All that changed, as once again, we were brought to a new and unfamiliar place. County Mayo. Our studies included discussion of the environmental issues in Mayo, but nothing could have prepared me for feeling so connected to the various issues at hand. Sure, being from the Pittsburgh area, the current debates on allowing hydro-frakking near residential areas (or at all) is a contentious issue. The involvement and passion, however, of the various community members in Parish Erris of County Mayo was inspiring. As a group, we met with a wide range of individuals involved in the issue: a petite female schoolteacher who went on hunger strike until the pipe-laying ship left Irish territorial waters ("The Solitaire"), a fisherman who protested the presence of such vessels in the waters that ensured him his livelihood, a man arrested merely for questioning and standing against the introduction of Shell to the community (one of the "Rossport Five"), and others who understood the power of Mayo as a place - their homes, their community, their family, and the legacy of generations of being of that land. A meeting with public relations representatives from Shell gave us insight as to the corporate view of the installation of the Corrib Pipeline in the contested community. It was frustrating even as an outsider coming into the community for a brief time to take in some of the blatantly illegal activities done by Shell, as well as the confiscation of personal agency of the community itself. With the permission of the Irish state, Shell had free reign, and people have, and are willing to continue, to protest those very actions. Where court and law should have been on the side of the people, instead, it sided with the corporation and with money. SHELL OUT, as some in Mayo might say.
Even after meeting these community memebers, and representations of various aspects of the protests, development, and concerns, it was clear that one week in this area of Mayo was not nearly enough to understand the issues at hand. I felt quite upset actually knowing that I would be leaving there, and that the issues surrounding the area that I had followed and learned about in so much detail for that small bit of time had no end in sight. I will leave, the topics of study will change, but the issues in Mayo will continue. This is in no way an attempt at unfulfilled, pathetic attempt at an ego-centric statement, either. I truly felt connected to the people and the place - the land - and it was difficult to leave the natural beauty of the place. What's more, the difficulty was intensified by the notion that this natural beauty was deeply endangered.
While there, however, we had a great 10k Atlantic Cliffside hike, heard the roar of the sea, filed through peat bogs, and saw some of the greenest and misty hillsides imaginable. Later, a walk along the beach and under the watchful eye of Shell surveilence cameras brought us nearer to - and in some instances, in - the water and the landscape that was being threatened by development.
It was a whirlwind experience, and one I will not soon forget. A lot of that, honestly, goes because of my time with the National Park Service. It's there I learned about, understood, and found the most invaluable notion dealing with place, that being the power of place.
In leaving Mayo, our transport passed by a monument on the side of the road, sitting at the foot of the high hills behind, in the golden fields of early fall. It was explained to us by our program director that this was a statue of a woman waving goodbye. During the time of the Great Famine, or in other hard times in Irish history, emigration was common (and to an extent, still is for economic reasons). When an individual, typically a young person, left County Mayo, they would travel out along the road we now were on. A line of neighbors, family, and well-wishers would walk the to-be-emigrant to that point - right to where that statue now stood. It was there that families parted, mothers watched daughters and sons continue on a road that would take them far from home and to a new life. For most, this was the last time they would see one another. That notion of leaving overwhelmed me. First, the immigrant story is very dear to my own family history, and I couldn't help but think of my grandparents, etc., who left their homes, and boarded ships to come and seek out a new life. Secondly, I was leaving Mayo, like so many had before, travelling along the same road, heading towards the next chapter in a sense. It was truly overwhelming, and testament to a beautiful connection to Mayo, its nature, growing with my classmates, and commemorating the stories of the people met along the way.
Until next time, and a (two) Kilmainham Gaol visit(s)- slán abaile.
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