America: The Western Myth
The western myth is directly correlated to the western expansion that occurred in America during the latter part of the 19th century. Representing America’s future, the west is perceived as unchartered territory, romantic, and mysterious. This western myth is conveyed through both literature and the cinema. Typically characteristic of all westerns was a good vs. evil plot, an inherent desire to achieve justice, and an exigency for a better life. (http://www.filmsite.org/westernfilms.html).
Ireland
The myth of Ireland’s “west” is vastly different from America’s “west” for one main reason: in Ireland the west represented the ancestral rural lands while in America the colonists were expanding into a west that was unknown territory and into a new frontier. Those residing in Western Ireland moved east in order to pursue a better and more metropolitan existence. Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, was situated on the eastern coast of Ireland and represented a flourishing metropolis. Unlike the rural lowlands of Western Ireland, Dublin is symbolic of an economically growing and developing city (nearly one million inhabit the city and the outlying areas): highways, buildings, residential housing, apartments, malls, and public buildings invited the western natives of Ireland to pursue a better more promising life within a cosmopolitan environment (Spencer, 6-7). The Irish became enthralled with returning to the west because they were searching for their ancestral roots. Ireland’s “west” symbolized hope, family values, and a more traditional way of life.
