Today as part of an assignment I went down to the four courts to see Ireland's legal system in action. The case which I went to view was a murder one. The defendant Derek Wade was accused ok killing a Chinese non-nationa;l with a knife.

I sat the whole day listening to the case. Mr. Wade was found guilty that evening for murder and will be handed down a life sentence. I found the whole day to be extremely interesting and I couldn't help but wonder what our legal system would of been like if we had never been colonised?

Surely it would be conducted in the Irish language. Also the traditional wigs worn by the barristers and judges, which we adopted from our British counterparts, would also be probably not a part of the Irish legal system.

However this is not to say that we do not have control over our own legal system. We have a constitution which is dedicated to the idea of an independent identity. I am glad that I witnessed this democratic event in action. I once looked on Irish law as a British gift but going down to the courts has shown me other wise. We have our own identity that I am fina;lly beginning to understand.

We cant weight everything on circumstances that this country underwent. Instead what is being Irish is what each person feels individually. Thats what I believe in any case.

We are entering an interesting phase in the process of co-opertion between the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Britain. Co-operation within Northern Ireland’s political parties is also moving forward to a somewhere it has never been before. It is possible that in less than two weeks both the Democratic Unionist party and Sinn Fein will stand together and run the Stormont Assembly.

For anyone not aware of what this is about let me explain. The Stormont assembly was a governmental body which was setup as part of negotiations between Britain and Ireland during the twentieth century. The Stormont assembly would allow Northern Ireland to run itself as opposed to the direct rule which was being implemented from London. This institution was closed and opened many times due to numerous situations.

In the last two years the situation has become politically exciting. During the second last election for the Stormont assembly both Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party gained enough votes to make a majority. The problem was that these two parties stood for two different ideals. At the core Sinn Fein want a full Republic while the D.U.P. want to remain a part of Britain.

I believe that both parties will agree to power sharing in two weeks and will finally give the people of Northern Ireland a voice. There may be problems ahead but both parties have made huge sacrifices to get to this point. It indeed makes me feel proud to be Irish when I see this progression.

If a part of Irishness has been about our trouble and strifes within the North and between the republic and Britain then it is quickly becoming a part of our culture which is thinning out. It is not totally gone but we are slowly getting there.

Many people from Ireland may know what this blog is about. For anyone who does not come from my country please allow me to explain. Up until the early twentieth century Ireland was a part of the huge British empire. It had been so for over 800 years. During this lenghty occupation the British attempted to eradicate our culture and replace it with their own (Please note this is not an anti-british blog and that I am merely stating fact). They were successful in many ways; for one the Irish language was replaced by the English language and today English is the main language of Ireland.The Irish language is still spoken but it is not widely fluent among the population. I am totally useless at speaking it.

Now this is where my question comes into play. Many scholars have maintained that after Ireland gained its limited independence in 1921 (it would not officially become a republic until 1948) it still adopted a British attitude to politics and a way of life. Furthermore it has been claimed that it then began to find itself adopting an American type of culture (ever heard the saying that goes Ireland is closer to Boston then to Berlin). Our whole judicial system it seems is based on that of Britian's. It is also said that Ireland is seen more as a European state rather than a sovereign one due to its important role within the E.U.

So I have found myself asking what does being Irish mean to me? Over the next few weeks I hope to continue the blog with new insights into the said question. It would helpful for people to comment and I would especially welcome comments from people in other countries with Irish backgrounds. Begin to ask yourself what does this Irish background mean to me? Do I feel Irish?

I hope by continuing this blog it will help me assess my Irishness. Until next time take it easy.