A holiday, a history, a realisation
- Isla Russell
- Apr 3, 2017
- 2 min read
When people say Ireland it probably makes you think of leprechauns sharing good luck and harbouring pots of gold, and fields. But there is so much more.
When my friend, creator and CEO of Pickle & Co Productions, asked if I would come with him to Ireland to help him film a documentary of course I said yes. A jaunt over to Ireland for five days never hurt anyone. And although I was secretly hoping being out there would get me some good luck and a little pot of gold that never came, what I was given was a completely new perspective on a country I knew very little about and a history education I was desperately in need of.
As a British student I was never taught about The Troubles that occurred, and are still occurring, in Ireland. A massive flaw in our education system. I was misled, like so many other past, present, and future students, to believe a one sided story about the people of Ireland and the British army, which was only known through what little information was shared with us. So no wonder my perception of Ireland was slightly tainted when I touched down on a sunny Sunday morning.
Driving through Ireland, especially when the sun is shining, the windows are down, and the music is blasting, there was no questioning the beauty of the country. I may have been let down with the leprechaun situation, but the fields were definitely there for me- and after living in London for 7 months a simple field is nice to see. And although I was completely enamoured by Irelands physical beauty I only really started to appreciate it as a country when I began to hear the stories of the people who lived there.
I don’t want to give too much away about the documentary, but I will say this- being on set gave me the opportunity to appreciate a whole new culture, with a whole different side to a story I thought I knew. Everything I was told about The Trouble’s was a half told story and it wasn’t until I actively went out to seek it that it was fully given to me.
A tale of two sides, both doing equally as terrible things as the other, and a country that is still divided. The stories I heard, and that you will hopefully hear through the documentary, touched me in a way that showed me a whole different perspective to a lot of things- war, religion, and even my own country. Having that experience has been one of the most worth-while things I think I have ever done in my journalism career, and really encouraged me to go out and learn new stories.
To stay updated on the documentary follow the Pickle & Co Facebook page, and here is just a little look book of my trip for you to enjoy.
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