In Conlcusion...

I originally picked this topic because I was surprised by the similarities I saw in the way Leprechauns are represented in Ireland and the US.  Through this project I wanted to discover how the image of the leprechaun came up in everyday life in Ireland, mainly Dublin.  I knew that in the States the leprechaun was used as something that could emphasize Ireland, and in the States we see leprechauns as mainly as mascots, marketing tools, and to some extent children entertainment.  I was surprised to discover its role in Ireland was very similar. 

While I did find many similarities, throughout this process I also learned a lot about leprechauns and their significance in Ireland.  I visited the National Leprechaun Museum on two separate occasions.  Not only did I find a lot of my images there, but I also learned a lot, from old folklore legends to when the leprechaun was introduced to America. 

I think if I was to expand this visual ethnography to a larger project of research, I would focus more on the marketing role of leprechauns.  I would be interested in a more comparative approach, including pictures not only from Ireland but America as well.

I had a lot of fun gathering images for this visual ethnography.  At first I was worried about collecting enough photos, but there was always something or someone new to photograph.  Doing this project providing me with a certain lens with which to view the city; I was always on the lookout for anything leprechaun.  It reminded me to do more than just walk through the streets, I was not only aware of my surroundings but also noticing and processing the people, buildings, and things around me. 

More Leprechauns from the Streets of Dublin

Being a (Not So) Grown Up in Ireland

If anything, being in Dublin so far away from my family has prove that I make a terrible adult.  I've been to the grocery store once in my entire stay here.  I practically never have food in the apartment, and am always popping down to centra for a sandwich or the ingredients for the one thing I know how to make: pasta (and when I say "I know how to make" I mean my roommate Claudia, I usually just buy the stuff and "supervise").  Needless to say the variety and nutritional value I've grown accustomed to with my sister's cooking at home and my meal plan at school are pretty much non-existent.  Sometimes I get so excited when I see vegetables I'm surprised I don't eat them right there in the store.

I also realized that I am incapable of caring for myself properly here.  If it wasn't for Claudia, I'm pretty sure I would have laid sick in my bed for a week before realizing I should probably go to the doctor.

Household duties are also not my strongest skills.  Although we do manage do keep the apartment relatively clean, yesterday I wore flip-flops because I ran out of socks.  Every time I think I'm getting better, something else comes up to make me feel like a completely incompetent idiot.  Its embarrassing.

Leprechauns: An interpretation by Clare

Week 9 Question: Pictures That Didn't Make the Cut

These three photos, like a lot of the pictures on this blog, are from the National Leprechaun Museum in Dublin.  The first photo I decided not to use because it didn't actually show any leprechauns.  The second two I liked because they were part of story that was written on the walls of the museum, but I also decided not to use them because I felt they didn't fit with my other photo posts.  I started out looking for representations of leprechauns around Ireland, and these photos don't contribute to that research.

Leinster v. Ulster: A Lesson in Etiquette

Attending a rugby match is something everyone tells you to do in Ireland, and so we went to one.  I'm lucky enough to understand the basic rules of rugby, and I was really looking forward to seeing a match in person.  It was a fun night, not too cold, we had a fun group of people, and for the most part being in the stands with the "real fans" was fun.

Even though it was overall a fun night, we did have a bit of a run in with, for lack of a better word, a true fan.  Since rugby really isn't popular in the US, we weren't well-versed in the rules and expectations of being a member of the Leinster crowd.  Since we're not clueless idiots, we soon caught on that we weren't supposed to talk during kicks from either side; it was cool to hear the entire stadium go quiet.  However, we did engage in some casual conversations during the game, a fact that one fan sitting in front of us apparently found quite offensive.  I've been to quite a few sporting events in my time, and I've never encountered a sport where fans are expected to be silent during an eighty minute game (or match. whatever).  The man sitting in front of us, who ignored his wife and two children the entire game and barely even cheered with his fellow fans, turned to us and told us: "I would never disrespect a sporting event like this in your country", or something along those lines.  He then proceeded to move himself and his family two rows ahead of us and subsequently give us dirty looks for the rest of the game. 

I was shocked, and a bit insulted.  Is he kidding me? Does he expect 17,000 to be completely silent for eighty minutes? No. Actually, he said nothing to the men sitting directly next to him who, throughout the course of the match, I overheard discussing laundry, doctors appointments, and which pub they would hit up after the game.  This didn't seem to bother Mr. Superfan in the least; I can only conclude that it was our nationality that truly bothered him.  Perhaps he didn't appreciate our lack of knowledge about the sport and the players, or felt our mere presence at the stadium was somehow mocking or belittling his own appreciation for the team.  I really can't say why he was so offended by us in particular.  I also can't really say how the situation would have panned out if the roles were reversed and it had happened in America.  There isn't really a sport where a fan would be so offended by chatter in the stands.

This is one of the first run-ins I've had with xenophobic attitudes.  I really can't wrap my head around how someone could get so upset by a group of people enjoying themselves at a sporting event. 

Leprechaun Merch

Leprechaun Museum and various shops around Dublin