Inis Meáin, Aran Islands, Ireland 1973 Old footage

the very first impression that one takes is the impression of the solid rock perhaps something which has been standing there you know resisting everything that the plenty could throw up at it and I think it will be true to say that the people here have something of the same quality that perhaps men may common men may go but that they and their Island withstand no matter what are the influences which may come in what we're living here on a rock you may as well say and I'm stormy nights if anybody gets see you through start to play if the only transport we have here to the hospital and Galway in the mainland is the lifeboat and if the Seas too rough we cannot go to the lifeboat who says we will have to pray lit well the people have a strong religion here many of wood or nothing whoo-hoo the father-son and uncle wife and mother crying seeing them from the cottage door imagine how the team the Broadway a pondan no normal to be CE OS the disclose longer all heart is filled with joy have esteem the see and to cultivate the soil lazybones much wanted for each man wants some fray to chat about the open fire on the day's walk run away the one who is then hold the family together she rears the family and the man just plants her grows the potatoes sauce the potatoes sends feeds the cattle but apart from that the woman does everything else she looks after the children nits per Factory in the weekly money that comes into the house is the woman's and the woman often advises the man even how to sell cattle and to feed them we had a fantastic childhood yeah we played games like everybody else my time was always storytelling my father's great storyteller it was the same story nearly every second night but really listen to this with her sitting around the fire played a few games and went to bed said prayers and Sundays everybody played some kind some form of game community games there's a game for every season I think it still exists they start school at age of four or five they have the same program said that said about the Department of Education and everything is taught through the medium of Irish under leave for the mainland if they wish at the age of 12 or 13 to go for another education the population in his is decreasing there very few children attending school now there there's no sign of people getting married the greatest enemy we have here the island is the isolation the poor things are low foodstuffs everything in anything we need and groceries whatever we have to sell nine a cat blue for the aegis anything we send it out from the board their only means of transport to the mainland it's a lifeline I enjoy living on the island because of his freedom mostly from the craft I can work whenever I like it and whenever I feel fit and sit down for a rest whenever I wanted nobody bothers about it back here they all worked in their own time we're kind of independent here not nothing that ever happens outside you do well it doesn't interfere with our lives I will work for that matter there is no work on this island which is a very very hard work as there are difficulties here that that armed anywhere else that are leaving the difficulty of if you want to have livestock occasion getting them onto the island getting them off the island and difficulties if if very normal for a farmer in normal situation can expect to all kinds of vision rehab and that to be is a pity it isn't available to them here there if there is no way on the islands at the moment that a fishing port can be established which means that they have to continue to work as I've been doing right down through the centuries from Korres one more yes until a decision yeah our superstition is generally formed by elements in a person's life that allows fear and superstition might be is used for the way as any of combating rationalizing some of those fears and I think they see without any doubt is the one thing that has more superstition attached to us than anything else for people on the items and as well as for people on see clothes everywhere we see people for example will never take a corpse out of a water because they believe that the sea will claims its own daejun little gateway it did something that the sea has taken the life from that is going to have its revenge on you or on your people as would often be left for Italy the police are a priest to remove corpse from the water and repeat themselves when that stars again it's a very very important for them that a body be recovered after drowning this is very important again I've just heard stories from priests over here before me of people who amande absolutely convinced that a body would come back until today that there would be disturbed until such time as a body will be picked up in the navel in to be at peace Hey I have met one man on the island who seems to think that the David combi will be a beautiful wasteland I can see myself that if in the next 15 years or so something doesn't happen here which will give an economic boost to the island which would keep people here then will undoubtedly be dead there are 60 children and I think myself that if something doesn't happen then in 15 years time there might only be about 30 left when that happens there's no way that you you're your population based can replace them you

Channel: AranInfo

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Keywords: Inis Meáin, Aran Islands, Ireland 1973 on Vimeo

Id: ZUNfovLWktA

Length: 12min 48sec (768 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 26 2010