There is a Celtic view of the Irish Sea/Ocean in reverse, where Ireland,
Wales, Cumbria, Isle of Man, West Scotland etc, and then Cornwall, Galicia,
Brittany etc are linked by the sea. Easy enough to see if you look at a map.
And they're always digging up bits of Spanish pottery from the 6th Century
on Anglesey. There was a kind of Saints run as well between those places,
and Bardsey (Enlli) was a gathering place for saints.
I suppose it comes from a time when, from a Welsh perspective, before roads
were built, travel by sea was easier. The coastline then becomes the centre,
not the margin, and inland an impenetrable mass. I suppose the same
perspective would link north east Scotland to Scandinavia, East Anglia and
Holland, although the mountains in Wales made land travel particularly
difficult.
Maybe we should develop a new international 'line' of poetry, the Irish Sea
Line. Hands across the water?
The Irish Sea/Ocean is quite shallow as well isn't it? But still too deep to
wade across I think. Although there was a story in the local paper recently
of two people who stole a fishing boat from Holyhead because they missed the
ferry. They were drunk and didn't make it to the other side.
Although thinking about it the Irish Sea could equally be called the Welsh
Sea. Wales hasn't got a sea to call its own. A touch of Irish imperialism
there I think. We should rename it with an avant garde backslash, The
Irish/Welsh sea. But hold on there's the Isle of Man left without a sea ...
International politics are so complex.
Ian
>From: rupertmallin <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: rupertmallin <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: All My Seas Aren't Yours
>Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 20:53:24 -0000
>
>Standing on the East most point of these Islands with a friend yesterday
>looking into the grey, grey North Sea - love your poem Geraldine.
>
>All the waters of the world meet. Stood with the pulse of the waves, my
>friend and I caught the pulse in our veins: would be that it could be all
>hearts together without spilling a drop.
>
>Love, Rupert
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live™ Messenger has arrived. Click here to download it for free!
http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/?locale=en-gb
|