Our final days in Galway—RJ Miller, Michael DeAngelo, Quill Seilhan, Donavan Piccicuto
RJ Miller, Michael DeAngelo, Quill Seilhan, Donavan Piccicuto
That They May Face the Rising Sun is a film which perfectly, if unintentionally, demonstrates the importance of a script. It is easy to admire the beautiful, expertly crafted images of the verdant Irish hills and effective montages depicting the process of fulfilling the duties expected of a tight-knit family in Ireland during the 1970s. For many people, those images will be sufficiently evocative. However, individuals who entered the movie expecting a properly emotional story involving coherent character arcs, stakes, or conflict are better off looking elsewhere. Only two characters presented a cohesive emotional progression. For one among them, that progression culminated in death. In place of the simplest elements of an engrossing story are the landscape shots and an endless stream of meandering conversations replete with milquetoast navel-gazing and hints at potential conflicts which are never followed through upon. During one such scene, the father of the family unit’s wife enters the scene to compel her to return to the family business or risk losing a “gallery” she clearly cherishes. Another movie would construct their conflict around that idea, yet the Rising Sun decides instead to never reference that character or conflict again after the scene concludes. Apparently, John McGahern did not want essential storytelling features to spoil his “artistic vision”.
We visited Terryland Castle, an abandoned building in between a busy street and the River Corrib. According to www.visitgalway.ie, it was built likely late 1500s – 1600s, and was built by the De Burgos, a powerful family who arrived in Ireland from Normandy during the 12th century. It wasn’t the only castle they built, there were many others – one built across the River Corrib – which no longer exists. The Terryland’s purpose was to act as a traffic controller and monitor, on account of the River Corrib being used as waterpower and trade. It has seen wars and battles, and in 1961 a fire partially destroyed it. Today, it is behind a gated fence in an overgrown field by the river, remaining as a couple of walls and three chimneys.
We also visited the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas in Galway. The Cathedral was finished in 1965 and is commonly referred to as "the last great stone cathedral to be built in Europe.” The Cathedral's architectural style was controversial when it was built due to its traditional style, with some saying a modern Cathedral should have been built. The artwork inside is wonderful, especially near the dome in the center.
On Sunday the 30th, a couple of us went on the Corrib Princess. It’s a small tour boat that goes up the Corrib River. It takes the passengers past the old stone train bridge pillars that once supported the old Galway trolly, the ruins of Menlo castle, and the mouth of the Corrib. The boat was nice, we had plenty of room, and it had a snack bar available. 10 out of 10--would recommend it.
