“The great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad, for all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad.” ― G.K. Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse
Now, the Irish have a reputation for being fun loving and humorous, even in the darkest and roughest of times. Growing up in an Irish family, I can say that is true, to an extent at least, ha-ha! My father taught me that there is a silver lining in every storm we must bear. Though we may not see it at the time, it is there. With COVID-19 wreaking havoc on our lives right now we may not see it, but years down the road we will find the silver lining hidden in this storm.
As COVID-19 is sweeping across the globe, we are all bearing witness to one of the most violent storms we will have to navigate through in our lives.
This is a very difficult time for all of us, no matter what gender, race, or creed you are, or where you live, come from, or call home, no one is immune to the effects COVID-19 is having on the entire world. This is a very hard time for us all, and more than ever before, we need to come together by staying apart.
One way the Irish taught us we can come together in hard times like this, is with music, poetry, writings, or other forms of art. The Irish are renown for the poetic legends that have been inspired by the hard times. The ageless Irish music that was inspired from the famines, the discrimination, the rebellions, the suffering and the sorrows, still echoes from bands and musicians today. These outlets bring us joy and comfort to create them and brings the same to those who hear them or read them.
So, let us show you some examples of the storms the Irish have faced and the beautiful songs and poems that were produced from the tragedies they faced. Maybe at the end of this blog you’ll have been inspired to pick up a pen or brush the dust off an old instrument you played and create your own token of these hard times we face that will echo for centuries telling the people how we held strong and pulled through.
One poem that stood out to me while we are social distancing is Quarantine by Eavan Boland. This beautiful poem about the love between a man and woman and how they held true together until the very end was published by Eavan Boland in 2008 and is about The Great Hunger between 1845 and 1849. It’s a sad ending indeed, but it’s a beautiful piece nonetheless. Hold your love for each strong and be there for one another no matter how hard it gets
“The birds are singing for joy of the Spring’s glad birth”
One way to look at COVID-19 is to consider it as the bitterness winter brings, forcing us to stay indoors as much as possible, making our interactions with those outside of our home minimal. Winter brings forth cabin fever to many as we wait for spring to come so we can resume our joyous activities outdoors and spend time with our friends whenever we want on a long hot summer day.
I, for one, know I am dealing with a major onset of cabin fever myself! It helps me to think about how winter can’t last fore
ver and soon spring will be here. Or in other words, the social distancing and Stay At Home Order from Governor Tim Walz will be lifted and COVID-19 under control.
I think a great poem about winter ending and spring arriving that fits this analogy is Magdalen Walks by Oscar Wilde. Just reading it you can feel the fresh air and almost smell the flowers blooming. Let this be a reminder that this will soon pass, and our “spring” will come and COVID-19 will depart. Staying mentally strong during this difficult time is something easily said but not easily done. Reading, writing, music, drawing, and painting are all great outlets to help us through this cold winter and overcome our cabin fever.
“Maybe some music about the struggles of the past to fill your soul
and to remind you that we will prevail”
For instance, many know about the Potato Famine in Ireland and how it caused a huge amount of migration from Ireland to The United States. The Irish-American population was not loved by the American people, and the Irish-Americans faced a lot of discrimination. 
During the Civil War, many Irishmen supported the Union, but did not want the black population to become part of the working class for fear they would take the few jobs available to the Irish-American worker. The song Paddy’s Lamentation by David Kincaid captures what new Irish-American’s felt during this hard time. It has tones of homesickness and missing a loved one left behind. The song is a beautiful story of an Irish immigrant, the battles he is fighting, the longing for home, and wanting the bloodshed and turmoil’s that war brings to finally be over. Much like the turmoil’s COVID-19 is putting our hearts, souls, and minds though, both physically and emotionally draining us.
“For I am sick and tired of this hard fighting”
During this pandemic that COVID-19 is causing, we often refer to those that are essential workers and healthcare professionals as those working on the front-lines. They are exposing themselves to easily be infected and become violently ill for our well-being. From nurses and doctors, to those stocking the shelves at the grocery store and those manning the cash registers. They are facing their own battle of emotions and being physically drained to meet the demand of the masses.
“And me, my sweetheart Britt McGee I’m afraid I will never see”
Right now, in this historic time we are living through, we are all isolated at home, and some of us are even isolated from our loved ones due to the Stay-at-Home order. Almost everyone is missing a loved one and prays to be able to see them again once this is all over.
Although we aren’t using any cannons in the battle against COVID-19, but just like Paddy fighting in the Civil War, we don’t know when it will all end or if we all will make it out alive and unscathed. Right now, even though we all are sick of being home and want to go back to normal life, many of us right now are not on the front-lines of the battle against this invisible enemy.
Art is a great way to both capture what it is like to live during a certain time, but it is also a great way to get oneself through a rough time. Whether it be art, music, or writing, expressing one’s emotions can be a great relief. As an English student, I personally enjoy writing. I haven’t done too much of it at current time because I’ve been working on classwork instead. 
I am looking forward to having even more free-time and getting back to writing. We at Irish-ly Minnesotan would like to thank those essential workers for making it possible for us to follow government orders.
So, from Kendra, Bennett, and the whole team here at Irish-ly Minnesotan, we wish you all well and we’ll see you on the other side of this storm stronger than ever. Hold strong, friends! We will make it through this.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/the-irish-brigade