Pearse. It was used in Irish music in the late 1960s, Irish bouzouki's have a flat back or a slightly arched back as compared to the Greek bouzouki. The Irish bouzouki also has 4 pairs of strings as compared to the other kinds of bouzouki that are available.

Mandolin: This music instrument also enjoyed a prominent position in Irish music. It is noticed that most Irish musicians who used the mandolin preferred the flat back instruments, which had an oval sound hole as compared to the Italian style.

Banjo: The banjo was introduced in Ireland by emigrants that came from the United States. The function of the banjo is considered to be similar to the bauzouki and even the mandolin which was used in Irish music.

Jasmin & Nina

19 Religion in Ireland: St Patrick and Catholicism

The most important person in Irish History of Re- ligion is St. Patrick. He has the St. Patrick’s Day named after him. That’s when all over the world people celebrate the Irish style of living and the Irish traditions. St. Patrick was a missionary from Wales who taught the Irish in Catholicism. He didn’t come to Ireland on free will, but was caught and brought to Ireland as a servant to the Irish. Six years after he had arrived in Ireland he was able to flee from Ireland back to his home in Wales. He was then later sent back to Ireland as a missionary. He built up many monasteries. He lived in Ireland around 700 AC. Until now St. Patrick is seen as an Irish national hero. Around 1600, King Henry VIII, wanted to get himself divorced from his wife. The Catholic Church refused to allow him to do this and so he sepa- rated himself and the British as well as the Irish island from the Catholic Church. He now had many empty and useless monasteries, since the Irish monks and nuns were Catholic and fled from Ireland when the monasteries became Anglican. During this time there was also a lot of migration from Ireland to other countries. So the churches were empty anyway. King Henry VIII transformed the mostly useless monasteries and churches into different and more useful institutions, for exam- ple the Trinity College.

Crystal

20 Dublin City of Literary Tradition

Some other famous writer from Dublin:

Samuel Becket: (1906-1989) one of the most important writer of the 20th century won a Nobel prize in literature in 1969 he was first British but after the Irish Independence in 1921 an Irish citizen, but he lived since 1937 in France->his most important act was "En attendant Godot" he went to the Trinity college in Dublin and went afterwards to France he was an avant-garde novelist, a playwright, theatre director and novelist his work offer a tragicomic outlook on human nature combined with black comedy and gallows humour

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish writer and poet his parents were successful Dublin intellectuals he became fluent in French and German in an early age he proved to be an excellent classicist, first in Dublin then in Oxford then London he became a journalist and became one of the best known personalities of his days the only novel he wrote was the picture of Dorian Grey, where he altercated with decadence, duplicity and beauty he died very young

Bram Stoker (1847-1912) he was born in Dublin as the third of seven children till his seventh year he was sick and couldn't stand nor walk he became an athlete and football star at the trinity college his traumatic experience in his childhood are reflected in his best known novel Dracula, where he deals with subjects such as eternal sleep and the resurrection of the deaths

Myllena

21 Interviews

Favourites Spots of the Locals in Dublin

We asked some locals what their favourite spot in Dublin is. We marked the spots we found on the map. Most mentioned places were St. Stephen's Green and Temple Bar. It seems that most of the places are in south of the Liffey, this is due to the fact that the south is richer and enter- prises like to settle in the rich parts of a city.

Parks Pubs Rest

1.Phoenix Park (2. Ivy 3. Temple Bar (District) 6.Trinity College Garden) 5. St. Stephen's (4. Fox Pub) 7. Green 8. Merrion Squa- Sweeneys's re 9. Barry's Hotel & Casino 10. Toddy's (11. Bernard's)

Jeremiah, Dennis, Oliver, Daniel

22 Travelling of the Irish People

Mrs Bean: “I’m seventeen years old and have been living in Dublin all my life. When I was younger, my parents sent me to the western part of Ireland. They wanted me to learn the usage of the Gaelic language in one of the original Gaelic villages. Once I went to the Isle of Man- that was the only time till now I have left the country. But next year I’m going to Paris with my class. I’m dreaming of going to Australia to see all the kangaroos and enjoy the warm weather. “

Mr Murray: “I’m now sixty-seven and I really love to travel around. It doesn’t exactly matter where I’m going, I just like to be on the road. I like Spain really much- I have been there several times, Basically I like all the places where it is warm and sunny. I don’t have to tell you why. I’ve also been to Switzer- land and I really appreciated the mountains and travelling by train.”

Mr Ni: “I’m Chinese and I came to here ten years ago because my firm set up a new department here in Dublin. Although I like the city very much, I go home as often as the money allows it. This is quite expensive, so I can’t do any other travelling. But one day I want to go to the US when I got the money. Best with my family. ”

Survey with 16 people, aged between 18-70, home in Dublin

Crystal, Jasmin, Nina

23 Fashion in Dublin

On Wednesday morning we went for a walk in the city. We decided to make our interviews then and we were lucky to find some good- humoured people to answer our questions. The first thing that we were interested in was what people in Dublin thought was special about their way of dressing compared to the fashion on the continent. All in all we had interviews with six people, of which four were women. All our candidates were in the twenties and therefore minded probably more about fashion than people that were much older. The first two girls that we asked said that people in Ireland dare more and like to experiment more with different styles than those on the continent. They mentioned that right now the 60s and 70s style is in again and that girls are also using a lot of flowery dresses, leggings etc. But they perceived that there’s no such as "a Dublin style", because the style is different all around Dublin. We asked that same question to two other girls and to two boys. These two girls travelled often to Eng- land and therefore answered our question comparing the style in Lon- don. They told us that they had the same shops in London as in Dublin and that therefore people there and people here in Dublin had quite a similar style. But in their opinion people in Dublin are a little more into fashion. The reason for this statement was that Dubliners are more fashionable because they have more courage to try things out, they said. You could see many crazy types of style here in Dublin, they noticed. The two boys we asked said, referring to our question that especially girls in Dublin wouldn't really care about the weather, they would wear flip-flops although the weather was bad. Sometimes they wear wellingtons when it's rainy but it always has to be fashionable. The next thing we asked the three pairs of people was, what fashion meant to them personally. The first two girls regarded fashion as the perfect way to express how you feel, they also considered it very indi- vidual. The next two girls saw fashion as one of the most important ways to show their personalities, it is also very important for one's self-confidence, they realized. The two boys even told us the secret about fashion; fashion should be adapted to oneself and made one feel comfortable in the own skin. Least but not last we asked them about the must-have piece in Dublin. The first two girls listed dresses and leggings with a flowery pattern and skirts which are short in the front and long in the back. The next couple of girl's must-have pieces were wellingtons because they can be stylish and they also fit into the rainy weather that's usual in Ireland. Also they listed Doc Martens, a sort of boots that look like biker-boots and very short denim jeans hot-pants with tights. The two men's must-have pieces for the women in Dublin were flip flops, they said and an original heat for the men.

Yiwen, Myllena,Lia

24 The Best Beer in Ireland

We set off to the streets in Dublin with the Quest to find the best beer in Ireland. We asked quite many people about it and the answer we received the most was Guinness. Our personal opinion about that was that this must have been the standard answer to this question in Ireland; therefore we decided to check out some pubs in order to be able to question a variety of different barkeepers. Once we left the Hotel, we found ourselves a nice looking bar. It was called Murray’s Bar located at the O’Connell Street. We went in and started our discussion with the usual question. The Barkeeper asked us where we were from. He looked quite astonished by the look of three young Swiss, patrolling Dublin for beer. Anyhow he answered the question with the standard answer: “Guinness”. Not very surprising, but better this answer than none. Maybe these folks really all believe Guinness to be the very best beer. Another day, another chance we started anew trying to find a different answer. We figured out that maybe our approach wasn’t very well planned. As we all knew Guinness was a dark beer. We were also were aware that the Irish produced great ale. Therefore we altered our question to the best beer in Ireland and the best ale in Ireland. Street and stopped at the famous Temple bar itself. We asked the local barkeeper once again about the best beer of Ireland. Luckily, we received a different answer for the first time: Murphy’s. We were all very glad to have found a different answer and tried the Irish brew (With the exception of Michael Stucki of course). All in all, Guinness seemed definitely to be the most popular beer in Ireland. We discovered many other brews, nevertheless they were not as popular as the two mentioned. And as a last comment, we all think the Irish all are a little too proud of their beer, but hey. That’s one of the only things they are really good at. Drinking and singing as we all experienced at the Irish House party.

Jean-Marc; Michael St.; Alexander

25 The School System in Ireland

Our task was to talk to the Irish about their school system. In a park near the city center we started off with interviewing two girls. Both of them were going to the Trinity College in Dublin itself. One girl was majoring in Dental Science with a minor in Deaf Science while the other girl was majoring in Education with a minor in Spanish. Our first question was how the Irish education system works. They told us that the Irish school system is made up of primary, second, third-level and further education. The primary school lasts for 8 years. It is usual for children to begin school at the age of six and end the primary school with 12, 13 years. Students go directly from the primary school to the secondary school. The secondary school lasts for five or six years. The second-level education starts with a three-year junior cycle which is followed by a two-year or three-year senior cycle. This depends on the optional Transition year which is taken to pass the Junior Certificate examination. After passing the secondary education each student can decide whether they want to go to a university, to a college (technology or education), to independent colleges or to practice further education.

Some hundred meters from the Millennium away we talked to a 25 years old guy. He is on the track of further education. He wants to become a car- penter. He has a preference for wood and other materials. He told us that the Irish students have to wear uniforms; furthermore they have to go to school at least for 10 years. The average number of students in a class is around 20. He told us that there are many opportunities in Ireland to contin- ue ones education.

Last but not least we talked to a mother of two children, who are visiting the secondary school. We asked her about the benefits of studying in Ireland. First of all she mentioned the English language, which is a universal language and the ex- tensive range of courses for students. It is confirmed that Ireland has one of the best education systems in Europe.

These Interviews allowed us to practice the English language and learn about Ireland’s education system.

Katharina, Sarah, Nicole

26 Modern Dubliners: Creative Writing

Charity

Miss Kirsten Fassbender hurried down the stairs and nearly ran into Miss Bailey Mc Avoy, her landlady, who thereupon dropped several letters she had been holding. Miss Fassbender helped the old lady to recollect the letters of enquiries to donation. "Oh Miss Mc Avoy, I'm sorry, I didn't see you!" "Don't worry about me, dear! Are you fine? I see you have a lot of work to do..." Miss Mc Avoy answered, pointing at the big folders on the young woman's arm. A bit annoyed by the bonhomie of her landlady, Miss Fassbender replied shortly: "I'm fine, thank you! Goodbye!" She hurried down the last three steps of the stairs and closed the front door determined behind her, escaping from a chat with the old lady and a waste of her precious time. Then she rushed down the Upper Buckingham Street trying to get the bus which was already approaching.

Just after arriving at home after a long day of work, Miss Fassbender decided to go and take a shower when suddenly her bell rang. She wondered for a second who would dare to disturb her at that time of the day, then opened the door and saw a face she had already seen that day. It was the old Miss Mc Avoy, who asked her if she had a pound of flour. “You know, dear, I got some guests unexpectedly, and now there isn’t enough flour!” “I’m afraid I can’t help you, Miss Mc Avoy!” “Oh, it doesn’t matter! I’ll ask the other neighbours. Somebody will surely have flour!” So she went and rang on the next door, but no one opened. The thing that Miss Fassbender wondered at and kept her from re-entering her apartment was that the old lady still had a docile face and seemed not to give up or lose her sweet temper. Normally Miss Fassbender wouldn't care about such things, but the old lady had something in her character that made her pensive. It was pretty strange that Miss Mc Avoy always had some friends coming over but she rarely was invited herself, Miss Fassbender noticed. Her friends seemed to be quite exhausting, but the old lady was never annoyed. "I would never waste my time with people that I can't profit from", Miss Fass- bender thought and went back into her apartment in the end. When Miss Fassbender closed the door, she hesitated a moment and finally let the locking bolt open. The next morning Miss Fassbender heard the door open and close. Still in her bed, she tried to think of who could leave so early in the morning. Then she remembered a conversation she had had with her landlady. She was going to visit her younger sister in Howth. So it must have been Miss Mc Avoy who left that early. For the first time in her life Miss Fassbender regretted that she and her brothers weren't in con- tact anymore. Although she always liked to be independent from family relations and be able to focus fully on her career, this morning she thought it was a pity that none of her relatives had ever tried again to get in touch with her.

27 The bell of the nearby "Our Lady of Lourdes Church" disrupted her sentimental thought and reminded her of getting up and preparing herself for work. Against her habit, and because of the shining sun, she decided to walk to work. While she was crossing the Ha‘penny Bridge, she realized that it took far more time to go on foot than she had thought. She began to hurry down the Lower Liffey Street, when she suddenly slowed down. On a bench she saw two women, one of them seemed very familiar to her. It was Miss Mc Avoy! She was sitting there and talking to a younger woman. The woman pressed her arms tightly against her waist and seemed not to feel very well. Her face gave her a sad impression and Miss Fassbender wondered what they could be talking about. Especially the fact the she had never seen this woman and that she was also a bit too young to be one of Miss Mc Avoy’s friends made her very curious. Miss Fassbender started to walk again and eventually stopped behind the bench where the two women were sitting, pretending to be writing a text message. She overheard the conversation a while and then finally continued to her working place. But what she’d just experienced gave her a lot to think. Now she knew that the younger woman was indeed somebody who Miss Mc Avoy hadn’t known before. The younger woman was a homeless person! And Miss Mc Avoy was so kind and good-hearted to spend her time listening to a person she’d never seen before. She even put off the visit to her sister to share her time with a person who needed it. Miss Fass- bender was quite impressed by this and this thought haunted her all day long.

When she went back home after work, she decided again to walk, instead of hurrying home by bus. She passed again the bench on which she had seen Miss Mc Avoy that morning. Suddenly she thought of her brothers and then looked down to her hand which was holding her mobile phone. Was she really feeling a slight desire to text her brothers?

Lia, Yiwen, Myllena

28 Chastity

In all kinds of shades, sparkles are dancing over the marble floor. Captured by this spectacle, Maria can’t get her eyes off of it. It reminds her of her childhood where she used to hide in the fields of wild and bloomy flowers near her home. She had loved how the winds blew through her long wavy red hair in which she always had woven flowery chains.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but, but deliver…”

Maria folds her hand over her belly while looking absently at her son sleeping with his head on her lap. After the service Father Ben approaches Maria to talk to her. St. George’s is now empty, just a few elderly ladies are lighting some candles near the altar. “Where did you leave your husband Mrs O’Connor?” the priest wants to know. He flattens his coat and smiled at her encouragingly. "He’s got a lot of work to do at Ulster’s.” Simon tags at his mother’s sleeve and Maria turns to leave, avoiding the priest’s eyes.

Many busy people ran down York Street, quickly doing their staff before all the shops close. Patrick O’Conner didn‘t hear anything, although it must have been very loud. A high pitched voice focused his mind on a young lady with red brown hair which she flipped over her back while laughing in a very exaggerat- ed way.

„You have to decide, Patrick! Either me or them! “

29 These words repeatedly float through his mind. The afternoon has started so well. Like every Sun- day they had met in the Butlers Chocolates Café, and then wanted to rent a room in a cheap Mo- tel. But now he is sitting on a bench at the Liffey floating brown and dirty through the city of Dublin. The elbows on his knees and the head laid in his hands, he gazes into the distance motionless. A picture of his wife at home came up. She was standing in the kitchen, singing a religious prayer, but whenever she recognized him, she would stop and yell at him for any reason. In the last few weeks he actually only came home to see his little son Simon. His blond locks made him think of how he and Maria had once loved each other.

How did they get so far?

The only distraction in his daily routine brought his affaire. And his son.

Suddenly, he stood up. His mind was finally cleared. ______

Blue, yellow, red, green, orange, or white? He struggles. He doesn’t even know the favorite color of Simon. An old man scrapes by. He left a faint mix of sweat and cheap parfume. Patrick takes all of them and lays them on the cashier.

„Which one would you suggest for my son’s birthday party? “, he asked proudly the pretty seller. „Oh how sweet, you’re doing this for your son. I’d take the red balloons” She smiled at him, and while scanning the code, she brushes his hands. He raises his eyes and catches her encouraging view.

Nina

30 Diligence

The first sunrays of the day gently touch the geranium on the window sill and drive away the darkness. The red flowers gleam in the sunlight and the completely empty streets of Dublin are filled with their sweet scent. It is early in the morning. One cannot hear a single sound. But suddenly an alarm clock beeps and tears Danny MacKane out of his dreams. The clock shows 5 am. It is time to get up. Danny scuffs into the bath and takes a shower. Two minutes later he stands in front of the mirror to comb his reddish hair. It takes him about 15 minutes until every hair is in the right place. Another 15 minutes later he leaves the apartment and enters the empty roads of Dublin. He walks a few meters around the corner to the Keiran Bakery. He has known this bakery for quite a long time. He always went there with his mother to enjoy Dublin’s best croissants. He buys two of them like every day and goes to get a newspaper at the newsagents. Few minutes later Danny is sitting on a dirty park bench and has a look at the headline: “Unemployment rate sinks dramatically”. “There is nothing special about it”, he thinks, “just the same headline as the day before. There is every day the same headline.” Mr MacKane starts his working day very early. He arrives at his working place just before 7.15 am. Danny works as a clockmaker. He loves clocks and has admired the tiny little mechanic system ever since and so he decided to become a clockmaker when he was about 14 years old. He works in a small boutique with just few employees. With his 40 years he belongs to the rather old people working in the shop and therefore he is also one of the most experienced clockmakers. Danny does his work very precisely. He loves to link all the tiny little gears and springs because it takes a lot of flair and know-how. After some hours of working he glances at his watch. “10 am.”, he thinks, “finally break.” Normally Danny has his break at Walster Café in Capel Street. This is just across the street from his working place. He could go to Starbucks as well, because there are quite a lot close by. Nevertheless, he prefers this small café. He likes to get his coffee in a china cup, and in Starbucks you only get it in cups made of cardboard. Another reason might be that the owner of the café and Danny used to be good friends once. “Hey Danny”, Jack welcomed him. Jack, the owner of the café, prepares a cup of coffee and hands it over to Danny. “Same as yesterday?” asks Danny. “The same as every day!” answers Jack. “Are you still as busy as ever?” “Still that busy, yes.” “So still no time to meet sometime?” “You are right”, confirmed Danny. “I have to go, so till tomorrow!” “Good bye!” Danny walks out of the café and returns to his working place. Some hours later, exactly at 12 o’clock, the bell rings and Danny stops his work to eat something. For lunch he always goes either to the Chinese or to the Italian restaurant. Today he decides to eat at the Chinese. He walks in and is welcomed by the waiter, a typical Chinese man. “Hello, chicken sweet an souel?” he asks with a strong Chinese accent. “Yes, chicken sweet and sour, please!” The meal tastes very good. Danny even manages to use the chopsticks to eat the rice. After having eaten he pays the bill, £10, like every time. The clock shows 1 pm when he returns to the clock-making. Now there are another 5 hours to work. But that is no problem for Danny because he really likes his job. At 6 o’clock his colleagues stop working and leave the shop. Theoretically Danny could go now as well, but when he wants to

31 leave he realizes that his colleagues haven’t finished their work. On the table lie two unfinished clocks. Danny gets angry. “Lazy idiots” he thinks, “They never finish their work.” Danny hates this. He cannot just leave the clocks back unfinished so he sits at the table and starts to finish them. This takes him about an hour until he finally can leave. When he arrives at home it is already 8 o’clock. After he opens the door he quickly goes to the window, opens it and has a look at the geranium on the window sill. He realizes that the cleaning woman who should have watered the flowers has forgotten to do it and so the flowers look a bit bad and dried out. This enrages him very much and he begins to swear about the incompetence of the cleaning woman. Then he rushes to the kitchen and fills a watering can to water the flowers. On his way back to the window he notices that his tin soldier collection is in a wrong order. One of the tin soldiers has fallen over. As he sees this he even gets angrier and thinks: “How incompetent and incapable is the house cleaner!” He re-erects the fallen over tin soldier and walks slowly to the kitchen. The only thing the house cleaner had to do was water the flowers and dust the shelf. But the incompetent house cleaner dared to touch his tin collection which he got from his father. While he thinks about his cleaning woman he starts to cook something for dinner. “Today is Monday and Monday is Pizza Day” he tells himself. He goes to get a pizza out of the re- frigerator and puts it in the oven. After sitting down on the sofa he switches on the TV and opens a can of beer. The BBC news programme has just started. “'Mass killing' in Syria village” tells the newsreader. “Up to 200 people are killed in the central Syrian village of Tremseh, with activists and the government blaming each other for the deaths.” “Every day the same news”, he thinks, shuts down the TV, takes the Pizza out of the oven and eats it. Some minutes later he goes to bed. His alarm clock shows exactly 10 pm. As he is drinking his coffee in his break at Walsters the next day, something unexpected happens. A small, cute woman with a face as round as the moon and beautiful wide eyes sits at the table next to him. She looks like a typical Irish girl. Suddenly the girl trips over something and falls to ground. Danny rapidly gets up to help her. A conversation strikes up and both of them realize that they have found “true love”. Under a charm Danny goes back to his work and is very happy. From now on they meet every day. Some days later Mary, as the girl is called, invites him to a little drink at her place. Danny enters the house and is shocked. The whole apartment is a mess. Mary’s shoes lie on the floor in the hall, uncared for, like dead soldiers in a battle; in the dining room there are some breadcrumbs on the table, survivors from the previous night’s dinner, and the kitchen looks devastated, like after a bomb explosion. Mary invites him to sit down on the couch and goes to prepare a drink. In the meantime Danny looks at the rest of the apartment. The curtains on his right are ripped, and the painting on the wall in front of him hangs askew. Danny hesitates. He cannot tolerate this. It’s impossible. He has to clean it up immediately. When Mary returns from the kitchen she cannot believe what she sees. “What are you doing?” she asks Danny, but Danny just goes on cleaning up the apartment as if he had gone crazy. “Stop”, Mary cries. “Stop, stop, stop!” Suddenly Danny stops, looks in her eyes and just says: “Why?” Then he leaves the apartment and runs away from this place. “She is like everybody else”, he thinks and returns home. The next day Danny appears at his working place at 7.14 am and starts working at exactly 7.15 am.

Michael S., Moritz and Mauro

32 Humility - Orange Sparks

A harsh cold December gale had descended upon the city. A breeze from the past went through the streets. The screaming sounds of fire engines were present all over the city. Father Greyjoy shifted uncomfortably in his iron folding chair. All the hinges squeaked as he moved and some orange rust fell to the ground. The old man leaned back and sighed deeply as he relaxed. An unexpected warm breeze surrounded him and he started to feel in comfort. His heavy eyes closed unintentionally. All sounds started to fade away and a deep silence encountered him. Suddenly, a high pitched whistling ascended to the sky. An orange light flash illuminated the sky. He followed the path of the light with his eyes and neither its direction nor the aim was clear. It seemed to rise an eternity. A brief moment of darkness followed. The burst of a million rusty sparks spreading in all directions suddenly filled his eyes, turning to a bright light.

A dark train of mourning figures is following a black case. Throughout the small snow-covered walkway, the crying of the beloved ones is to be heard. Heavy snowflakes are descending upon the black coffin and form a new white cover, so that it seems to blend with the ground. The whistling and freezing wind forces the people to pull up their collars for protection. More and more relatives and friends are gathering for the funeral procession.

"Come on, Joe. We have to keep going." Maria calls the little boy and takes hold o f his hand. "Behave yourself!" she hushes, "This is a graveyard, not a playground. Father Grey- joy was a very honourable man and he deserves more respect"

Joe holds Maria's hand and walks with her. But after some time it gets boring and he is cold. He sees his brother Alphy, breaks away and runs toward him. He looks back to see if Maria pursues him, but suddenly he trips and lies on the ground. "Don't you have any respect for the dead, kid?! Now listen to me, this man was very special!" The old man grabs Joe’s coat, forcing him to walk next to him. "I’ll tell you now a little story. 10 years ago I was very poor because I’d lost control of my life, mostly due to the bad things here in this world. I went to the streets to beg. All people went past me, were haughty and despised me. But one day, there came this plain old priest. Without hesitation he sat next to me and threw his hat in front of him. He sat there the whole day and talked to me, getting despised by the upper class as well. He gave me reasons to live again. After this day, everything changed."

Finally, Joe got through to Alphy. "Look, this old grandpa in the wheelchair. I wonder what happened to him," exclaimed Alphy. They got nearer to the old couple. The old woman was struggling to get the wheelchair through the snow. They talked: "Do you remember the day when we last saw Father Greyjoy? He insisted that I should take his medicine." "And he even was in a worse condition than you!" answered his wife. "Of course we had to decline, we couldn't accept something big as this. In this time, medicines were difficult to get." They went on in silence. The two boys were also lost in thoughts. And then the man said: "I never expected him to come back at night. At least, I am quite sure that it was him." "But that medicine helped you sur-

33 vive. I think without it you would have died!" "I really regret it now, that we didn't search him. We just took it and got on with our lives." "We should have thanked him. But he never came back. It's typical for him, he never wanted regards for his actions." They continued the way to the grave silently.

As they arrive at the grave, there is this big load of snow on the coffin so that it seems to be very heavy. All people gather around the grave in a big circle. Joe steps forward to throw orange flowers into the grave. All are silent. Then the pastor reads a poem:

Not how did he die, but how did he live Not what did he gain, but what did he give These are the units to measure the worth Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.

After the coffin is descended, everybody leaves in different directions, bearing in mind the hum- ble life of Father Greyjoy.

Dennis, Jeremiah, Oliver, Daniel

34 Impatience

A business man nervously stared at his watch in Upper Parnell Street. Three past eight in the morning and the bus hasn't arrived yet. He is late again, like the past few days. A lightning appeared and enlightened the dark, grey city, followed by the frightening sound of a mighty thunder. Rain has continuously been falling for two and a half weeks now and the meteorologists still deliver one bad news after another. Five past and still no sign of the bus. His pulse began to rise. Sweat continuously dropped down his cheeks and wetted the collar of his suit. His hands started shaking as the minutes passed by. The busy street life of the city rushed by and the poor asked for change. Suddenly from the distance appeared dim lights, shimmering through the morning mist. The bus finally appeared. The muscles of the man began to relax a little, but his temper remained furious. With a big splash of water, the pedestrians got soaked and the already darkened mood peaked. A group of students fought for the last few remaining seats and the business man had to squeeze himself into the mass to get hold of a bar. As the bus accelerated an elderly man tripped over, knocking the business man from his feet. He smashed right into a finely dressed young lady who reddened as she rose. Their eyes met for an instant. The woman got embarrassed and looked sur- reptitiously at the man. However, he showed no sign of interest and turned down the flirt with a simple excuse. Then he turned and fled to the other corner of the bus. A few minutes passed and they finally arrived at Mayor Street. Pushing the people out of the way, cleaving his way, the suited man got off the bus and marched determined towards the International Financial Security Cen- tre.

"'Morning Mr Blackford" greeted the suited woman at the front desk. He returned the welcome with a cold nod and passed through the lobby to the elevators. He reached his office. The grey walls seemed to box him, his mood got ever more depressed. As he opened the dusty curtain, few sunrays enlightened the messed up workplace. As soon as he was in his office he got straight down to work and disappeared for the next twelve hours. Several people entered the room, but the only thing to be heard was: "I am busy, not available so get out!" At twelve o'clock his secretary entered the room carrying a tray with fish & chips on it and a diet coke. He stuffed the food in his mouth and chewed like a madman. A couple of minutes later the unhealthy meal that he had got used to at work vanished down his throat. Without another thought he got back to work.

The sun had just set as he closed the door to his office and paced towards the bus station. It still hadn't stopped raining so he opened his black-white striped umbrella. A freezing wind was howl- ing through the narrow alleys of the city. He had to pass an archbow which was still full of puke of the previous evening, but he smelled no stink. At the edge of the alley he encountered a beggar who was made fun of by some foreign children.

"Why don't you do something for your money like the others who sing or play an instrument."

"I can't", he responded, "my whole body hurts."

Some of the children began to giggle, one of them asked: "Why?"

35 "I'm addicted to drugs", the homeless answered ashamed.

As Mr Blackford kept walking, he soon got out of sight.

Back at home Mr Blackford hung up his coat, polished his shoes and went straight to the kitchen. There he pressed the button to get a coffee. However, as usual the machine took too long for his taste. Impatiently he stared at the coffee that kept dropping slowly out into the cup. Hammering on the top of the machine he glanced over to the fridge and wondered what he would eat for dinner. Finally the coffee was ready and he opened the fridge. He took a plate of fish & chips out of it and put it in the microwave. Staring in the microwave he saw his meal slowly turning on the rotary plate of the microwave. Then finally, the annoying beeping noise appeared. Standing a few meters apart he rushed forward to get his food. Calmed down again, he went to the living room and sat on his expensive black leathered couch. He grasped the remote to his 50" LED-TV and watched the Bloomberg channel.

The next morning he hurried to the IFSC. The Centre planned to acquire the O'Connor Security Group and Mr Blackford was supervising the whole project. But the action took its time and with every wasted minute he got ever more impatient. Soaked in sweat he joined the rest of the board of directors. The atmosphere was tense as he took place. Nervously he took a drink of water. The dead silence remained until the CEO of the small firm which was to be acquired announced:

"The whole process needs to be delayed by at least two months due to current financial insecurity on the capital market."

"What?!", Mr Blackford yelled. "This is absolutely unacceptable! We've been working now for one and a half year on this acquisition, and we are no longer willing to wait that long."

One of Blackford‘s assistants stood up and whispered: "Sir, you can't do that. This deal is the big- gest one in the history of the Centre. Imagine the boss' mood when he gets note of that."

"I don't...". Blackford couldn't finish his sentence as the CEO entered the room.

"Blackford! How dare you to make such an outrageous decision by yourself? You put all our relations at risk. You're fired!"

"But... But Sir, this job is my life! I put everything I have into it."

"Get out, Blackford!"

Enraged he stepped out of the building onto the street. There was no schedule, no appointment left to attend to. There was just nothing left to do. Blackford strolled along the road and kicked a tin onto the street. He didn't think, he didn't watch, he just walked until he reached Fleet Street, near the Temple Bar. He was so devastated and tired that he sat down. The street was completely empty besides one man, holding a sign for a pub and walking around it. He was wearing a grey,

36 raddled suit, his hair was blowzy. The man just kept walking around his sign murmuring incompre- hensible words. And the first time in his life, Mr Blackford felt sorry for a poor person. He looked at that patient man walking patiently around a wooden sign for eight hours a day. A tiny tear rolled down his cheeks and fell down on a cobblestone. As Mr Blackford looked after the tear he noticed a tiny little red flower rising from a crack.

"I'm no better than that man. My impatience has ridden me from any purpose in my life."

Suddenly a well suited man appeared.

"Mr Blackford, is that you?"

Mr Blackford raised his head in surprise.

"I knew it! I've heard of your firing. Actually the bank of Ireland would be very interested in a man with your skills. You're exactly that kind of a shark that our bank needs to keep up with competi- tion, Mr Blackford."

Jean-Marc, Michael St., Alex

37 The Lonesome

„It’s always the same with you, you lazy bugger! You’re as useless as tits on a bull!“ His boss was telling him off once more, „Even a toddler with his thumb in his mouth would work faster than you. “ Mr Crad worked as fast as he could for his old age, but it wasn’t fast enough for Mr Soddle, his boss. Feeling down, he left work early and headed to FitzSimons. He sat down on his usual barstool and ordered the usual pint of Guinness. The empty glasses piled beside him until the lights were turned off and the pub closed. Drunk he made his way home. He passed a beggar, without even glancing at him. After all, it wasn’t his problem. Windmill Lane was in the moon shadow of the surrounding grey buildings, leaving the road in darkness. Arriving at his grey block, he stumbled up the staircase, entered his apartment and poured himself a glass of Jack Daniels whisky. He fell asleep at the kitchen table.

Some hours later he woke up, as the table became very uncomfortable. It was still dark outside, but checking his watch, he had to get up soon anyway, so he stepped into the shower and let the water flow over his head. The water couldn’t really wake him up but he stepped out of the shower and after drying himself, he put on his old work suit and black leather shoes. As he always did he arrived at work at exactly 7:45am. He sat down at his desk and started going through the endless pile of letters, bills and folders. He couldn’t wait until it was finishing time and hoped his boss wouldn’t show up at his desk to tell him off again. Finally he could leave work. Right when he was passing through the big heavy entry doors someone called his name: ”Crad, to my office right away.” He turned around and saw the raging face of Mr Soddle looking at him. When entering the office, he had a queasy feeling. He knew what was coming. Mr Soddle started his rant: “There are many young people out there who would really appreciate such a nice job as you have and would put much more effort into keeping it. You have worked for this company for so long that I can't just lay you off. So you better get your shit together and start delivering good work.” Facing the floor, Crad mumbled something unclear and dragged himself out of the room.

As part of his routine Mr Crad went to St. Marries Cathedral where he knew the pastor well. He confessed the burdening things that he had on his mind. Once again the pastor forgave his sins and invited him to light a candle. He put a coin in the cash box and lit one. The small candlelight seemed meaningless in the big dark church. He left the church for his preferred pub. When he entered the pub he was overwhelmed by the noise some soccer fans were making. All he wanted was his peace and quiet. Disappointed he ordered a bottle of beer and left the pub. It was too early to go home so he decided to go for a walk. He took a left into Ringsend Park which he usually only passed on his way home. Depressed he walked down the path. To make matters worse it started to rain. He pulled out his umbrella. The park was almost empty. A woman sitting on a bench caught his eye. She was getting soaked. Another man walked up to her and held his umbrella over her. A lamppost threw a beautiful yellow shine on the scenery. The umbrella wasn't big enough for the two of them, so he was getting wet, but he didn't seem to care. I could have done so too, Crad thought. It would have been a very kind thing to do. But why should he do it for others, when nobody would have done that for him? He closed his eyes and gave it some thought. The raindrops splattered on his umbrella, making an upsetting sound. Pensively he took another sip from his beer.

38 Maybe that was the problem, he said, talking to himself. Maybe he just had to get up and offer his umbrella for once. And maybe not.

A short story by David Kiwic, Kees van der Plas, Luka Sporcic and Lukas Steiner

39 Temperance

It's almost dark. Just the rays from the street lantern shining into the room give a warm fuzzy feeling. The music has just stopped and one could hear the rain hitting the small windows near the front door. The few people that have stayed are about to get up and leave the pub. Only James is left standing behind the bar trying to get rid of the leftovers of the night. "Morris, you gotta go now! It's time." "But James, you know as well as me that it's cold and rainy outside." The man sitting in the darkest corner of the pub lifts up his head, slowly moving his hand while trying not to knock over the beer beside him. His hair is already quite grey even though his face looks rather young. Maybe the mid-thirties. He looks quite unhealthy and has an expression full of sorrow while his eyes give an expression of emptiness. His hands are really big in comparison to his body. A hand it is easy to fit a beer in. The clothes he wears are old, dirty and have a smell of alcohol. His pants have several holes and his left sleeve of the shirt is ripped off. Also his shoe has a huge hole through which one can see his white sock. “Haven’t you promised to better yourself, Morris? I’m surprised to see you sitting here again.“ said James. Morris stands up and makes his way towards the door at the other side of the bar. It’s dark outside. It’s calm. The rain is the only hearable noise. It’s late. It’s almost time to get up again. Morris raises his head slowly looking for a place to sleep hoping to find such a place with a roof. He doesn’t want to get wet again. It was way too cold last night. The sun starts to rise. The rays shine onto Morris’ face. He’s still half asleep. The warmth gives him a temperate feeling inside. He stands up and walks across the street. With no money left in his pocket he doubts that he will get something to eat. Should I beg for some money? He suspires. No, not today, he thinks. Very hungry, he keeps on walking down the road. He doesn’t have a permanent place to stay so he keeps on walking. Eventually, he sees a very familiar face. It’s James walking down a small alley. “I see, you are already able to walk, Morris”, James says. “Yes, indeed I am, James,” Morris responds. James isn’t the kind of guy that is unfriendly. He invites Morris over to his bar to get something to eat. Together, they walk quite a while without even speaking a word to each other. After arriving at the bar, James gives Morris a sandwich to eat. James also offers Morris a beer. It’s almost eve - time to start drinking. However, Morris refuses to accept the offer. “Thank you, my old chap. I’m very thankful. Thank you for all you’ve done”, Morris says and leaves the bar again. James can just see his dark figure disappearing in the night.

Katharina Honsberg, Sarah Brajkovic, Nicole Brügger