heritageatplay

Archive for the ‘Reflections’ Category


Conclusions

In Playing Irish, Reflections, Updates on October 10, 2010 at 7:26 pm

It has now been weeks since we premiered “Playing Irish” at the Newport Public Library. In that interim, the Heritage at Play team has been busy mailing out DVDs to our sponsors, friends, colleagues, and project participants. We have also been working on some formal conclusions to the project, with an eye to review what we did, how we did it, and why we did it the way we did.

For both of us, the Heritage at Play project was an absolute joy. It’s challenges and hundreds of hours of work were validated in a simple experiment. We showed the film to a public audience we did not know, and they enjoyed it. In fact, they wanted to know more about Gaelic Games. An Irishwoman in attendance told us we had captured “the entire ethos” of gaelic games and what they mean to the Irish. An American told us he was smitten with the beauty and uniqueness of the games. Both of these responses create great satisfaction for us, as appeasing these two populations with different agendas was our ultimate goal.

Read on for the full, formal conclusions:

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The Heritage at Play Collection

In Collection, Culture, Reflections on September 4, 2010 at 7:17 pm

In the course of our three weeks in Ireland, we collected a number of flags, scarves, programs, and of course, gaelic games sporting equipment to bring home and share with our American friends. With any luck, we will soon formally display this items at an exhibition accompanying the premiere screening of “Playing Irish.” In the meantime, take a look at some of things we brought back with us from Ireland, including the hurls, jerseys, and gaelic football we used/played with in our Broadcasts from Dublin.

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Lessons from the Field

In Playing Irish, Reflections, Travel on September 2, 2010 at 9:51 pm

So the video is finally UP! And we could not be prouder. This project was challenging on every level, but we were thrilled for the opportunity and wanted to produce a high quality, intermedia documentary with professional level content, videography, and product.

None of this would have been possible without the generous AT&T New Media Fellowship and the support of the Watson Institute for International Studies and the Global Conversation blog. We were honored to be in the company of outstanding students, alumni, and faculty of Brown pursuing fascinating and forward-thinking topics and issues on an international scale. We have enjoyed the project and the collaboration immensely, and greatly hope that the AT&T New Media Fellowship will continue and grow in the following years, as it has been an incredibly influential project for us and we know many who would appreciate the same opportunity.

With that being said, as part of the first (we hope, of many) iteration of the AT&T New Media Fellows, we thought it only proper to offer some of our tried-and-true lessons from the field. Brown University and a liberal arts education prepares you for many challenges in life, but there were some specific skills and lessons we learned that were absolutely vital to a high-level media production skills while abroad. We thought we would share some of those lessons here, and hope you will add anything you have learned (here’s looking at our fellow AT&T Fellows!).

1. Don’t skimp on the multimedia tools you will need for success: besides cameras and tripods and necessary audio equipment, don’t forget to buy a cell phone (preferably with a 3G signal at minimum), wireless modem, or some way to ensure steady Internet access with decent bandwith. We found, unfortunately, that though Internet was widely available in Ireland, often it was very low bandwidth, so it would take 2-5 hours to upload one of our 5-minute videos–often these hours were spent in a cafe using the free wireless, biding our time over cappuccinos and croissants. Ensure that

a. you are producing content that isn’t so huge it will be impossible to upload

b. you have access to consistent Internet and bandwidth to upload your polished product.

[Click below to keep reading ... ]

Read the rest of this entry »

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The Making of “Playing Irish”

In Reflections, Updates on August 8, 2010 at 5:16 pm

“Playing Irish” — that’s the working title for the documentary culled together from the 10+ hours of footage we shot in Ireland. After catching up with work stateside, Zack and I have come back to our Heritage at Play project to begin composing the final piece.

It’s been tough.

We’ve been at it for 72 hours now, holed up in an apartment in Harvard Square with bottles of Diet Coke, a 6-pack of Allagash White, and an air conditioner. Occasionally we ventured outside, and let ourselves remember it was summertime.

During the course of this project, we have worked hard to keep on top of our footage. Every few days in Ireland, we would summarize our activities with a Broadcast. These proved helpful for us because it let us catalog what we had captured and exciting for people following the blog from around the world. We had wonderful responses.

Making a 5-minute broadcast wasn’t easy, but it was intuitive. We organized them based on our experiences in specific locations, so no “grand narrative” was necessary. With our documentary, however, a binding narrative structure seems essential. And creating a simple, powerful structure is very hard. We’re still trying to nail it down.

After 3 days, we have 36 minutes of a documentary. There’s really no time we’re explicitly shooting for, but we expect it will be under an hour. It’s hard to not include things, but at the same time it’s difficult to make all of the included clips clear and relevant.

I guess this is why people do this professionally.

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Reflections on Ireland

In Culture, Reflections on July 22, 2010 at 2:03 pm

My mind never wanders far from Ireland now that we’re back in the States. When you are abroad for only a short while, you find yourself amused and comforted by reminders of home: the “Eddie Rockets” (chain diner Johnny’s Irish cousin) reminds you of singing “Stayin’ Alive” back in high school, and though we loathe the McDonald’s monopoly, we laugh a little at their attempts to fit local foods on the fast food menu.

After three weeks in Ireland, those all became familiar, as well as many other stores and shops and eccentricities. Now back in Boston, I’m reminded constantly of Ireland and Irishness: a bar named “Grafton Street” brings me back to the boutiques and chocolate cafes of it’s Irish namesake. And the Celtics, in their green and white jerseys with shamrocks, may be a simple reference, but it’s clear nonetheless.

References to Ireland can be spotted all over Boston, and while we were in Ireland many people, when they realized we were American, would immediately add that Boston was their favorite city. Is it their favorite city because it references their home, or because it’s an awesome city on it’s own?

I think there is a lot of parallel between Dublin and Boston, but I feel like both would refuse the comparison. Maybe we can think of them better as cousin cities, with distant relatives who were much more tightly knit, but now it’s only a ghost of their presence.

Time back in the States has given us the chance to reflect on important take aways for the final, feature-length documentary. Distance from the footage and the fantastic Irish men and women we met is giving us the time to think about what qualities, characteristics, and moments to stress, especially since this full-length documentary will be primarily for an American audience. What do Americans expect to see in Ireland? What can we do to relay a poignant experience?

Please, the best thing you can do is share with us your favorite moments from the Broadcasts or the Blog, or the Twitterfeed so far, so we can elaborate more on those moments. We look forward to sharing the final product with you!

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The Broadcast from Dublin #7: A Final Farewell

In Broadcasts, Reflections, Travel on July 19, 2010 at 10:59 pm

(Click on blog title to see full video!)

Our time in Ireland is now over but Colleen and I are proud to share a final Broadcast from Dublin. When we made our first one over three weeks ago, we hoped we would be able to make four or five by the end of the trip. Instead, we made nine! Seven in Dublin, one from Offaly, and one from Cork total over 45 minutes of Irish adventures!

This latest Broadcast is a big of compendium. We’ve got highlights from throughout the trip that we didn’t have time (or cause) to share before. Like the cat who hid under the Book of Kells library at Trinity College we fed once in a while, or the horse in the castle in Offaly that Colleen tried to help tame. There is some action from me enjoying a hurling match at O’Donoghue’s Pub on Nassau Street, and footage from our trip to the Abbey Theatre- Ireland’s National Theatre renowned for premiering works by Beckett, Yeats, and Sean O’Casey.

And then there is Dublin at Midnight. We were late coming home from Cork, and missed the last bus home to Rathmines. So we walked home instead, allowing us an opportunity to reflect on the way the trip has gone. Which would be quite well.

Though this is the last Broadcast from Dublin, it is not the end of our project. Indeed, we have quite some work still ahead of us, with a feature-length documentary to cull from our hours of footage. Now back in the US, that task takes top priority, even while Colleen goes back to work at Boston’s Institute for Contemporary Art, and I prepare for a week-long Digital Humanities conference in Washington, DC! We miss Ireland already, but at least we’ve got these Broadcasts to celebrate our time there!

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Impressions of Hurling

In Competitions, Games, Reflections on July 16, 2010 at 6:05 pm

Hurling has been celebrated as the fastest game on grass. And indeed it is quite fast, with the ball flying around the field in just a few seconds. Which can make watching the sport somewhat trying. Like ice hockey, one needs to learn how to follow the game properly anticipating like the players where the ball is going rather than where it was. Unlike gaelic football, the focal point is not a large white ball, but a blurred streak of white sometimes hidden in a players hand, sometimes streaking across the sky, sometimes buried in the grass or hidden in a scrum of players. And this chaos and mystery becomes the beauty of the game, as the carnage occasionally gives way to striking clarity- a single man balancing the sliotar on his hurl as he hurtles down the field. Which in GAA speak is called soloing. And when the moment is right, a player pops the sliotar up in the air and strikes it. The flight is followed by the entire stadium held in collective rapture. Like a long fly ball in baseball, the moment is charged with anticipation: will the ball work its way over the bar for a point?

Further thoughts:

  1. The game is surprisingly safe. You would not expect this given that each of the 30 players on the field have been armed with wooden axes, but injuries seem uncommon. In three games, we saw no one get seriously hurt. Which was surprising.
  2. The ball spends very little time on the ground. One can hit the ball on the ground as much as he likes. And the sport traditionally shares a common background with (field) hockey so it does have a history of on the ground action. But none of the players feel comfortable with it down there. They want it up in the air.
  3. The ball is very hard. Incredibly similar to a baseball. And dudes take it off the chest, arm, etc. With no complaints. Ouch.
  4. The goal is glorious. It’s all about the goal. Points are nice, and that’s where you win the game. But the goal brings everyone to their feet. And it can make up a huge gap and the end of the day. Last week for instance Waterford tied Cork in the last seconds by scoring a goal to make up the three point gap.
  5. It’s really fun. There is lots of scoring, but the game’s are usually tight. The crack of the hurl on the sliotar is a wonderful sound, and the game is dynamic. Lots of action to observe and relish. Especially on a surprisingly sunny day in Croke Park

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Mapping Heritage at Play

In Culture, Reflections, Travel on July 16, 2010 at 12:46 am

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Despite a short time frame, Colleen and I have seen a good amount of Ireland. We’ve been south to Cork, Bray in County Wicklow, and Kilmacud in South Dublin. We’ve been North to Malahide and Croke Park. We’ve been west to Phoenix Park in Dublin and all around County Offaly. And what’s more, we’ve encountered Meath, Louth, Galway, and Westmeath in their county teams.

So what does that look like on a map? Well, to answer that question, we’ve gone ahead and actually mapped out where we’ve been and what we’ve seen. As you’ll notice, we’ve been a bit Leinster heavy. Ireland, as you may know, is divided into four provinces, which are each made up of a collection of the 32 counties. Leinster, the eastern most region, is represented by the harp and is associated with the seat of Irish administration in Tara (in old times) and Dublin (in modern times).The other four provinces are Ulster (to the North), Connacht (to the West), and Munster (to the South)

We actually managed to get into each province except Ulster. Crossing into Galway and Roscommon during our stay in Offaly, we saw the parts of Connacht bordering the River Shannon. When we traveled south to Cork we crossed into Munster, which is symbolized by the three crowns. Ulster, which is largely comprised of Northern Ireland, proved a bridge too far for our project. We had hoped to get up there on Monday by that would have brought our trip right into the Twelfth of July activities, where Protestant Orangemen celebrate their victory in the Battle of the Boyne. This usually proves a volatile political situation, and this year was no exception with explosive rioting and a few bombings.

But that can’t take away from everything we did see. So take a look at where we went. And, if you want to mark some sites we should consider, add them into this public map! The map will also be permanently available on the map button in our top navigation bar.

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The Broadcast from Dublin #6: Special Gaelic Football Edition

In Broadcasts, Games, Reflections on July 14, 2010 at 11:53 am

(Click on post title to view full video please!)

In the 6th Broadcast from Dublin, Zack and I visit Phoenix Park to take advantage of the large and vacant pitches and picturesque atmosphere to try our hand at the gaelic games. While we already had hurling lessons from Ross O’Carroll at Kilmacud Crokes, nobody had the free time to teach us gaelic football. With a diagrammatic and colorful book on the fundamentals of gaelic football in hand, we tried out the sport, with many charming bloopers. I promise I am much more coordinated than this video shows!

While we enjoyed the outdoors and the wide open fields, we were careful to steer clear of the primary occupants of the park, a large herd of deer. They seems unperturbed by our games and silly antics, and we are grateful for their hospitality.

Check out the video above, which is surely the most humorous to date: complete with walking shots through Dublin, colorful shots of the fundamentals of gaelic football, and hilarious mess-ups, you will be impressed by Zack’s athleticism, and understand why I am best at sports that require the least amount of coordination.

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The Sunday Game: the GAA in media

In Culture, News, Reflections on July 12, 2010 at 10:56 am



(As always, Click on the blog title to see full videos!)

No we do not mean the World Cup Final, though we did take in that game at the omniously titled Bleeding Horse Pub on Camden Street. We mean the Irish Sunday Game, which is to say, the National Irish coverage of GAA action every Sunday evening and afternoon.

One of the things we were very interested in when we first arrived in Ireland was the way the GAA would be represented in media. This meant newspaper coverage, advertisements, television, and in pub settings in promotional materials. In this category, we have not been disappointed, with pages on every Irish daily taking time to dig into GAA goings-on, and to offer commentary on past and forthcoming games.

RTE, Ireland’s National Television and Radio network, leads the coverage of these activities with weekend programs called the Saturday Game and the Sunday Game (sometimes with the additional “live” meaning they are actually broadcasting a game not just speaking on it.

On Saturday, with a steady rain falling on Grafton Street, Colleen and I did a very Dublin thing and popped in O’Donoghue’s Pub to watch the “Saturday Game” which was between the local blue Dubs and Clare in hurling. Minutes earlier, Colleen had bought her very own hurl at Elvery’s Sporting Goods across the street. So while we watched the game and sipped Kilkennys, Colleen kept glancing at her hurl and tossing the sliotar to herself, thinking about when we would be able to take a whack at the game ourselves.

Gaelic Games are almost always exciting affairs. There is lots of scoring, but there is usually not a lot to separate the team’s leading to exciting conclusions. This happened twice yesterday (live on RTE coverage) with Meath defeating Louth on a dubious goal, and Waterford tying Cork with a last second (and very legal) goal of their own. Stuff like this is what pundits dream of, and so the Sunday Game post-coverage was all about the what-ifs and perhapses of how things might have gone. Between the coverage, ads depicting hurling and gaelic football all but made me forget that the World Cup was even continuing somewhere else in the world. In Ireland, the GAA’s activities remain in the forefront of national athletic imaginations, with soccer somewhere lurking there behind.

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