Ireland is no fool, but may well divide you
IF IRELAND were a person, she would have you divided. You might love her one minute but quite dislike her the next. No doubt she would be good-looking but would not be shallow with it; similar to her coastline, there would be an edge to her but she would be no-one’s fool.
This new perspective of mine emerged from the recent visits of some certain high-profile Americans. First off we had ‘the Don’ aka Donal Trump come visit us.
Initially the scene that greeted his arrival in Shannon Airport had me cringing and squirming.
We had the afficionados, the singers, the dancers and the harpist. I thought it reeked of desperation, exposed our neediness and illustrated a superficiality where money came into play.
Then I heard the man interviewed. He made it crystal clear that what greeted him on the breezy tarmac in Shannon was not outside his expectation.
He made it crystal clear just how much he was investing in Ireland. And he made it crystal clear that handshakes, dancing, music and blushes were a small price to pay for the cost to him. So Ireland read him well, gave him what he wanted whilst all the while taking what we needed. No fool is Ireland. Next up was the Kardashians. ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ is a television programme I have never watched. I have no profound reason for this; I am not making a statement of any kind nor am I taking a stance; the only position I might own in respect of the reality show would be one of indifference born out of complete ignorance.
Things have changed. I am now an encyclopaedia on these people. Enlightenment was inevitable with their trip to these shores. Contrary to my not wanting to live with the Kardashians, it seems the Kardashians wanted to come live with us!
Unless you have been trekking the South Pole on some charity jaunt or you have been training in Arizona for Richard Branson’s space odyssey, there cannot be a person in Ireland or a person in the world who does not know that Kim Kardashian and her new husband Kanye West, pictured, chose Ireland as their honeymoon destination.
I use “new” here only in deference to the “old”. At 33, the reality star is onto her third marriage (I did mention the encyclopaedia bit).
However Kanye apparently is the real deal. He is father to her only child and in naming same said child North West, the guy appears to have given her some direction.
Anyway. The pair came to Ireland because, as a country, we leave the celebs alone and when better to be alone than on honeymoon.
Of course with nearly 15 million followers on Twitter, that girl will never be on her own. But hey, Ireland knows that already.
If Ireland were a person, she may well divide you. No harm. Division is no stranger to Ireland. Whether it’s attention craved or privacy desired, in delivering Ireland receives and no fool is Ireland.