Hi Everyone!
Here’s some behind-the-scenes content that adds more context to Máire Áine‘s story from the Republic of Ireland.
Farming Life
Ireland is well-known for its dairy industry, which was valued at approximately €6.42 billion in 2023, yet women are still underrepresented:
“I’ve been a dairy farmer for most of my life and that’s a tough industry to exist in as a woman. Men are continually underestimating what I’m capable of.”
She also discusses how she was often given the ‘mothering’ side of farming duties when she was younger, which further upheld gender stereotypes. Despite these challenges, Máire Áine enjoys farming alongside her father and loyal sheepdog.
The Troubles
The Troubles was a violent sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted approximately thirty years (1968-1998). It began when tensions increased between the overwhelmingly Protestant unionists (loyalists), who desired the province to remain part of the UK, and the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nationalists (republicans), who wanted Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic of Ireland.
Although Máire Áine was too young to fully comprehend the extent of the conflict, she does have memories from this tumultuous period in Irish history:
“When I was around age twelve, the Good Friday agreement was signed. It was essentially a truce between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. I live in the Republic of Ireland, so we were less in the middle of the conflict, but violence still spilled over and I’d hear stories from people visiting the farm.”
Máire Áine then recounts a particularly unnerving tale she heard from a fellow dairy farmer, who’d driven his milk lorry across the border into Northern Ireland during the height of the conflict.
Check this story out in the article.
Religion and Mythology
Needless to say, religion is still an important part of Irish culture. However, Máire Áine discusses how attendance to formal worship has slowly been declining in recent years:
“Churches used to be packed when I was growing up; now the numbers are getting lower and lower. It’s the same in many countries. I don’t go as much as I’d like but when I do attend, I appreciate the half hour of reflection.”
It’s difficult to mention Ireland without someone performing a botched impression of the phrase ‘Top ‘o the mornin’ to ya!’ or pretending to be a leprechaun (a supernatural being in Irish folklore), so I asked Máire Áine what her experience has been as an Irish citizen:
“Some people come to Ireland thinking we’re all leprechauns, or they’re going to spot one ‘in the wild.’ It’s crazy, but it’s true. That being said, I did grow up knowing many superstitions and traditions in Ireland that are second nature.”
Máire Áine goes on to detail a range of weird and wonderful superstitions and traditions connected to Irish folklore that sound as magical as the Emerald Isle is beautiful.
Máire Áine’s Story
To find out more about Ireland and Máire Áine‘s story, please follow this link for free access:
Take care,
Rachel : )
