jaywalking with the Irish

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review on jaywalking

Jaywalking with the Irish by David Monagan
Order: USA Can
Lonely Planet, 2004 (2004)Paperback
Reviewed by Hilary Williamson
David Monagan and his wife Jamie, both of Irish descent, take their children (Laura, Harris and Owen) on 'safari to Ireland' because 'an inventory of achievements, possessions, and responsibilities revealed that certain intangibles had gone missing' in their comfortable U.S. life. They leave Connecticut's 'hermetically sealed' suburban worlds to seek 'adventure and renewal' in Hibernia, where both David and Jamie had traveled before. They settle in Cork, where 'chancers and dreamers and misfits' are valued.Readers share with Monagan bar friendships; the serendipities of meeting people all over the country with connections to others that he knew in past visits and to friends of his American relatives; musings on past tragedies, in particular the horrendous impact of the potato famine; and discoveries the family make as they explore the countryside around them, and find links to history everywhere, including some of 'more than 40,000 megalithic formations casually scattered about the Irish landscape, invariably with no fanfare or visible sign indicating their existence.'All is not idyllic however, even in County Cork where people 'laugh louder and longer ... than any other place on earth'. Local teen bullies persistently harrass the family; violence escalates in the city at night; the bureaucracy seems at times impenetrable; the culture, while ever friendly on the surface, is hard to break into, in terms of settling in and finding work; and Ireland's reaction to 9/11 includes 'heartless punditry' as well as a national day of mourning. Despite all, Monagan loves, and writes lyrically about, Eire and Cork, a 'small and irrepressible city fueled by grandiose visions, a little engine that could.'Having grown up in the north and traveled all over Ireland in the 70s, I was fascinated to read how the country has been changed, for better and worse, by strong economic growth. I enjoyed Jaywalking with the Irish for its presentation of very many quirky characters (Monagan quotes an old friend saying 'Every person I meet makes me larger'), but especially for its welcome, insightful, and clearly focused update on a country too often looked at through rose-colored North American lenses.

what´s jaywalking?

Jaywalking is a term used to describe when a pedestrian crosses the street without regard to traffic statutes. In common use, the term generally refers to someone crossing a major street outside of a designated crosswalk or intersection, in jurisdictions where this is illegal.

Almost all urban areas in the United States and Canada require pedestrians to cross at crosswalks or intersections and to obey pedestrian traffic signals. Jaywalking is considered an infraction or a misdemeanor in some locations. It typically carries a warning or modest fine or not more than one week in prison. In some areas (like New York City), although still illegal, jaywalking is so common that it is generally considered harmless, and police only detain jaywalkers if it is done dangerously or disruptively.
Penalties for jaywalking vary by municipality. For example, in Tempe, AZ, as of June 2006 jaywalking carried fines up to $118. A sampling of other U.S. cities found maximum fines ranging from $57 to $750. In Brisbane, Australia, fines of up to $A200 can apply, although very few people have ever received fines that high. In a recent blitz[2] jaywalkers were fined $30.
In Singapore, first offenders face a fine of S$500 (US$285) and three months of jail. Repeat offenders can be fined for up to $2000 fine or six months in jail.
In Taiwan administered by the Republic of China, Article 78 of the Act Governing the Punishment of Violation of Road traffic Regulations (zh:道路交通管理處罰條例) administratively fines jaywalkers 300 new Taiwan dollars since 1 July 2006.

facts from the first 40 pages

1. Once he was in Ireland - met a soldier form Iraq.
2. his family getting ready for a moving from the USA to Ireland, cork -
3. wife Jamie + 3 sons - Owen,
4. they have irish roots - jamie´s grandfather was irish, travelling in ireland, studying
5. the city of cork - everybody keeps peaking their nose into what is supposed not to be their own business
nice city
chaotic traffic rules - secret rules that only insider are aware about
6. meeting new neighbours - very open
It felt as if we were being welcomed into a village, rather than some annonymous foreign city.
7. irish potatoes
8. not able to pay with a american credit card
9. not able to open a checking account in the bank
10. they didn´t approve of the modern american way of life- antisocial, isolation, couples breaking up, future plans to move somewhere - merely wishes and words
11. 1973 rentes a bungallow in ireland
12. it´s the nature, tranqulity that attracts him
13. bun - housekeeper

to be honest. ..

hmmm... to be hones, I didn´t get the book yet - the english book shop delivery is very slow - takes up to two weeks for one single book. don´t wanna think about the whole bunch of books they ahve there - it must have taken them for ages...:)
so, for the start i copied first 40 pages, i guess thatßs enough for a start.
more about the book next week:)
hey, actually i like this blogging - as fas as nobody starts criticizing it and destroying my self-esteem :)