Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »
Wed 08 Aug 2008An Irishman's Diary
THE dictionary meaning of the French word patrimonieis "cultural heritage", but like the famously untranslatable la gloire, patrimoniecontains a myriad of ancillary ideas, patriotism being one.
There is scarcely a village, hamlet or fair-sized town in France that doesn't indulge patrimonieto the full, and enthuse about it. In Brittany, patrimonieis almost a religion. It goes without saying that this makes the Bretons and the French infinitely more culturally aware, and culturally energetic, than we are.
Choose a Subscription type - required
