When sometimes we wonder about the wonder of Galway, we try to see if there has been some human algorithm that has been used over the years that has turned it into one of the most desirable places in the continent to live.
The conclusion often is that there was/is a stoicism among its native people; a resilience honed by our proximity to the harsh winds, the challenges of the open ocean, the distance from what was deemed civilisation.
This created a character that fascinated the visitors; the iconic Man of Aran, the lived-in faces of the Claddagh people, the strength and endurance of the Connemara natives to shape a life among the mountains, the lakes, the sea.
Before anybody else came here, there was a mix, a foundation for the creation of a type; a fertile soil for the evolution of the Galway way.
It can be argued that in the last four or five decades as Galwayness became a thing; as the opportunity to create, to produce, to innovate increased, that it happened because of those who came in, who were added to the mix.
Our finest actors, writers, innovators, academics thrived in Galway because of the welcome they received there and the colourful environment that allowed them to be their best; and to contribute to the community that nourished them.
That is why it is most disturbing if the world is getting the message this week that Galway is not a welcoming place; that we have a suspicion and mistrust of a perceived Other. Galway is a place that on an ongoing basis has been shaped positively by ‘Others’. This is possible because we have chosen to welcome and melt away any ‘Other-ness.’ We are a welcoming place.
Let us not be defined by the mindless actions of those who would choose to suggest otherwise.
*******
Our gift to each other this Christmas should be the gift of time. The hardest thing in the world now is to tell yourself to slow down, to sit down, to chat, to share, to play a game with a child, to chat with someone for whom a few words means a lot. Switch off the outside world this Christmas. Put your smartphone on the mantelpiece or away in a box. The outside world will still be there when you switch it back on the next day. Above all, do not make people feel that you are just paying lip service to their desire for company. Do not give any hint that you want to be anywhere else but there. For a few days, build up a new habit of making those around feel like the most important people in your live. Because they are.
Get down on the floor and share the games; take it easy on the booze; the world that’s boozy and hazy for you might be hellish for someone else who just wants your sober company. Don’t let your children have Christmas memories that revolve around drunkenness and rows.
Adults have a responsibility to create memories for those whose lives will stretch away decades and decades into the future. As keepers of the flame of memory, do what you can to lift someone's heart, to restore the honest decency of friendship and love. Next week brings a new year, a new decade, perhaps a new way of living our lives.
On behalf of the management and staff of the Galway Advertiser, I would like to wish you a very happy and fulfilling Christmas. This is the Advertiser's 54th Christmas in Galway. We thank you for your loyalty and for allowing us the opportunity to inform, entertain, and, no doubt, occasionally infuriate you over the past year. We thank those who support us through advertising, which allows us to sustain this wonderfully Galway medium; We thank you too for your comments, both for and against our commitment to allow as many diverse voices as possible to be heard through our pages and on our increasingly popular Facebook and Twitter facilities. Thank you for letting us into your homes and into your minds.
Thar cheann an Galway Advertiser gach dea ghuí i gcomhair na Nollag agus na hathbhliana.
