Hanscom - Duthchas

We listened to a song performed by a woman about the Celtic Diaspora. In this event, the Celtic people were forced to leave their homeland. The woman expresses the sadness and longing she had for her homeland in the song. She says that she lives far from where she is from, and that sometimes she can hear a voice calling out to her, guiding her back to the place where she belongs. We learned in class that the Gaelic word "duthchas" means a blood tie to a place that serves as a symbolic/metaphorical reference to home. The woman performing the song has a strong "duthchas" to her homeland. This connection to a place or "duthchas" is the point that which we orient ourselves around. This blood tie gives meaning and a concrete connection to one's family.

After hearing this song, it made me think about my own homeland and the strong connections I have made to various places throughout my life. I have lived in many different places, but my childhood home in Richmond is still a place that I remember as symbolic of my home. As a senior in college, I'm preparing to move to a different state in September. I have never moved out of state before, but I'm sure that my orientation of "home" or "duthchas" will change entirely. For me, "duthchas" is my grandparents home, my mother's home, my father's and sisters' homes. Duthchas for me is not necessary a physical piece of land, but it's where ever my family is.


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