"There's a cool site . . . . "
by
J C Sullivan, Ohio, USA
Webmaster Bob Flaherty and himself have been busy for months now getting up our national Ancient Order of Hibernians web site (check it out at www.aoh.com). Most Irish guys here (in the U.S.) usually share sites they find. Flaherty, having visited Mayo last year for a wedding, rang me up . "There's a cool site on County Mayo on the web. Check it out!" The next time I was on-line I found myself there.
Many of Cleveland's Irish-Americans have Mayo roots but how many of them are on-line? As far as this writer can gather, not many. But, take heart, nationally, there's many, many thousands. A look at the genealogical inquiries on America OnLine and Compuserve will give you a clue. Irish-Americans are active on the Internet and it's growing by leaps and bounds. Is this going to affect the way we do things?
Many companies now have an Internet presence. There's buying and selling going on, banking, chat rooms, Civil War Roundtables, travel tips, you name it. Irish-Americans who are hip are checking out Irish websites BEFORE they make their trip to Ireland. They'll be able to visit County Mayo and find out the hotspots to include (sorry Achill).
My daughter Erin will be visiting Ireland for the first time next month. Her boyfriend, Kurt Emerson, is in the US Navy aboard the carrier John F. Kennedy. They'll be visiting Dublin in July where he's been already granted leave. Rumor has it they'll become engaged while there. Kind of romantic, huh?
Erin was over last Saturday and 'surfed the net.' She visited County Mayo where she garnered much information. In addition to Mayo, other sites she visited included Bantry and West Cork, Cork City and Dublin. To say she's 'clued in' would be an understatement!
The revolution has begun and as long as we don't blow ourselves off the planet the way we live, breathe, eat, read, travel and love (did I say that?) will change forever. And you thought catalog sales were something. The effect on tourism and business, for example, is incalculable. Having a website on the net will be like advertising dollars. You can't really put your finger on exactly what the payback is but, if you don't advertise, you sure know it!
Among the Irish, of course, this will mean additional pluses. Because we're social animals, we love meeting new people. Neither do we mind dropping in to visit the families of our friends. Erin already has names of her friends' families in Cork, Monahan, Sligo and, of course, Mayo. I foresee many more people using the Internet to make these kind of connections before they travel between our two countries. For example, before anyone visits Cleveland they'll know when the festivals are, where the Irish clubs are, and what to see in the area (Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame), West Side Irish American Club, Price's Public House (I DID say that!).
We're only just now beginning to catch a glimpse of the 'wave' that is the Internet. Put on yer sunglasses, shorts, sandals and sunscreen dudes and surf yer way to America or Ireland. You won't regret it!
Sullivan is an internationally-published Irish-American writer residing in Northeastern Ohio. He is an American correspondent for the Mayo News. jcs1@alltel.net
Mayo Alive - weekly Magazine. E-mail michael@mayo-ireland.ie
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