Ireland

Ireland
My favorite picture of the Irish countryside

22 September 2010

Thesis topic

I am such an indecisive person. I have an hour until my class where I have to give Elva my thesis topic, and I still don't know what I'm going to do. Now, before you freak our for me, I should clarify that I have two different ideas, I just don't know which one I want to do.

Choice #1
Why did the kings of Tara become the high kings of Ireland? The kings of Munster had equal, if not more, power and were equally equipped. Tara had the advantage of association with power through Celtic mythology, but Munster's seat at Cashel symbolized authority for many in Ireland. How did Tara finally overcome Munster?
Choice #2
The ancient Celts believed music opened doors into the Otherworld. Did this belief transcend into the Christian belief (i.e. did they believe music could open Heaven)?

I've even flipped a coin and can't come to a conclusion. Usually, when I can't make a decision, I flip a coin and go with the one I realize I'm hoping for while the coin is in the air. This time I did not find myself rooting for one or the other of my options. I flipped the coin twice, with two different results, and did not find myself wishing for the other one either time. I think the thing that's scaring me about #1 is whether or not I really understand how the kingship of Ireland worked and if this is a plausible question. #2, I'm afraid, will end up like my paper on Bohemian Methodists and fairies (got them done, but the sources weren't really there).

I guess I'll just have them both ready and see what happens!

"The Irish don't know what they want and are prepared to fight to the death to get it."

No comments:

Post a Comment