In the last blog entry,
Vincent had just described some of the positive aspects of the campaigns over
preservation of heritage.
Question: Will cultural
tourism catch on?
I think there will be more
cultural tourism rather than straight economic tourism. I do see a lot of
potential now in the people who have been turned on abroad and those here at
home as well. I think the local population up in Meath realizes more now that
they do have something of value that they didn’t fully appreciate before. I was
talking to someone who loves fairies, like Tinkerbell. There is a Florida Fairy
Festival every year. So I was thinking, why don’t they have a Fairy Festival on
the Hill of Tara every year? It would
bring large crowds. People would have fun outside. People would bring their
kids. I think you will see more utilization of these sites and the sites will
come to life.
Question: Is changing the
Constitution feasible in Ireland?
As to the Constitution,
there is a Constitutional Convention set up to review the constitution. When
the present government officials were running for office, their parties, Labor
and Fine Gael came in and said there was going to be a Constitutional Convention.
That process is beginning. The terms of reference are quite narrow and many are
cynical about it. But none the less, there is a period over the next year to
raise issues. There should be constitutional protections put in place to
protect heritage and the environment, and for our culture, really.
People abroad have the right
to have these things protected as part of their own culture. This would not
just protect Irish citizens, but all people of Irish decent. That’s why it’s
important for those of Irish decent to express those opinions, especially
during the coming year. I’ll try to get
clear ideas and explanation up on the Internet and into print so that people
can demand their constitutional and human rights.
“We the undersigned were
outraged about what happened at Tara and what was proposed at Slane without due
consideration. We want to be sure as Irish people that this is never going to
happen again. Let’s put the necessary protections into the constitution, once
and for all.”
