Anseo

Adopted from Vietnam at three days old but raised as a proud Kerrywoman in an Irish speaking household, Úna-Minh exquisitely explains what life is like in Ireland as a non-white Irish person. Úna-Minh’s mother is Noreen who raises her as a single mother in Tralee. Both Noreen and Úna-Minh’s grandfather Paddy are driving forces in her life from a young age. Noreen and Paddy’s support and especially Noreen’s willingness to listen to her daughter help Úna-Minh to grow up safe, secure and proud to be an Irish-speaking Kerrywoman. But racism in Ireland, like most places is an inevitable aspect of Úna-Minh’s life. Growing up relatively sheltered in Tralee thanks to her friends and family she rarely experiences racism. When Úna-Minh moves to Dublin for college she is immediately bombarded with micro-aggressions from those around her. “Where are you from?” “Where are your family from?” “How long have you been in Ireland” are all questions that Úna-Minh is faced with daily. Being used to verbal attacks like this Úna-Minh often would turn the other cheek and ignore them, until one day she is a victim of a racist attack where she is verbally assaulted and spat on while standing on a busy street. When no one comes to her aid she decides enough is enough. She utilizes her journalism degree and social media to ignite a conversation on racism, modern Irish identity, elitism of the Irish language and who is “allowed” to use it. Written in a way of short essays, Úna-Minh aptly provokes a love of the Irish language in readers no matter their skill level. A true, proud, Irish woman, with a unique insight into the lives of those who are deemed as “other” her book Anseo is about being here, now in modern Ireland and what that means for all of us.