The Angel's Trumpet

  Cork, Ireland
Sunday, August 12, 2007

Cork

We drove back to Cork hoping the sun would linger in the sky a bit longer, just until it was time to head back to the airport. Word on the street is that Irish weather is far worse than English weather, and the sun is a rare luxury the Irish don't get to enjoy often. This, in turn, busts the common myth that bad weather equals miserable, cold, distant people, mainly because the Irish have a friendly, warm and inviting disposition.

Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral

If there's one thing we noticed about Cork from the evening stroll the night before, was that it's densely populated with churches. Ireland being a religious country, this didn't surprise me. I had been, however, always under the impression that Northern Ireland (UK) was Protestant and the rest of Ireland (EU) was Catholic. So I was surprised to learn that Cork had a Protestant Cathedral.

Columns

Everyone knows the violent history which surrounds Ireland with its Catholics and its Protestants, its Loyalists and its Nationalists. People in Ireland are still branded by their religious beliefs and it seems silly to hate each other over factions of the same religion: Christianity. But once you start reading and researching Irish history, you begin to understand that it doesn't really have much to do with religion at all.

Britain succeeded in subduing the Irish island thanks to Oliver Cromwell. Much of the northern part of Ireland was subsequently colonized by English Protestants, while the rest of Ireland remained mainly Catholic, a heritage left by Catholic missionaries in Ireland from the Dark Ages.

Citizens of Cork

In the 19th century, industry and manufacture in the north of Ireland began to flourish, while in the south English Protestants owned much of the land resulting in unequal distribution of wealth and resources. This made the Catholic population poor. Mistrust and bad feelings resulted from the colonization of Ireland by English settlers, following political and social segregation. Catholics were not allowed to be members of Parliament, to own land, to schooling, and any other avenue that led to wealth or self-improvement.

Feet

These economic differences heated the issue of British rule over Ireland, which the Catholics obviously did not benefit from, whilst the Protestants certainly did. This was how in the 20th Century Ireland was divided into 2 warring sides. The Protestants feared living in a country ruled by Catholic nationalists, while the Catholics wanted the Irish to rule Ireland.

Thus Ireland saw itself immersed in a period of violent guerrilla warfare between the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and the British forces. So in 1921 a treaty was signed separating Northern Ireland from the 23 free Irish counties of the south. And in 1949, those souther counties became the Republic of Ireland.

Saints

In the 1960's hostilities between Catholics and Protestants erupted again and British troops were brought in to pacify the IRA's and Protestant paramilitary's acts of terrorism. This conflict which continued into the 1990's became known as 'The Troubles'. Incidents like Bloody Sunday echoed throughout world as all eyes turned to Ireland.

Woman Minister

The differences between Catholics and Protestants were not religious, they were always about land. The fact that each faction had a different religious view is probably coincidental. They could've been called Irish and British, or Loyalists and Nationalists (as they later were). An Irish farmer in the 15th century, angered at his English landowner might have believed the idiosyncratic and socio-economic differences were to be blamed on religion, where 'his Protestantism makes him cruel and greedy', or 'his Catholicism made him stupid and inferior'.

Ed trying to steal something from the saint

So as we stood outside Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral it began to drizzle again. The building was of Romanesque charm and haunting appeal, and as the clouds darkened around it, its grey limestone and marble appeared even more ghastly. This was a Church of Ireland (subsidiary of Church of England) cathedral, built on ground considered holy since the 7th century. The night before we had met some kids that mentioned the entire place was one big graveyard. There are tombstones peering out from every bush, from every stone, from every mound of dirt. I remembered this when we walked around the church and saw the piles of head stones, some older than others, some broken and others in tact. The kid had also mentioned that there are underground vaults and tombs constantly being discovered under the church and that on some places of the estate, you can feel the ground beneath you give in.

Acanthus leaf

We took shelter from the harsh rain in the narthex, under the watchful eye of the Gothic statues of saints and martyrs, church fathers and angels. All had gentle aristocratic features, and if this weren't an 18th century Gothic revival church, I would've been mystified by the expressions on their faces. We could've entered the church but again, admission was being charged. Besides, Protestant churches are not really eye candy when it comes to their interiors; you have to bow down to the Catholics and their idolatry for that.

Angel and Trumpet

Nonetheless the small cathedral was quite the sight. On one of its tall spires sits a golden angel holding a trumpet. The famous Angel of Resurrection. It is said that if the Angel is to fall from the roof, it will signify the end of the world. It is also said that upon the coming of the Apocalypse, the golden angel will take flight over Cork and play its trumpet for all to hear.

It was still raining harshly when we left the church. As we were walking away I thought about the church as a symbol of British rule in Ireland, an unwanted rule for most, that resulted in the loss of life, suffering and tragedy. The Troubles still haunt Ireland today, and for some reason, during our short stay I felt it taboo to talk about Catholics or Protestants. Maybe it's just me imagining things, but I do sense that the Irish have not made peace with its dark past of antagonism and hate. The seeming calm that now exists covers a thick underlying legacy of doubt and mistrust that could easily resurface at anytime.

Rainbow

Nonetheless we had found friendly and warm people in Ireland, more than willing to have a chat or help us get around. You'd think that people with a harsh past wear a burden on their backs, but everyone here seems as carefree and jolly as in the next country. We left Ireland with a sense that something was missing, feeling like we missed out on a lot more of Ireland, and in our minds we were already planning the next trip.