During the last weekend of October me and some of my friends took a trip to Cliffs of Moher and Burren. Cliffs are one of the most recognizable places in Ireland and most touristic too, so the place was very crowdy. As a mater of fact Cliffs are remarkable due to the beauty of the vertical over 200 meters abyss, the forms of the rocks and the wonderful view of the Atlantic Ocean.
Being one of the most known tourist attractions Cliffs are often visited by Polish people, both that are living and working in Ireland and by regular tourists from Poland, thus when we arrived we met a couple of hundreds of our compatriots. It was strange somehow (but not in a bad way) listening only to Polish lingo in such exotic place.
For Polish visitors the name of the Cliffs is funny in some way, and it needs to be explained.
In Poland Polish Catholic Church is very strong and it is very into politics, moreover it is often against the official position of Vatican. The most arrogant, political, ultra nationalistic and antisemitic part of the Polish Catholic Church is focused in a nationwide and worldwide Polish Catholic Radio Station – Radio Maryja (Radio Marry). All the programs all full of hate and anger, and completely against every idea or people that represents completely or even a little different point of view. In the most ridiculous programs they even deny the holocaust and concentration camps in which hundred thousands of Poles lost their lives. Radio is completely against a freedom of mind and speech and art, against European Union and against any kind of liberal point of view. For the monks and priests and politics that appear in the programs people in such kind are not Poles at all, but Jews, Masons and traitors. This Radio is very popular among the eldery people. Most of the old women, that admire Radio Maryja and its director Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, wear moher berets and so they are called as a moher berets army. That’s why almost every Polish person smiles when they recall the name of the cliffs.
Here is a short example how the moher army looks, and how the old ladies, the admirers and listeners of Father Tadeusz Rydzyk behave in front of the camera of the one of the biggest Polish TV channels.
Nice to see such interesting and moody pics of a frequently photographed spot.
Thanks for the information on the “moher berets army”. Sounds like scary, scary stuff…
Oh we have some of those nice ladies in Ireland too!
Maybe you should do an article on them-they love Polish people as they all think you are as Catholic as they are!
Once I was in the Pro-Cathedral with my Fiancée & daughter and was mistaken by an old lady for a Pole she was so disappointed when I said I was Irish!
Thanx
I suspected existing Moher berets in Ireland, but for sure for a relatively smaller scale. Unfortunately or luckily we - Poles - are not so much into religion, especially young people abroad, so I wouldn’t expect Polish crowds in Irish churches.
Happy New Year
Wow I love those pictures. I’ve never been to the Cliffs of Moher but I so want to go now. Are they far from Ennis? I’ve got cousins living down there but I’m living in the north.
And that Radio Marjya sounds funny. We have right wing Catholic stations here too. I’m an Anglican Evangelical Christian and I don’t often agree with the Catholic Church on theology but on social issues we are in completely harmony (for eg we both oppose liberals on abortion and homosexuality–both are HUGE sins). But if they’re truly Catholic they wouldn’t be anti-semitic. Genesis 12:3 says that God will curse whoever curses the Jews and ever since Nostra Aetate(in our times) the Church has said the Jews are no more responsible for the death of Christ than the rest of us. I really think Radio Maryja is seriously mistaken if it thinks it’s theologically justified to excoriate the Jewish community and it’s especially hypocritical of a station claiming to be of a characteristically Christian persuasion.