It is interesting that I came to write about this sculpture on the day the Queen of Britian died. Our history with Britain has had many ups and downs with lots of fighting to keep control of this little island. My own father was a refugee of the wars or 'Troubles' as we politely called the shenanigans that went on up North. My grandparents were burned out of Belfast for being born Catholic. My grandfather put his family on a train and cycled after it on a bike he salvages from the ashes of his bicycle shop. They headed south to Dublin which was free from the tyranny of the monarch.
We are still a country divided. With the north six counties still part of the UK and the south 26 a republic after gaining its independence in 1921. It all kicked off in 1916 with The Easter rising. It was not a popular rising as a group of freedom fighters decided to occupy some buildings and the locals wondered what all the fuss was about. It was only when they were captured by the British and put in front of a firing squad that the public said enough was enough and we set out on our path to get the Brits out.
One hundred years later and where are we? Peace has broken out in the north as Catholics and protestants reluctantly try to live together. It is still a bit of a mess especially now that the UK voted to leave Europe. Thankfully, things are being resolved, slowly but surely over a desk and not over bodies. Most people on the island live in peace but there are always those for who history can not be forgotten and it will take a generation or two to breed out the anger.
Where do I stand on this? Well, in the word of president Jack Nicholson
Why can't we all just get along?
I had nothing to do with the fact that I was born here. To say I was proud to be Irish would be quite silly and I chuckle to myself any time I hear others say it but, the closest I have ever come to feeling a sense of pride for my country was when the Queen of Britain paid a visit a couple of years ago and she was welcomed with open arms by the vast majority of the people. It was like we had grown up and decided to let bygones be bygones. Look to a future of peace and harmony with our neighbour and put the last 400 years behind us.
I have become neutral to all the wars and fighting. Firstly because I just don't see the point in fighting for a cause that is made up by morons in a boardroom and inflicted on people, who in general just want to get on with their lives and secondly, I just don't know what is happening under the fog of War. It is just too confusing and filled with propaganda to go stick a flag beside my profile.
I am jaded by wars that are not about what they are sold to be. I just can't see myself picking up a gun and shooting at people I don't know. If invaders came to my house, I for sure would protect my family but I would prefer to just sit down with the idiots and tell them to cope-on with themselves.
Sacrifice?
The guys who took that first step towards our independence is what this sculpture is about. I just can't get my head around picking up a gun and being willing to die for your country. Maybe I am a coward, if so, fair enough. I would prefer to live for a cause anyway.
It was created for the 2016 Cashel arts festival in Cashel, Ireland. It was a great experience for me. To spend a whole week getting lost in a sculpture and thinking about what the '1916 Rising' meant to me. Maybe I am just numbed by the wars I have seen play out in my lifetime. All based on lies. Soldiers that proudly follow their country's mission and go to far-off lands to kill an enemy in the name of democracy and freedom. Like anything, follow the money and see who benefits from these wars. It ain't the population. I can't understand the idea of being a soldier and giving my moral compass away to a man who wouldn't be caught dead on the front line and just uses me as a little pawn in his game.
Even the rebels from 1916. Such a pity that so many died during the fighting. Don't get me wrong I am happy we finally got our independence but as with all wars it was settled at a nice comfy table with some men in suits shaking hands. Maybe we should skip all the killing and just tell them we are fighting. Imagine a war where nobody showed up to fight.
No revelation
Through making this sculpture I was really trying to understand but Alas after a week I was no closer to understanding the mentality. Maybe, I have lived a life of privilege given to me by their sacrifice. Maybe, I had to live at the time to know what would drive someone to pick up arms. I just don't know. I need to revisit this type of theme someday.
I really enjoyed sculpting in the centre of this little town and got to speak to the locals about what this rebellion meant to them. Everyone had stories about family members who died and fought. I have them too. It was a pivotal time in our history. Sometimes I wonder where we would be had it not happened. Would we be mourning the death of our Queen or would we still be fighting over scraps?
RIP to Queen Elizabeth. She seemed to be a nice old lady doing a job which she was apparently born to do by some divine entity. She knew her way around an engine and I'm sure will be sadly missed.
Ps
Thanks for reading. I use PeakD to document my work as an ephemeral Sculptor of sand, snow and ice, amongst other things. This will hopefully give it a new life on the Hive Blockchain. Below you will find some of my recent posts.
Record attempt Oberhausen - sand sculpture
Cog in the machine - sand sculpture
HMS Nemo - sand sculpture
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