We’re in Ireland for a little holiday. Some of it is a little bit of long overdue (for me) literary tourism around Dublin, but we also spent several days in some of the beautiful western counties, doing some cycling and hiking, and checking out live music in village pubs. For the most part, there’s nothing very desi going on out there — there’s a sizeable South Asian population in Dublin, but rural western Ireland remains much more ethnically homogenous. A lot of little villages have Indian restaurants, but that’s about it.
Our best night in terms of live traditional Irish music was in a town called Clifden, in County Galway — and it was also the night where we had what you might call a ‘desi moment’. The band was very good — the fiddler was brilliant, and one of the singer/percussionists had a lot of entertaining, if rather corny, jokes — and a strong rapport with an audience of upwards of 50 people in a smallish space. The audience was a mix of locals from around Galway, and international tourists, speaking Swedish, German, and of course “American.” There was even a woman from Uganda in the audience, and I somewhat regret that I didn’t get to ask her how she ended up at a pub in a remote town in western Ireland. Then again, there were clearly a number of people in the audience who were eyeing us, a Sikh couple, and wondering the same thing. By chance, we had gotten seats right in the front, which we were really happy about until the point in the evening I am about to describe.
During one break, the jokester/storyteller in the band, a jolly elderly man, asked the Swedish women in the audience how you say “cheers” in Swedish. He ran through “cheers” using the word from every language he could think of, including, now, Swedish. Then he turned to me: “And how do you say it in Sikh?” I couldn’t think of the Punjabi (and no, I didn’t bother to correct him on that) off the top of my head, so I just threw out “Balle Balle.” (“Vadaiyan” might have been more correct). He liked “Balle Balle,” and said it several times, relishing the sound, and even getting the Punjabi tonal inflection pretty much right. He even got several people in the back of the bar repeating it as they raised their glasses: Balle Balle! Balle Balle! Balle Balle!
A little later, he got bolder, and told the following story:
“Seeing this gentlemen here [gestures at me] reminds me of a true story, and I hope no one gets offended. One time I was riding a late night bus in London, home from work. It was the last bus of the night, and there were four people angling for just one standing spot in the bus. The driver was a Sikh gentleman in a white turban. From the group trying to get on the bus, he gave an old lady, clearly weary and not very well-to-do, the remaining spot, and told the others there wasn’t room. When she reached to her purse to pay, he shooed her away, saying he wouldn’t hear of making her pay. When she finally reached her stop, she stepped down from the bus, and said, ‘Thank you very much sir, and I hope you feel better soon!'”
[Get it? She thought the white turban was a bandage.]
The joke killed with the audience in the pub. I was blushing, but I smiled weakly and sort of shrugged it off the way one does: no worries, my friend, I’m not going to ruin your good time by taking umbrage. (But could we get back to the music, please?)
During the next little instrument tuning break, Samian got up from her chair and approached him. Without a word she picked up the drum brush he had been using, and batted him lightly on his bald head with it. She then said, “thank you very much sir, and I hope you feel better soon!” He loved it — I think he must have known he’d crossed a line earlier — and I certainly felt a lot better all of a sudden.
Our evening out in Clifden ended on a high note. And the locals, including our friend in the band, are likely to remember the random Sikh couple who came in one night, to hear the traditional Irish music.
Come on, Amardeep that was a pretty harmless joke. Why take umbrage (nice…a bania, gujju thepla like me doesn’t get to use these kind of words before 1:00 pm on most mornings:)) when none, as it seemed, was intended nor even implied (i.e. the old lady, culturally ignorant she may be, asked him to feel better, what could be more humane for people who just met?!) Tho’, I loved Samian’s reaction…get her another pint!!
Well, slan, Amardeep. Glad to hear the people in rural Ireland are treating you relatively well. It’s true, Dublin (my second hometown alongside NYC) has gotten very multiculti and diverse in only about 10 years. Roddy Doyle’s recent book The Deportees is all about that very subject. When I was back last August, one multiplex in Dublin was showing 3 Hindi movies! Have you been to Eason’s or Hodges Figgis yet? Both really great bookshops. The Winding Stair on the Quays is nice too, but smaller, though with a cafe that makes soups and sandwiches, etc.
Has anyone done a rendition of The Dubliners “Seven Drunken Nights” on any of your nights out? My family were guests at Dromoland Castle when I was a kid, and that song was the one thing that I’ll never forget from the night in the (basement?) pub there…
Ha! Good for Samian. I’ll have to remember that.
Yes, I imagine desis and the Irish have much to bond over, from our tricolour flags and independence from the Brits to our call centres and literary giants. But do go down south and kiss the Blarney stone for us, will you?
Yay Samian! I’ve been part of two Irish-Indian wedding after-parties now. We ROCK when we combine music-dancing-drinking forces.
Happy Bloomsday! sigh…suddenly I find myself craving a guinness and a harp and some Joycean gibberish.
Funny. Hope you get to make it to out of the way places in Ireland, such as Ardara in Cty Donegal, where there’s a very charming pub called Nancy’s there – you can’t miss it as it is a tiny town. One thing I have to say about my limited impression of the Irish – I feel the ordinary Irishman (not necessarily university educated but blue collar workers) have a good understanding of world history, better than the average American from my experience.
That’s not saying much at all. Americans are notorious for being oblivious to the world beyond our shores.
I was just surprised in your story that the guy knew you were Sikhs! I have come across many people in the U.S. who don’t even know that there is a religion called Sikhism..
That’s pretty impressive for a small town… I don’t any small town in Maine would be able to boast that knowledge.
I was just surprised in your story that the guy knew you were Sikhs! I have come across many people in the U.S. who don’t even know that there is a religion called Sikhism..
Exactly, that’s been my experience in the US – I can’t tell you the strange things I was asked when I was in the south, US about “what I was”, but my experiences in Ireland, among rural working class people (and yes, this is all anecdotal so no surveys done) was that not only did people know things about India, that I hadn’t experienced among working class people in my southern town, but they knew specific things about the state that I was from. I liked that immensely.
“Yes, I imagine desis and the Irish have much to bond over….”
Me and My Irish buddies used to drink Guinness back during college days, but I rather had them call the beer Ganesh.
That would be quite apposite since it is stout and has a robust body.
Getting your James Joyce on then? 😀 Have fun!
Sardarni saved the day!
Punjabi kudi to the rescue!
You’re a lucky munda, Amardeep!
Come on, Amardeep that was a pretty harmless joke. Why take umbrage (nice…a bania, gujju thepla like me doesn’t get to use these kind of words before 1:00 pm on most mornings:)) when none, as it seemed, was intended nor even implied (i.e. the old lady, culturally ignorant she may be, asked him to feel better, what could be more humane for people who just met?!)
Purush, here’s the thing about reactions: I believe you either have a reaction or you don’t, in the first instance. The rationalizations and decisions about how to publicly react come later.
In this case, I actually remember my cheeks burning after I heard the joke, before I had time to evaluate it or make a rational decision about what to do. It was embarrassing to hear a joke like that with fifty strangers in the room. After thinking about it for a second I decided to smile and “be a good sport,” because he did go out of his way to try and soften it. But I think it’s that first reaction matters. If a performer on a stage calls you out in public and says something that makes you feel embarrassed or ashamed to be who you are, there’s something wrong. (Remember, this guy had a microphone in front of him, and I didn’t)
As I said, it didn’t ruin the evening.
Amardeep, Have you seen much evidence of the financial crisis? I’ve read that Ireland has been particularly hammered. Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Ok no offense intended..just joking… back to my linguistic play – I thought she was referring to that gentleman being sick.
In addition to a generally higher level of education, there’s another, sadder, reason that people of the Irish coast may recognize Sikhs and know something about Punjab. Air India 182 went down off the coast of County Cork and apparently the disaster made quite the national impression on the Irish. I remember reading about one of the many victims’ relatives who flew to Ireland to identify bodies. Through her personal grief, she remembered the extreme kindness of the locals, and talked about them handing out flowers to all the Indians they saw in town at that time.
Higher than who? Punjabis? OK, sure,, but that’s shooting fish in a barrel (no offense meant, same would be true in Tamil Nadu). Not sure you’re correct if you’re referencing New Yorkers.
Yeah Amardeep, Being a Sikh myself, I understand your plight. Many times I too have been a center of such attention and believe me it does get quite embarassing.
Nevertheless, the joke was good.
And by the way, I think the translation of ‘Cheers!’ in Punjabi should be ‘Chak de phatte!’. Its what the boozing Sikh diaspora chant before they strike glasses.
— Regards, Ratan
Ireland has a long history of ethnic, religious and sectarian violence and terrorism. Whilst Dublin is a fairly cosmopolitan place, it does have issues of racism. Whilst the north is especially afflicted by this problem, Irish racism in the south can be nasty. I woke up this morning to a particularly horrible headline about people of Romanian descent being effectively ethnically cleansed from their homes in Belfast by gangs giving Nazi salutes and attacking their homes. Over one hundred people are currently huddled in a church, including babies and children.
I should have put a paragraph break in my post above just before posting that information about what has happened in Belfast overnight.
Racism in the Republic of Ireland does exist, but a particularly sinister feature of the north is that after decades of sectarian bigotry and terrorism, ‘youths’ and various ideological groupings have, since the Good Friday Agreement and the ceasefires, been at a loose end, in terms of having an enemy to confront. And ethnic minorities have become the target for all that surplus to requirements hate.
“That would be quite apposite since it is stout and has a robust body.” Grat one!! and not to mention, milky frothy, that he is so fond of, next time he wants milk, I’ll be in line with a bottle of you know what.
I just can’t believe you were in Ireland, I live in the North of Ireland and love reading Sepia Mutiny!
If you get a chance come to the North!
As a dude who wears a turban, i laughed at that joke. I wouldn’t have been offended at all. The joke is making fun of the womans ignorance. The guy clearly knew the difference and it comes off as him making fun of someone who isn’t very aware of different religions.
I would say the comment made by rob is more racist than that joke. I haven’t done any surveys but using the same personal experience stats as my man amardeep did, i find it shocking people think that way. Out of people in my family who either were born here or came here at a young age, most everyone has a degree or is currently in college. I’m trying to think of somone, a cousin, a niece, anybody, in my family who isn’t in school or already graduated from college and i’m drawing a blank.
Being in the front row at a comedy performance would be nerve-wracking for me. I too like how Samian handled things. 🙂
Rob,
Your question wasn’t directed at me, but just to share….Polish friends here (NY) have told me that their Polish friends in Dublin have started heading home because work is drying up. In an interview with Pete Hamill recently, we got a bit off topic and in talking about Dublin he mentioned just being over there a little while ago and seeing many “To Let” signs in windows of the many former Georgian homes that had been converted to offices. From what I’ve heard from generally all friends and relatives is that the real estate situation is even more abysmal than ours here in the US.
Billy,
On the racism, in Dublin, I think it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Several years back, my mother and I hopped into a taxi and I passed some remark to the driver about we hadn’t been back in a year or two and how diverse Dublin had suddenly gotten (which is true, the country went from zero to sixty in terms of immigration practically overnight; when I was a kid there, aside from American tourists in the summer, the only other “foreigners” you saw were French, German, Spanish or Italian exchange students over to learn English. If you saw someone of African origin, you could safely bet he or she was a student at TCD, and there were pretty much no desis at all, except for maybe Cauvery Madhavan and her hubby. At the time of my taxi ride, you could easily spot West African women on O’Connell street with babies swaddled on their backs, and some Gypsies begging on or near O’Connell Bridge.). At that comment, the taxi driver (Irish guy in his mid-50s) launched into a tirade about all these foreigners and how they were getting all these great welfare benefits and housing and how it was all Mary Robinson’s fault (“That hoor!”) My Mom and I sat in the back seat, blinking at each other, aghast at the whole thing.
But on the other side of the coin, younger kids seem to be mixing it up quite well, to judge by the large number of mixed race couples you’d see around the city holding hands and kissing (but, yeah, I’m sure some of that may be done for parental shock value), and I was dumbfounded to hear a drivetime radio broadcast of Gerry Ryan last year or so, where the caller, another Dublin native about the same age as Ryan (to judge by the sound of him) who called in to rave about a wonderful vindaloo curry he had in Cavan over the weekend. Cavan!!???!!! What the???? At this point, after an extensive discussion about not just eating vindaloo curry, but also cooking it (!!), Gerry Ryan says “Well, one of my favorite Indian places is out by me in Clontarf (Dublin suburb).” The caller says “Oh, yeah, you mean _________, right?” To which Ryan says “No, not that place, the other one.”
I almost drove the car off the road. Tiny Clontarf has not one, but two Indian restaurants?! Dublin really has moved forward and become a European city.
Amardeep,
Looking forward to the next installment of the travelogue!
cheers, Maria
Moni, please don’t inventory your family on my account–I’m sure they’re great! What I was (clumsily) objecting to was #18’s cheap anti-Americanism, essentially copying white liberals who love to go to Europe and tell us all how much better it is than the US, focusing only on the better aspects of Europe in order to accomplish their real goal–to bash the US. It just struck me as ludicrous for one of us to start copying that kind of behavior.
Rob, do you not see the hypocrisy of your own words? You say don’t bash us, we’re just as educated, unless your punjabi or tamil. So while you’re saying we shouldn’t be spousing anti-americanism, you’re spousing anti-another group.
Moni, Yes, I see your point, and I agree I put my point clumsily. I was trying to point out the (to me) silliness of a desi going to Europe and coming back with the message that the US sucks (not everyone needs to agree with this position, but it’s a plausible one). I failed to make that point in anything approaching an elegant way; I apologize.
Rob, maybe when you read people’s comments, you should not take them to be black or white (i.e. either ‘the US sucks!’ or ‘the US is awesome!’) and see the shades of grey that exist in reality…
for example, when I commented that I was impressed people actually knew that they were Sikhs, and that that wouldn’t happen in Maine, well I wasn’t automatically insinuating that “hence the US sucks/is ignorant” etc, rather I was just pointing out that some states like Maine would benefit from a bit of worldly cultural exposure… not that they are bad or inherently racist, or any other such thing. Most people I have had discussions with about India/Hinduism/Hindi/Islam/Sikhism/cities and villages in India, etc have been genuinely interested in learning information about others in the world… they just haven’t been exposed to it at home/school/community as of yet.
I’m South Indian and my husband is from Ireland. We bond over our colonial histories (“they hate me more than they hate you”). But no matter how inappropriate the Irish can be, I find they’re generally good-natured peeps. BTW–don’t kiss the blarney stone–you’ll get herpes. But do try to go to Listowel, Co. Kerry…the literary capital of Ireland.