Intercultural Comm

The speaker attended the Kickin' It Irish event at the Celtic Dungeon Arts Center in St. Paul. They discussed the historical background of the event and highlighted the intercultural communication concepts they observed. They noted the changes in Irish culture over the years and the importance of bringing the community together to showcase true Irish culture. The speaker also mentioned the use of low-context verbal communication at the event. They described their experience seeing amazing dancers, hearing beautiful Irish singing, and feeling welcomed and included in the Irish community. The event demonstrated cultural values of language and culture preservation, joy and celebration, and community spirit. Overall, the speaker gained a greater appreciation for intercultural events and had a positive experience at the Kickin' It Irish event. For my intercultural communication project, I went to Kickin' It Irish at the Celtic Dungeon Arts Center. This was an event that featured Irish history, Irish dancing, and Irish music. It was located right in St. Paul, just a few miles down from campus. Throughout this podcast, I'm going to highlight important historical background, intercultural communication connections, and how I felt while I was at this event. To start it off, I think it's important to address a little historical background. Two wonderful people who started this program are named Cormac and Natalie, who have Irish backgrounds and who have both lived in Dublin. They met working on the show in L.A. and moved to Minneapolis together in 2001. They started O'Shea Irish Dancing in 2005 and built the Celtic Dungeon Center together, establishing a center for traditional arts, becoming a place of inspiration, collaboration, and education of Irish culture. It was proclaimed Best Irish Festival Center by Irish Central for 2018. I am now going to talk about the intercultural communication concepts that have connected to this event that I attended. The first one that I really noticed was the idea that Irish culture has changed over the years due to many things like media, different perspectives, stereotypes, etc. And a lot of this is due to different aspects from this Irish culture being transported and exported to different areas around the world. According to Regis Chapter 13, Currents in History, Cultural Domination, and Mass Communication in the Caribbean, there is actually a five-stage progression of culture that is noted, which the first one being orientation, then exportation, modification, re-importation, and adoption. And this is something that was mentioned thoroughly at the event I was at. The idea that this Irish culture has definitely been changed over the years and re-imported other places, but then re-exported again and having it being changed a little bit. And the whole idea of what they really wanted to do was bring the community together and show what real true Irish culture is. And they did this by showing things like their dancing, their music, and sharing their historical background at this event. Another connection to our course concept that I realized related to Martin and Nakayama Chapter 5, Verbal Issues and Intercultural Communication. What I really noticed when I was at this event was that they used a low context of verbal communication. For example, she stated on the stage, you don't have to be Irish to be here. We are deeply against being quiet. And you are a part of the show. This being low text because they are very, very specific in verbally saying what they want the audience to do. Now I'm going to move on to the five sentences of what I noticed at this event. While I was at this event, I saw tons of amazing dancers. Lots of these dancers have won national titles and competed in Irish dancing competitions worldwide. I also got to see how the Irish community comes together as a family and is so inviting of everyone. It was a very special feeling to be so included in this environment. I felt as if I had been there before because they were so friendly and open as a community. When I was there, I heard amazing Irish singing. The different phonology was so amazing to hear. It was such a sweet, graceful tone. I also got to hear many Irish instruments, one being the Julian pipes, which was a great combination with the singing that occurred. When I was there, I did not realize any different smells other than the yummy confessions out in the lobby. When I was there, I did not taste anything as well, although I did do some research on popular Irish food and found that soda bread is among a popular item in Dublin. According to an Irish food website called Good Food, which is an Irish site, every family in Ireland has its own recipe for soda bread. Some families like it sweet with a spoonful of honey, sugar, or dried fruits, whereas others preferred sprinkled in seeds, bran, oats, for a healthy boost for the opposite effect. Moving through this event, I felt like I was very welcomed and invited. The main lady who introduced the show explained how everyone is welcome here. We want you to sing along, dance, and be open. It was an amazing feeling how everyone here participated while the show was going on, whether it was from clapping, stomping, saying woohoo, or just laughing. This truly was an event I will always remember going to because I felt like I belonged. Throughout this event, there was a lot of cultural values that were demonstrated at this event. One of the big values that they had was the preservation of their language and culture, and they did this through the music, song lyrics, and dance steps, and this is what preserved and promoted their culture. Another thing they did that they promoted was joy and celebration. This event was characterized by a sense of joy, energy, and celebration. The lively music, intricate footwork, and colorful costumes created an atmosphere full of fun and excitement, inviting everyone to join in the fun. Lastly, community spirit was a huge value that they had. There's a strong sense of community at these Irish dancing events, as dancers, families, and factors from all different walks of life come together to share in the experience. People often support and encourage each other, fostering a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. Overall, this event opened my eyes to an entire new culture. Throughout this experience, I kept an open mind and further gained confidence in attending intercultural events.