Learning about a place through its signs, ads and souvenirs
Wherever we travel we always look out for public art and murals, and search out the parks to watch what the local people are doing. We also like to browse around local grocery stores, as that gives us a better idea of part of the life and culture in that place; what items are available, what’s on special, what kind of fresh produce, what chocolates and other local things that might make good souvenirs or gifts for people back home, and so on.
What we also like to do is photograph street signs, billboards, colorful ads, and car license plates, for example, also as a way of trying to get a better understanding of the way of life there. This was really fun in Dublin, especially because many of the signs were in English as well as Irish Gaelic, which many proud Irish people prefer to call just “Irish”. I’m always fascinated by any foreign language and it turns out that Irish really does look and sound foreign!
Last summer we were back in Dublin and looked at things in a slightly different way to previous trips there, because we were travelling with our daughter and 8-year-old granddaughter and they noticed things we had not really been aware of before.
A really good example is the Wacky Woollies. This is a series of different colored sheep, all with names and characteristics. They feature on any number of items, from mugs, to pencils, to erasers, to umbrellas, to tea towels, to sweaters and jerseys (as they are called in Ireland and Scotland). The sheep are a lot of fun and our granddaughter was fascinated with them.
There’s also a range of items with a lot of white sheep on a green background, with just one black sheep among them—it’s an amusing play on the phrase “black sheep of the family”.
The sheep theme makes sense because Ireland has a lot of sheep. In fact, there are probably more sheep than people! It’s estimated that the human population is 4.8 million and the number of sheep is approximately 5.2 million. The sheep are raised for meat, and the wool is sold to the textile industry and is used for sweaters etc., plus a fabric called tweed, which is very popular. The frequent green background on sweaters, tea towels and so on also makes sense as Ireland is known as the “Emerald Isle”—and it really is very green.
Of course, they ended up buying some of the wacky woollies goodies, including matching mom and daughter jerseys. Wherever we traveled after that—-in Scotland and, later, in Florida—people commented and were very complimentary.
We also found coasters with sheep ‘stories’ on them, all with an amusing comment. We thought they were hilarious, with a very dry sense of humor, and bought a set. Guests at our house for dinner all comment and laugh!
These 4 coasters, clockwise from top left: Eejits (which means idiots); Haven’t seen Ewe in Donkey’s (a play on the phrase “haven’t seen you in donkey’s years=in a long time); Time to put Ewer feet up; Wish Ewe were here too.
The next 4 coasters, clockwise from top left: Hand wash only; Family album; Early morning rush hour; Hen party.
And the last one: Bl-Ewe Grass.
Celtic Connections and Travels 