multi-cultural ireland

i went salsa dancing tonight.

salsa dancing in ireland.

it reminded me of this weird restaurant i never went to when i was growing up. "Carlos Murphys". mexi-irish. i never actually got a chance to eat there, it being a pub and i being underage when i first noticed it. i still wonder what would have been on the menu.

i met some nice people and i danced very poorly. such is life. i realized while i was in town that there aren't parts of limerick designated to certain countries, not like it is in chicago.

there isn't a greektown, or a chinatown, or even a latino district. it's all very irish. the realization made me think about my courses and how ireland seems to be a country in a constant identity crisis. i wonder how can they willingly lose their language, but hate the people who insisted they lose it? how can they say "A Thousand Welcomes" when they don't show much diversity in culture? i love the history and what i learn about the culture, but more often than not, i miss the multi-cultural aspect of chicago. i miss being able to walk down the street and know that i blend in by being a minority; i miss being myself.