The Irish in Ireland (one point of view)

I had thought to spend some time describing the Irish people. I will have to split this up into several sections, and I've decided to do so along the lines of my own philosophy - body, mind, and soul, and will talk about each section in turn.

Physically, people are are a lot less homogeneous than you might think. Of course there are red-heads with freckles, but they are striking because of their rarity. Most folks are pale complected with dark hair. Tanning salons and especially the spray on tans are fairly common here; the color looks pretty good, but the uniforrmity and perfection of the effect reveals its artificiality.

Old folks here look about the same as anywhere, if somewhat more cheerful. I wouldn't say there is a reverence for elders here, but I do think they're more able to age gracefully and with great dignity. And the social system is set up so that almost no one is left destitute.

This being Europe, I expected the populace to be in better shape than they are. While outright obesity is rare, the majority are actually a bit overweight. It's easy to tell that if they didn't have to walk as much as they do that many of them would be outright obese. Even so, the fitness center is not planning any expansion in the near future; I've never seen more than 10 people on the field of aerobic machines that occupies the ground floor.

The fashion for girls right now seems to be those oddly faded, ill-fitting, hip constricting, low-riding jeans that look time consuming to put on and painful to wear. Very few of the bodies should be so encased, as the tight, low waistline simply causes the flab to reveal itself more in the overflow. They do some interesting things with layers of clothing - colors, fabrics, sleeve and hem length. Hair styles tends to be natural - those with curly hair leave it curly and usually long, those with straight hair leave it straight and hack it up for the most part. I saw some manequins in a store window whose hair looked like a Barbie doll after a couple of weeks of rough play. I think the weather prevents anyone from making too much of a fuss about their hair.

The fashion for guys, such as it ever is, consists of the shirt collar half pulled up - not James Dean rebellion, but rather rumpled nonchalance. They wear a lot of fashionable sweats (which they call track suits) or soccer shirts with jeans. Most guys have short hair that shows they don't pay much for haircuts. Most of the yound kids have painfully bad haircuts - the kind you get as punishment or that look like your dad was drunk when he cut your hair, and their eyes show their embarassment. Luckily, most of the other kids have really bad haircuts, too, so it works out. Very little facial hair; men of all ages shave regularly. There is a guy at the internet cafe who looks just like Ben Affleck's little brother, but with a bad hair cut.

The faces of the people are hard to describe without sounding like a budding writer. The good-looking women I would have to call handsome. There is a hardness of the brow and jawline, and a darkness in their eyes that defies cuteness, and some of them have a sly look, like they're trying to keep from laughing at some joke you didn't hear. I found this excerpt from an Irish folk tale: “He could not say the face was beautiful; it was too strong, too austere for beauty,… gold-brown eyes stared back at him from under thick straight brows. The lips were full but firmly held, the chin strong under cheeks that were slightly hollowed by high cheekbones. “
The not so good looking ones, well, do you remember when you were a kid and the grown-ups would tell you not to make those faces because your face would get stuck that way? Guess what, they may have been right. Some have a look of bewilderment or confusion or slight disgust. Others have faces that are pulled down, not in sadness, but in that contortion you get right before a good hard sneeze. (think Vincent Schiavelli in Ghost) When I'm out on the street, they always remind me to smile. Not everyone takes great care of their skin, and many have aged beyond their years. Note to self: always use lotion or suncreen in the morning, even if it's not going to be hot; it's the kind of thing you can't go back and do later. Also, I've basically quit drinking since I got here. Ironic, isn't it? It's not some sort of morality play - I've just seen what it does physically to the people who drink a lot (and there are a lot of people who drink a lot). In their faces, their bodies, their skin tone, their musculature. Besides, I'm experimenting with meditation techniques and lucid dreaming, both of which alcohol interferes with.

So, there it is. Remember to smile. Go easy on the drink. But whatever you take away from this, take my advice about the sunscreen.