WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT

THE MUSEUM OF IRISH ETHNICITY

This project is promoted for the definition of national identity. Ethnicity is a term stemming from the idea of ethnic identification. Previous to world realities of globalization, promulgated by the world wars and large scale movements of populations, there had existed human groups that maintained their own identification through language, dress, and often times, even physical type. The people of the Western world, or, Western Civilisation as western education called its Old and New World niche, received their ideas in a particular descendancy from Mesopotamia through Greece, Rome and the Enlightenment. This group was taught to objectively view other human groups, while not their own, such as the American Indian, the equatorial Black African, Australian aboriginals, or even native Pacific islanders as having particular ethnic identity, or, ethnicity. The definitions for ethnic conglomerates became less black and white with the discovery of cultural overlapping like the Laplanders of Baltic Russia and their intermarriage with citizens of Finland. Another of the gray areas is greater China and the difficulty in defining and distinguishing the myriad of tribes within this territory. Further, are those myriad groups generally defined as Indian, in the sub-continent of India, but who also maintain specific customs and cultures within India. Ethnicity then is both the appearance of homogeneity of a human population group and the belief of a human population group thinking they belong to one another.

The concept of a museum of Irish ethnicity (MIE) is then a continuing accumulation of characteristics and traits that define what is thought of as Irish.

The history of Ireland is both through time and geography. In some cases people calling themselves Irish have wanted to define their Irishness in terms of recent historical events while maintaining certain mythical ideas of either a past Golden Age like ancient Celtic ancestry seen in the tri-foil scrolls such as those engraved in Newgrange's megaliths, plus recent Irish traditional music developed by The Chieftains. This type of combined cultural identity often negated another element of Irish ethnic possibility that some people would either ignore or relegate to the realm of imagination, for its sparse historical factual documentation. The mythicality of this latter element nevertheless exists, whether it was real or make believe; these are the myths of the Fumorian, Firbolg or the Thudedanann, or the fairy folk - tricksters, if seen through the eyes of some American Indians. The Irish "wee folk" of mythology, however, is not a rallying cry for late 20th Century ideology of Irish ethnicity, except perhaps in some late night sessions, or bed-time stories for children.

In documenting cultural identification even the element of imagination is part of the whole of ethnic identification, or, ethnicity.

The MIE will include exhibits both audial, visual and tactile. Some of the exhibits will be in situ as the museum housing itself ,which is the mixture of past and dynamic present of Ireland. Inasmuch that a pub characterises Irish ethnicity, pubs were phenomena of our two major island nations, a Celtic flavour can be discerned as the Celtic part of Irish ethnicity, but emphasis on it as a totally defining structure won't be paramount. The Irish souvenir shop is another part of ethnic definition, inasmuch that salesmanship and saleswomanship are defining factors. Therein the young Irish working on the New York Stock Exchange is defining a certain ethnicity in market behaviour as much as the modern Irish farmer still pursuing rundale farming is partially defining ethnicity because this method of cattle farming was a pan-Celtic phenomenon.

There will be exhibits both larger and smaller. The miniature shillelaghs for the tourist, the myths of ages past, the expositions from Dean Swift,  Samuel Beckett to Liam Neeson, events from Orange Parades to All Saint's Night are part and parcel of Irish ethnicity. Music and dance, both orchestral and traditional, sculpture from sections of ancient walls, as in the Ceide Fields, County Mayo, to finished hewn granite used in the construction of modern buildings  are partial identifying factors   of Irish ethnicity. Further, the variable Irish weather from complex cloud patterns to sea and rain induced unparalleled vegetal greenness add to the identification of ethnicity. The Irish beef industry, horse and dog events, environmental movements, planet wide Irish diaspora are more and further various points for exposition.

Administration, Financing, Management are further issues upon which advice is being sought for the realization of this venue. Please send your comments, and any suggestions.

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