The land of a hundred thousand welcomes

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive. 

- Anais Nin.

I am not an Irish language scholar but I work in a school and so I pick up the cúpla focal here and there. It can be nice to greet a child in our native tongue and hear their reply. “Dia duit” and the child replies, “Dia is Muire duit.” God bless you, and the response, God and Mary bless you. Our native language has that knack of the superlative; an initial blessing being met with a greater blessing in reply.

The Irish language was still in common use throughout the Ox Mountain region up until the last few decades of the nineteenth century. Ironically, it was a more formal educational system that done for it; taking it out of common use and including it in the educational process. Language is like sport; you learn it by playing it.

Le Cúnamh Dé 

An article, written for RTÉ by Peter Weakliam (DCU), about how our native language is deeply intertwined with Ireland's religious history, points out some interesting details.

Phrases like these are often tied to specific situations or contexts, and are like a kind of formula that Irish speakers use when communicating with one another. In certain Gaeltacht areas, for instance, if you come across someone working, it is common courtesy to wish ‘prosperity from God on the work’, using the poetic phrase, bail ó Dhia ar an obair.

Interestingly, there are many common phrases in English that are virtually impossible to translate to Irish without reference to God. Comedian Des Bishop was struck by this when he found out that the Irish for 'hopefully' (le cúnamh Dé) literally means ‘with the help of God’. 

‘What if you don’t believe in God?’ he asked a group of native speakers from Connemara. 

‘Well,’ they replied, ‘then you can’t have any hope!’ 

As we enter an age of political correctness and the language of social media, Weakliam ends his piece with a word of caution.

It is very likely that at least some of these phrases will fall out of use over time. This may happen due to the preference of individual speakers to avoid religious language. But it will probably be caused primarily by other factors, such as the influence of the English language on Irish. The phrase 'Dia duit' is already less common than it once was, as many younger speakers prefer to use other greetings, such as haigh, pronounced the same way as the English word ‘hi’.

Céad Míle Fáilte 

'Céad Míle Fáilte' is the traditional Irish greeting which means, a hundred thousand welcomes. It seems we respect the significance of the welcome as a basic introduction, the way we want to be perceived on meeting a stranger. Among the Celts, there is a wide recognition of the importance of chance meetings and random events with an openness to new experiences and meeting new people. This is beautifully contained in the expansive and generous nature of the phrase, céad míle fáilte.

In recent decades the phrase has become a tourism tagline, a banner headline to attract attention and bring tourists to our shore. It was an intelligent move; using the native language and also the generous sentiment. It is an easy phrase to repeat by those who otherwise do not have a word of Irish. Whether you are American or British or Chinese, you can easily say the words and know what they reflect about the hospitable and welcoming Irish. To this day, you will see the greeting in homes, in pubs and displayed in countless tourist outlets around the world.

The phrase, it seems, has been celebrated for centuries. The National Library of Ireland has traced the beginnings of the phrase to a song from the early 1800s. The song is Eibhlín a Rún (or, Eileen, the Secret Treasure of My Heart) and the storyline of the song sees a jilted lover making every effort to take Eileen away from his competitor. In doing so, he offers her a hundred thousand welcomes. In fact, the refrain forms part of the chorus of the song and by the time the song is over, the expectant lover is offering well over a million welcomes! The prospect of Eileen boiling his bacon and cabbage must have been very attractive indeed.

Gemma Tipton, writing in The Irish Times (April 2018), under the heading, From Land of the Thousand Welcomes to Direct Provision, tells us about the customs, and indeed responsibilities, around hospitality.

Customs concerning hospitality vary. In ancient Greece, hospitality was a right, and the onus was on the host to meet the needs of the guest. In Christianity it is a virtue, while in old Irish custom, the safety of the guest was also the responsibility of the host.

That opens another interesting paradox, as it once again illustrates the dual nature of hospitality: yes, you are welcome, and do make yourself at home, but strictly on defined terms. Or to put it another way: welcome to the gallery, but don’t run, speak above a whisper, touch the art or use the gallery as a shelter from the coldness of the streets.

Oppression 

The National Museum of Ireland in a research piece on emigration informs us of the following. As you read, see if you notice a latter day parallel?

A peak in emigration occurred as a result of the Great Famine of 1845-1852. The failure of the potato crop, due to blight, and insufficient provision of alternative food supplies resulted in destitution, death and emigration on a cataclysmic scale. Mass evictions, the near-famines of 1861-1864 and 1879-82, and the hardships of subsistence farming meant emigration to North America continued to be seen as an opportunity to support and improve life.

People left the Ox Mountains at this time to avoid famine, oppression, tyranny and injustice. When they did leave, it was often a difficult journey fraught with dangers and abuse and often these people risked life itself. When they arrived on that distant shore, they were often treated badly; having to seek food and shelter wherever they could. However, most eventually got a foothold; they got shelter, they became workers and, in the end, many formed the backbone of the communities where they eventually settled. One even became president of the Untied States. These weren’t bad people – they were good people coming from a bad place.

Isle of Hope 

One of our favourite songs here at home is the Brendan Graham classic, Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears. The ballad tells the story of Annie Moore and her trip to the New World. Our hearts are moved by her aloneness, her innocence and yes, her bravery. As the lyrics unfold, we become fond of her, we want her to succeed, we want her to have that better life. We want those people, who hold the keys of freedom, to offer her a hundred thousand welcomes.