MINUTES - Shane's session (first session)

Importance of cultural heritage for social mvements / activism
-significant social movements - cultural landmarks - how SMs have been recorded in popular culture.
change in unusual ways - 

story - castle in Laurencetown (?) - strong community working for local landowning family - "benevolent" landowners, community provision. 1914 / 5 - S's uncle - gardener - republicanism / socialist. 
- critical of hierarchy of the 'lords and ladies'. Amazing gardener. - landowners liked the 'bowing down' - gardener uncle 'simmering' - did not kneel to landowners. Equal respect - kneel to me if I kneel to you.@. 'do you like the view from down here'? - fought side by side in 1st world war.

Change is possible - capable of the most amazing things.
Real change when the 2 realised what they have in common.

- history of changing things from below in Ireland - prehistoric SM's! - at one with the land - mobilisation of people - focal point - Newgrange. Symbol + vision of Newgrange's message.

Group of people faced with a task which seems insurmountable. - what are our goals anyway?
_mobilisation_. - striving for COMMUNALITY OF PURPOSE 

- Celtic mythology.
Story - fionn McCool. shot a white stage out on a hunt. Shelter in a castle - fairy folk castle - had to leave. Fionn had to motivate his men to overthrow when they were 'happy' - "false consciousness". "Open your eyes + see who you really are."
we have relinquished _control_. But some of us remember who we really are. - how do we let others know what our message is?
- if we have a vision how do we communicate it?
- so much going on, so much change.
- changing situ. in Church. acknowledgement of sexual abuse.

song - the well below the valley-o - incest + infanticide. Catholic church has written this period out of our history.
crimes against children + women.
Patriarchy.
-pregnancy, women becoming pregnant via abuse.

Donal oge song. women standing to lose most - loss of virginity - having the worst deal.
changing situ - but patriarchy; women still struggling against inequality, dilemmas - this needs incorporating into our vision.

- we are 'the rebels, the dreamers, the patriots' - visionary leaders - bringing the people along with us. Using the strong egs. of visionary leaders.
- we have alternative press; activists; talents; academics; we _are_ making a difference. We must be patient + not falter from the path. It takes time. We will see the day when the fight is won - 

let's keep the dream alive.
folk music documenting the history of protest, changes in the structures of society. songs recording SMs.

Isolde - Shane's them a few people making the masses see that they are right? - Isolde questioning this - is this elitism? - ie enforcing an outside vision.
Shane - what he's trying to say is that there doesn't need to be a bloody revolution - encouraging people to THINK. Everyone's vision is different - education is important.

Isolde - where do you go if people think differently?
Alex - let's get all options out in the open.
Shane - let's get rid of ignorance, lack of understanding, let people live how they want to

Isolde - careful of using history to justify the present - ie _was_ there a single charismatic leader at Newgrange?

David - we have to be aware of these things, because we rae aware ,then we can compensate for any problems. David - this is an extraordinary gathering, learning from each other, we are starting at grassroots.
Shane - important it's true history can be read ... but you need conviction that what you are doing is right.

Isolde - diff. between 'righteous' and 'self-righteous' -path is learning from each other.
Pauline - many truths
Maire - history is written by the conquerers - so Shane's songs - underclass - women + children. - how can this approach be woven into working class communities - so they can relate to history. - the quiet struggles. Maire - who is chronicling those.
Mary - the songs were very sad. these women were the victims + they were punished.
Maeve - we have inherited + internalised those issues.