Underground Voice of Reason
So what’s going on?
You know when you’re in public and you’re asked something but don’t want to answer because there are all these other people within earshot and you’d be embarrassed if they heard you?
Plus something tells you that all those other people are experts in the field you have been asked about and so are all set to correct you once you speak.
That’s why you sometimes ignore people you know on buses. You ignore your best friends. You ignore your parents. You even ignore yourself when you start talking to yourself.
So you most definitely ignore tourists.
And when I say tourists I mean American tourists.
This isn’t just me you know, this is also the voice of the London Underground, the voice that makes “Mind The Gap” a very desirable caution.
That voice of the the Tube, Emma Clarke, is in a bit of a to-do today. The BBC reports that the Underground have said they will no longer be using her services because of her alleged criticism of their services.
It doesn’t really matter that Ms Clarke claims that experiencing her own voice in public is what she said would be, understandably, dreadful.
No, what really matters is that the London Underground don’t have any objections to her spoof Tube announcements on her own site, such as:
We would like to remind our American tourist friends that you are almost certainly talking too loudly
And what does this all mean?
It means Irish KC needs to change.
I love the way people who don’t care about cars can listen along with the people who like cars too much, to Car Talk. And maybe if some people weren’t so sensitive to how they are being written about I could use Irish-related events in the Kansas City area as an excuse for rambling posts about being Irish in America, in Ireland, or indeed anything at all really.
And maybe then people who don’t care about Kansas City could happily read stuff supposedly, but not really, about it.
Anyway as things are, they can’t. And realistically that won’t change. So Irish KC will.
It should become apparent, but over the next while you’ll see the site morph into 2 distinct strands either of which can be easily ignored by the 1st time or regular visitor.
So if you don’t care about Irish-related stuff in KC and beyond, it won’t be stuck in your face. And similarly if you don’t care much for the life and times of a self-indulgent Irish artist and his dog, well you’ll have your own special place too.
Somewhere in all this the split will free me up from being overly conscious of being overheard in public - probably because I’ll be writing each strand for different people. It’ll be like only my friends are on the bus with me.
And through the magic of technology I’ll simultaneously be on another bus with another group of friends - each journey a protected world in a plastic bubble, like John Travolta on Dublin Bus.
While I implement these changes I would like to ask you all (well not all of you - I don’t like all of you), to em, well, mind the gap.
Eolaí gan Fhéile:
eolai-
i like what you put on the site. i like the way you write. i’m confused. was it something i said? i want to continue to be one of the friends on your bus!
martha (puzzled)
You’re grand Martha.
To readers the changes will be mostly cosmetic - but for whatever reason that will make it easier for me to produce the 2 strands of the site. It’s better than splitting the site into 2 different blogs, which was the original plan back in the day.
And I know it sounds confusing, but it’s one of those things that is much easier explained by letting the changes be seen rather than by me going on about it - but going on about it is one of the things I do!
You’ll be on 2 buses Martha, and you catch them from the same stop.
thank you Eolai, for this…
i am glad i will still be able to engage my voyurestic and artistic tendancies with your blogging and check in on where to find some irish happenings all in one place.
- Stephanie
(a land-locked, middle-American artist whose dreams live in Ireland)
The aggressiveness of over-sensitive Kansas Citians contributes to a tyranny against reason. Don’t do this if it will create too much extra work for you and makes it not worthwhile.
XOX
jh
Yer wan’s site is closed down, Eolaí. Too much traffic apparently.
Yeah, I like the idea of a split site. I have a personality like that. btw: Is this what you meant way back [not doing a link - you do it] when you said posting would take on a different focus once you were back home?
I think the change will be good and will more accurately reflect the fact that you’re home again.
I want to read about you and the dog and not K.C.
Now I’m confused ! Is it the North Strand or the Silver Strand ? It couldn’t be the Cusack Stand coz that’s a pub. As the song goes .. I’ve looked at Eolai from both sides now . So I’m readin’ right on….Edser.
Stephanie - thanks
Jason - just the work in setting it all up, then it will make things easier - for all of us. Cheers.
Primal - yep, a nap the BBC would have that impact on her site. On the split and the focus - I think so.
Medbh - I reckon so. And thanks.
Eddie - Similarly not The Old Stand. Think of it as another suitcase in another hall. Thanks.
I have read your site for some time and haven’t commented before. I hope your duality doesn’t create undo strain, but I can understand your problem. I’m a KC expatriate who has also dealt with American tourists albeit in America but your observations are spot on on both issues.